‘It was a time of celebration’ — Pope Francis reacts to Owo church attack

Pope Francis has condemned the attack on St Francis Catholic Church in Owo LGA of Ondo state, expressing his condolences to the victims’ families.

Gunmen attacked the church on Sunday, killing many worshippers and injuring several people.

The gunmen were said to have detonated explosives before firing at the congregants.

Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo, who visited the church, described the incident as a “calculated assault” on the people of Owo.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says 11 children and 22 adults are on admission at the emergency wards of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by Matteo Bruni, director, Vatican press office, the pope said the congregants were “painfully affected”.

“The pope has learned of the attack on the church in Ondo, Nigeria and the deaths of dozens of worshippers, many children, during the celebration of Pentecost,” the statement reads.

“While the details are being clarified, Pope Francis prays for the victims and the country, painfully affected at a time of celebration, and entrusts them both to the Lord so that he may send his spirit to console them.”

REPS MINORITY CAUCUS: PEPERTRATORS MUST FACE JUSTICE

Meanwhile, the minority caucus in the house of representatives has called on security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended and made to face justice.

Ndudi Elumelu, leader of the minority caucus, said in a statement: “Our Caucus is deeply pained that innocent Nigerians have continued to be massacred by terrorists because of the incompetence and manifest lack of capacity by the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration to confront terrorism and secure our nation.

“This attack is yet another sad commentary on the abysmal failure of the Buhari-led APC administration to decisively confront terrorists in their apparently organized attacks on our nation; a situation that has emboldened these outlaws to continue to ravage our nation and murder our citizens with reckless abandon.

“Our caucus stands with the Government and people of Ondo State at this moment of grief. We deeply commiserate with the families of the victims of the attack as we call on the security forces to ensure that the perpetrators do not get away with this gruesome crime against our citizens.”

The legislators called on “President Muhammadu Buhari to end his administration’s lethargic approach to security, review its strategies and adopt more proactive measures to tackle terrorism and curb the worsening insecurity in Nigeria”.

“President Buhari must also take firm steps to secure the release of Nigerians languishing in abductor’s dens, including kidnapped students of various institutions and victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train terrorist attack,” they added.