Police: Ozubulu church attack masterminded by murder convicts in South Africa

The Anambra state police command says two suspects behind the attack on St. Philip Catholic Church, Ozubulu, in the state, are murder convicts in South Africa.

The command gave the names of the suspects as Prince Charles Obi (a.k.a Gozila) and Dickson Nwodi.

Unknown gunmen had invaded the church on August 6, killing 18 worshipers.

Ten people were also injured in the attack which occurred during an early morning mass. Police and the state government later blamed it on a drug war between two brothers.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Garba Umar, the state police commissioner, said the two suspects were currently in South African prisons.

He said Obi and Nwodi, from Nnobi and Oba communities respectively, had mandated one Quintus Anayo, also based in South Africa, to inform Ozubulu elders that they were behind the invasion.

The commissioner said Anayo’s account corresponded with the findings of police in the matter.

He added that the command had already established contact with INTERPOL in a bid to extradite the suspects.

Umar also said the police were intensifying arrangements to arraign the three suspects earlier arrested in connection with the killings.

TheCable had done a close-up on one Bishop, a philanthropist from Ozubulu, who was said to be the target of the church attack.