The St. Francis’ Catholic Church, in the Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, will be opened to worshippers on Easter Sunday, exactly 10 months after bandits attacked it.
A minimum of 41 worshippers were killed during the invasion, while 69 others were left injured in the attack that occured on June 5, 2022.
This was revealed by the Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese, Jude Arogundade, who said that the church will be open for Chrism Mass as part of activities to mark the Easter celebration.
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Bishop Arogundade said the church had been under lock and key since the attack on worshippers and would be re-opened for service on Sunday.
He said, “Since the unfortunate incident that befell our members at the St Francis’ Cathedral in Owo on June 5 2022, the church has been closed down for security reasons and as a mark of respect for our fallen brothers and sisters.
“The church shall be opened again for Easter Sunday. The government of Ondo State is as well, planning to commemorate the first anniversary of the massacre in honour of our fallen heroes.”
The sad incident was greeted with widespread condemnation from various quarters in Nigeria and beyond.
However, no suspect has been arrested in connection with the attack.
The Ondo state government is currently constructing a memorial park in Owo in honour of the deceased, with the Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, promising that the park would be completed in May this year.
