Ondo, 11 June, 2023 / 9:42 pm (ACI Africa).
Persons implicated in the Pentecost Sunday 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Owo Catholic Parish of Ondo Diocese that resulted in the death of 41 worshippers and the injury of many more “must” be held accountable, the Local Ordinary of the Nigerian Diocese has said.
Bishop Jude Ayodeji Arogundade who was presiding over Holy Mass for the dedication of the church that was attacked and the consecration of its altar on June 10 said that finding the root cause of the massacre of Catholic worshippers and similar attacks is “the minimum the government can do to prove its worth.”
“It is ironic that on such a day that Christians commemorated the birth of the church, a group of terrorists attacked St. Francis Church here in Owo in the Catholic Dioceses of Ondo, Nigeria,” Bishop Ayodeji said in reference to the 5 June 2022 attack.
He added, “It is already one year that this incident occurred and we have come to pray and to remember our deceased brothers and sisters, 41 of them and 85 others who were wounded, many of whom are still nursing their wounds.”
One year after the massacre, the Catholic Bishop said, we are “still waiting for the government to tell us who was behind the attack on this church last year and how deep it has gotten to the bottom of the crime.”