The High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), Mr Miguel Moratinos, has called on all governments to support the implementation of the Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites to keep worshippers safe in light of the Nigeria Church attack and called for mutual respect of all religions and faiths and for fostering a culture of fraternity and peace.
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, also condemned “in the strongest terms” the killings of innocent worshippers in a Catholic church in Owo, and described the attack as “heinous”, as worshippers gathered to celebrate Pentecost, an important date in the Christian calendar.
Nigerian Police, said they had recovered unexploded improvised explosive devices and shells from AK-47 ammunition, after the brutal attack.
"Some of the gunmen disguised as congregants, while other armed men who had positioned themselves around the church premises from different directions, fired into the church," national police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi said in a statement.
Adejobi also said a vehicle used by the assailants to escape had been recovered. Its owner was helping with investigations.
It is still not clear how many people have died and or were injured. But the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo says the church, which is one of the biggest parishes in Ondo state, can hold up to 1,200 people. It was full at the time of the attack.
Owo is located in Ondo State in southwest Nigeria, a part of the country not prone to violent conflict over religion. Authorities have said nothing about the identity or motive of the attackers.
There have been an increasing number of outbreaks of violence in recent years between Fulani herdsmen seeking land for their cattle to graze on and farmers from other ethnic groups seeking to shield their lands.
In a separate incident, Father Christopher Itopa Onotu, a Nigerian Catholic priest was abducted from his rectory in the town of Obangede in central Kogi State, which neighbours Ondo to the north during the weekend, the local Catholic diocese said on Monday.
It said parishioners went to look for Father Christopher Itopa Onotu after waiting in vain for him to conduct Pentecost Sunday mass. They found the windows and doors of his room at the rectory had been broken and his belongings scattered.
Father recounts attack after two days
Father Andrew Abayomi, assistant parish priest at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Owo, was speaking to Vatican Media two days after the attack that left scores of faithful dead.
Criminal attacks, including on priests and churches are increasingly frequent in Nigeria where, especially the northern region has been facing security challenges in the past years with criminal gangs fueled by the activities of the Boko Haram extremist group, as well as clashes between nomadic herdsmen and indigenous farmers.
Of course, Father Abayomi said, people are afraid because their security is threatened, “their safety is threatened.”
He said immediately after the attack he visited at the hospital together with the Bishop of the Diocese and the pastor of the church where the attack took place: “We all came to visit the wounded and to pray with them, to sympathise with them and to encourage them to be strong in faith.
We could see, he continued, that they have the assurance that “there is God, and that God has chosen and called us to be a witness to his love, so that everyone will come to terms with the fact that we are children of one Father and that humanity needs to be saved together.”
We are going forward, Fr Abayomi, affirmed, but “the fear will still be there, especially for those with little faith.”
Many government and religious leaders across the world have condemned the brutal attack. Pope Francis has described it as an unspeakable act of violence, praying that peace may prevail over hatred. The Nigerian cleric said he has come to terms with the fact that “we are called to bear witness, to show the world that, yes, love prevails over hatred. It's part of our life already.”
Pope bringing message of peace to Africa
Father Abayomi looked ahead to the Pope’s upcoming visit to two African nations in July, a journey that brings a message of peace and reconciliation to the whole continent.
Pope Francis is expected to visit Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), from 2 to 5 July 2022 and South Sudan from 5 to 7 July.
“The people in Africa will know that the Church, the universal Church, is with them, together with the Church in Africa with the Holy Father proclaiming peace and reconciliation,” he said noting the message will also resonate loud and clear “as a challenge to political leaders, and even to religious leaders and to people of different faiths.”
-VM/Reuters