In 2022, a gunman opened fire inside a church in Nigeria, which led to the death of at least 50 persons, including children. The church reopens its doors to celebrate Easter Sunday after being closed due to the incident and weeks of renovations.
Reopening of the Church
On Apr. 9, Easter Sunday Mass has celebrated in the St. Francis Xavier Owo Catholic Parish. Catholic News Agency reported that during the sermon that was given at the reopening of the church after it had been closed for 43 weeks for restorations and to provide time for victims of the incident to receive medical treatment, Bishop Jude Ayodeji Arogundade highlighted how important it is to depend upon the power of faith in the person of Jesus Christ.
Due to the violence that had previously taken place in this church, they were reportedly unable to reopen it for around ten months. Following this, the bishop acknowledged the dozens of people who "were called to heaven" due to the attack on Pentecost Sunday and remarked that he would want to extend his condolences to those who have suffered the loss of a loved one.
He also drew parallels between the traumatic events of the attack and the events that occurred on Good Friday and posed the question: "But how do we explain this in relation to the death of our beloved Jesus Christ?" Bishop Ayodeji noted that they need to bring themselves back to a deeper awareness of what is happening in society today.
Moreover, the bishop who began his episcopal ministry in May 2010 as coadjutor bishop of the Ondo Diocese criticized the government led by Muhammadu Buhari for neglecting to even apologize to residents amid several attacks. Ayodeji began his episcopal ministry as coadjutor bishop of the Ondo Diocese.
He has reportedly never seen a country that is so at ease while seeing the murder of hundreds of its inhabitants every day, and in the 15 years that have passed, nothing has been done to stop it.
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Tragic Death of Around 50 People in Nigeria
According to the St. Louis Review, people inside and outside the St. Francis Xavier Church in Owo, located in the southwestern state of Ondo, were targeted by gunfire from the perpetrators. As mentioned, at least fifty persons were killed at the Mass on June 5, 2022. Dozens of additional people were hurt and evacuated to surrounding hospitals.
Father Andrew Abayomi, one of the priests, said that the attack took place toward the end of the Mass when people could hear gunshots from various areas. They hid inside the church, yet before the assault began, some of the congregation had already left. They were trapped inside for over twenty minutes after locking the doors behind them and could open the church doors and rush the victims to the hospital as soon as they learned that the perpetrators had fled the scene.
As per Vatican News, although attacks on innocent individuals are prevalent in Nigeria, the one that took place on Pentecost Sunday was the first of its kind to take place anywhere in the region. The operations of radical Islamic groups and fights between nomadic Fulani herders alongside more secure indigenous farmers have contributed to the country's ongoing security issues and helped further aggravate the situation.
Furthermore, bandits and kidnappers have been accountable for assaults on communities and travelers recently. These attacks have resulted in the deaths of some people, kidnapping others for ransom, and destroying property.
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