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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Emmanuel Akinwotu West Africa correspondent

Nigeria: town mourns more than 50 people shot dead in church during mass

A police officer stands guard inside the Saint Francis Catholic church the day after the attack.
A police officer stands guard inside the Saint Francis Catholic church the day after the attack. Photograph: Sunday Alamba/AP

Workers cleared the pools of blood and pieces of broken pews at the Saint Francis Catholic church in south-west Nigeria on Monday, as the local community mourned more than 50 parishioners shot dead in the final moments of mass a day earlier.

No one has claimed responsibility for the killings, and Nigeria’s authorities and the police have not named any suspects.

But new details of the brazen attack emerged on Monday, as authorities and witnesses described how the unidentified assailants detonated explosives and opened fire through the windows as the ceremony ended, before entering the church and shooting at those who tried to flee from two of three exits. The attack lasted for about 20 minutes and left scores wounded.

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