50 People Feared Dead As Gunmen Opens Fire At Nigerian Catholic Church

A heartbreaking incident is reported at a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria on Sunday after a gunman opened fire on worshippers and detonated explosives, officials said.

The violence at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo town, in Ondo State, happened during the morning service on Pentecost Sunday in a rare attack in the southwest of the African country.

Nigeria to date continues to struggle with security issues, including Islamic extremism, meanwhile, Ondo is widely known as one of Nigeria's most peaceful states. 

So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack and the motives and death toll are yet to be established, but President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the 'heinous killing of worshippers'.

Disturbing videos from the attack scene show church worshippers lying in pools of blood while people around them wailed.

Ondo state governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu said in a statement it was a 'vile and satanic attack' and appealed to the security forces to track down the assailants.

In a tweet, he added: 'Our hearts are heavy. Our peace and tranquility have been attacked by the enemies of the people.'

Local politician Ogunmolasuyi Oluwole, who visited the scene and also the hospital where many of the wounded were being treated, said among the dead were many children.

State police spokeswoman Ibukun Odunlami said the gunmen attacked the church with explosives, leaving an undisclosed number of worshippers dead.

'It's still premature to say exactly how many people were killed. But many worshippers lost their lives while others were injured in the attack,' she said.

Adelegbe Timileyin, who represents the Owo area in Nigeria's lower legislative chamber, said the presiding priest was abducted as well.

One of the witnesses to the incident who gave his name as Abayomi said at least 20 worshippers had died in the attack.

'I was passing through the area when I heard a loud explosion and gunshots inside the church,' he continued.

The man shared that there were at least five gunmen on the attack site before they ran away seeking for safety.

Gun and bomb attacks are rare in Ondo state, but Nigeria's military is battling a 12-year-old jihadist insurgency in the northeast, kidnapping gangs in the northwest and separatist agitation in the southeast.

The security forces of the country have not released any statement yet. Owo is about 215 miles east of Lagos.

'In the history of Owo, we have never experienced such an ugly incident,' said lawmaker Oluwole. 'This is too much.'