Josephine Ojeloni, a victim of the attack on a church in
Ondo, said she climbed a fence despite being injured, in order to escape.
Many worshippers of St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo
state, were killed, while several others were injured following an attack by
gunmen on Sunday afternoon.
Speaking to journalists at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo,
Ojeloni said the mass had barely ended when the gunmen struck.
She said at first, she thought the gunshots were sounds from fireworks.
“We had finished
celebrating mass. Later, we heard gunshots from the back because I was in the
middle. At first, I wasn’t sure what it was, but we heard more sounds, then
people started running from the back into the church. People were falling down
from being shot,” she said.
“I was also running. I got to where I thought I could escape
but there was no way, so I fell on top of others. The next thing I saw, I was
hit. My leg was finished. But I thank God I am alive. I know it is a question
of time; the pain will stop and I will walk with my legs.”
Asked if the victims are receiving adequate medical
treatment, she said the medical personnel are “really trying”.
“They are really
trying. They are trying to make sure the injured survive,” she said.
“You can see how my leg is. If you had seen me yesterday,
you’d have run away. With the wound on my leg, I still climbed a fence to
escape. The flesh was scattered and dropping on the floor as I was moving.”
Benjamin Asogbuwa, another victim receiving treatment at
FMC, said despite lying down under the church’s pews, he was still hit by a
bullet.
“We were holding service not knowing that the enemies were
lurking around,” he said.
“Immediately after
the service, just as the reverend father said ‘go in peace’, we started hearing
gunshots outside. We thought it was a knockout or a trick. So, one of us went
to the door to check what was going on. He saw them coming with guns and
everything.
“He closed the door and ran back. While still running, they
started shooting again. They entered through the door, the window, shooting and
throwing dynamite.
“I was lying under the pew but one leg was outside. The
bullet hit me in the leg. The people around me died including a baby of about
three. It was horrible. We least expected something like that in the heart of
town.”
Asogbuwa called on the federal government to find lasting
solution to the insecurity ravaging the country.
“The government has
to sit up about this insecurity issue. It is like we don’t have a country
anymore,” he said.
“If at the heart of Owo here, nobody is safe, where do we
go? And they are preparing for the election. Is the election for the living or
the dead? We are fed up with insecurity. Nobody is safe anywhere anymore. In
your home, in the marketplace, when travelling, even in the house of God. It is
unbelievable but it happened.
“They should forget
about 2023 and save lives now. God is not happy with this country anymore. The
leadership has failed us. What is the essence of staying back in this country?
What is the essence of the election, and who is it for when everybody is dying
every day?”
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