The Bishop of Ondo Diocese, Most Rev. Jude Arogundade, has described the June 5, 2022, attack on worshippers at St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, as a life-changing event for both the Catholic community and the entire state. Speaking ahead of the fourth anniversary, the bishop stated that the horrific incident targeted worshippers at their most vulnerable moment, during Sunday Mass in what should have been the safest of places.
Tomorrow marks four years since terrorists stormed the church, killing 40 worshippers and injuring more than 100 others in one of the deadliest attacks on a place of worship in Nigeria's recent history. On June 5, 2022, armed gunmen opened fire on congregants, leaving a trail of death and destruction. The Federal High Court in Abuja recently sentenced four of the five terrorists to death after they were found guilty on all nine counts.
Bishop Reflects on Ongoing Trauma
Bishop Arogundade emphasized that the assault during Mass altered the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, leaving orphans, widows, and permanently scarred survivors. He noted that the church continues to care for the children of the deceased and those still nursing physical and emotional wounds. The bishop expressed sorrow that while some level of justice has been served through the legal system, no judicial outcome can restore the 41 lives brutally lost.
“It will be four years on June 5; that’s tomorrow,” the bishop said. “The attack has been a life changer for us in the Catholic diocese of Ondo and, indeed, in the whole of Ondo State. Because that is one of the worst incidents that we have ever had, where people in the church were praying on Sunday, where everybody thinks that should be the safest place. Some terrorists went in there to kill almost everybody. In fact, they were bent on killing as many as possible. And at the end of the day, we have 41 people killed and many, many others, more than 100 others, injured.”
Healing and Justice
The bishop stressed that the scar has remained with the community since the attack. “To this very day, we are still either caring for the children of the deceased or still nursing the wounds of the wounded. And also, those who lost dear ones. In fact, one of the seminarians here with me lost both parents. The father and the mother were killed in that incident. So my reaction is, what good purpose does this even serve? Well, we know justice; people will say at least justice was done, some level of justice was done. But at the same time, it doesn’t bring back the lives of 41 people that were brutally murdered on that day.”
Bishop Arogundade added that while the law has taken its course, the church is left to continue nursing the wounds of those scarred by the attack. He called for mercy, stating that God is the ultimate judge. He also expressed belief that the attack was sponsored, noting that it was not a random act but a planned execution. “How did they come to that idea? We are not political. We don’t get involved in controversies. In fact, we are one of the churches that go out of our way to care for everybody. We have hospitals that take care of everybody. Sometimes we give free medical assistance to those who cannot help themselves. We have social institutions that care for the orphans and widows. In fact, we have a programme going on now, empowerment of the youth. So why would you attack such an organisation that is out to help everybody?”
The bishop concluded by emphasizing the church’s commitment to forgiveness and the rule of law. “We have moved on. We have, according to our own gospel teaching, allowed everything to be. Forgiveness is from God. We have paid for forgiveness for our own sins, for our own inadequacies, and for the sins of others. But after that, the law of the land, we still take its course. And that, we don’t have anything to say apart from we are a country, and the country is guided by its constitutions and laws, and it has to be upheld.”
