Gunmen on Sunday attacked a Catholic church in Ondo state, southwestern Nigeria, killing "many" worshippers, according to the government and police.
The attack occurred during morning service at St Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo in southwestern Nigeria, usually untouched by jihadists and criminal gangs active in other parts of Nigeria. country.
An attack still without claim
Responsibility for the attack has not been claimed.
His motives and toll were not immediately known, but President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the "heinous killing of worshippers".
Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu in his statement called on the security forces to find the attackers after this "despicable and satanic attack".
An uncertain record
According to state police spokeswoman Ibukun Odunlami, they attacked the church with firearms and explosives.
“It is still early to say exactly how many people have been killed.
But many worshipers lost their lives while others were injured in the attack,” she said.
A witness, who gave only his first name, Abayomi, said at least 20 worshipers died in the attack.
“I was passing through the neighborhood when I heard a loud explosion and gunshots inside the church,” he said.
He adds that he saw at least five armed men inside the church before fleeing to safety.
The Nigerian army is deployed on many fronts in an attempt to curb insecurity in the country.
A jihadist insurgency has been raging for 12 years in the Northeast, gangs of looters and kidnappers terrorize the northwest and center, while the southeast is the scene of separatist movements.
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