Tags: AF | Nigeria | Church Attack Arrests

Nigeria Arrests Men Suspected of Deadly Church Attack

Tuesday, 09 August 2022 12:01 PM EDT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The suspected gunmen who killed dozens of worshippers during a church service in southwestern Nigeria in June have been arrested, Nigeria's top military officer said on Tuesday, two months after the attack which shocked many in the West African nation.

“We have arrested those behind the dastardly act in Owo,” General Leo Irabor, Nigeria's Chief of Defense Staff, said in a meeting with local media, according to the Abuja-based Daily Trust newspapers.

Neither Irabor nor the police who confirmed the arrest to The Associated Press provided further details into the development. The Nigerian general however said investigations are still ongoing and “in due course, the world will see them and others who are behind other daring attacks in the country.”

The gunmen stormed the St. Francis Catholic Church in Ondo state just as the worshippers gathered on Pentecost Sunday and killed at least 40 of them, authorities said. The incident shocked many in Ondo which is one of Nigeria’s most peaceful states and had been largely spared the violent attacks across the West African nation, particularly in the troubled north where Islamic extremist rebels of Boko Haram and other armed groups operate.

The church attack in Owo had “the imprints” of the Islamic State of West African Province, an offshoot of Boko Haram, Nigerian officials said after the attack. Security analysts have since last year warned that the Islamic rebels in Nigeria's north are now spreading to other parts of the country.

Bishop Jude Arogundade of the Ondo Catholic Diocese told AP that residents in Ondo and the church in Nigeria are already “getting frustrated that after two months, people came to kill 40 people and we do not have any information about it.”

He said the Catholic church has not been informed yet of the arrests and continues to wait to hear “the motive because we are a peaceful organization, we don’t get into politics or into controversial issues.”

© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


GlobalTalk
The suspected gunmen who killed dozens of worshippers during a church service in southwestern Nigeria in June have been arrested, Nigeria's top military officer said on Tuesday, two months after the attack which shocked many in the West African nation."We have arrested...
AF,Nigeria,Church Attack Arrests
323
2022-01-09
Tuesday, 09 August 2022 12:01 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
 
TOP

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
NEWSMAX.COM
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved