Crime
Owo Church killings: 15-yr-old Enugu boy soiled self with blood to deceive killers
The attack on worshipers last Sunday in Owo, Ondo state took every one by surprise. No one saw it coming, although there had been clashes with herdsmen following the enactment of a law banning open grazing by the state government. But the clashes happened in the forest and not in the town.
For many families, in Owo, last Sunday’s attack in broad daylight will remain a sad chapter of their lives as their loved ones were killed. Some of the families have been expressing their pains and sorrow.
The younger brother of one of the victims of the gunmen attack, Christopher Nwanyi, has given a heart wrenching account of the tragedy that befell their family inside the church last Sunday.
The 45-year-old timber dealer in Owo said he would forever live with the trauma of the death of his 55-year-old elder brother and his niece whose lives were brutally cut short last Sunday during the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, Owo, Ondo state. He gave vivid details of the ugly incident.
His account
“I was not in that church on the day of the tragic incident because I was in another parish. My elder brother and his family attended the church where the attack took place. He went with his son but his wife didn’t go to church that day. She said she had pains on her feet and wouldn’t be able to attend.
“Their 15-year- old son, Victor, who is in SS1, however miraculously survived the attack. When the gunmen started shooting inside the church, he laid down flat on the ground. He decided to lie in a pool of blood so that if the attackers saw him they would think he had already been shot. That was how he laid down until the attackers finished and left.
“By the time he stood up, he discovered that his father had been shot. He then began to look for his sister and and at the same time seeking help for his wounded father because he was still talking but gave signs of giving up. When help eventually came and he was taken to Federal Medical Center, FMC, he was however rejected for lack of space.
“They then rushed him to St. Loius hospital which is also a Catholic hospital in Owo. That was when they discovered he was dead. I didn’t know what was happening as I was searching for them, before I heard that his father had died.
“I asked about the children and I was directed to go and check at the mortuary. As I was going towards the mortuary, I saw the son on a bike on his way to the mortuary and when I asked after his father, he told me he was dead. I asked after his sister and he showed me her corpse which he was taking to the mortuary.
“Immediately I started crying, sympathisers gathered, they carried the corpse from him and took it to the mortuary. And we started consoling him, that at the age of 15 years he could summon the courage to carry the corpse of his sister. The sister was eleven years old.
“The event is heartbreaking, I’m in pains. We were confused on what to do to ensure that the deceased were properly documented because the day we took the corpses from the hospital to the mortuary, all the dead bodies were on the floor. After they had embalmed the bodies, I later gave them the details of my late brother and his daughter.
“The deceased girl was in primary six, her father, who was my elder brother was the Bursar at Technical College, Owo. He was 57 years old. I am a wine seller, I am a graduate but I am self employed. My late brother was born in Owo. I was born here but I didn’t school here. I graduated from University of Jos in 1996. My father and mother are dead, I am the only son in my family now, my other siblings are women, I have six sisters.
Any premonition of the sad incident ?
We had no premonition about the incident before it happened. My late brother was a practicing Christian, most of the time he was the one who made the announcement during the Sunday service at the altar, it was while he was coming down from the altar that the attackers started shooting and was hit on his chest.
“Since the incident, his wife has been crying, threatening to take her life. I learnt her blood pressure has risen beyond normal. His wife’s name is Florence, we are from Amy in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State.
“The entire incident is devastating because, in my town, whenever we were having any engagement, it was my brother who would represent our village as the eldest. But now the mantle of leadership has fallen on me at this age. That is the challenge. And how the wife will be able to cope with the teenage son is the problem. I have my own children also, I am 49 years old, I have four boys.
The location of the Church is inside the town. It is the first Catholic Church in Owo, it is a big Church like a cathedral. So, the question is, how did they enter the church and they started shooting without anyone coming to rescue anybody till they left.
Any previous attack or threat?
The state government passed the law on ban on open grazing. Since then, there have been clashes which usually happened in the bush not in the town.
Kelechi Ugwummadu is a timber dealer in Owo. He lost his mother and a niece during the attack. His account: “My daddy has been down; I was just trying to console him. He said he can’t forget my mother because my mother saved his life twice. When they were young, he was sick and thought he would die. It was my mom that helped him.
“I was born in Akure. My father came to Owo after the war. We were born and bred in Owo, it was only higher institution that took us out of Owo in Ondo.
“For now, most of the dead bodies are yet to be released to their families. My nephew who is two years old sustained injuries, he had bullet wounds on his back. He is the younger brother to Ekene, my niece that was killed with my mother. Yesterday, I saw the video of how my mother and my four-year-old nephew were murdered. It is uncalled for. Look at my mother, we were preparing for her 70th birthday next month.
“I am the first son, but I have an elder sister. I was not in the Church when the attack occurred.
“I was at a meeting after the church service in Akure when my brother called me to say that his wife called to say that some gun men came to St. Francis Catholic church, Owo and that they killed Mama, and our nephew. Immediately I left for Owo and on getting there, I went straight to FMC and I saw how my deceased nephew.
How some worshippers escaped
“The way Catholic Churches are built is that you have the pew on the left and on the right. Those on the left pew didn’t suffer much casualties unlike those on the right which recorded more casualties. Most of the people who escaped sat at the left side in the church.
“The people who attacked the church came from the entrance that faced the main road. The few people that escaped passed the other entrance to the toilet.
Everyone in the family will miss the small boy, he was very intelligent and smart. I cried so much yesterday.
“My mom was an easy going woman who could not hide anything from anyone. Anytime you asked her for anything, unless she didn’t have, she would always give. She was the best woman. She was not a troublesome person. When I saw her corpse at they mortuary yesterday, I cried bitterly.”
Vanguard News
Two police officers have been killed after suspected armed herders ambushed the convoy of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ayilamo, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The latest attack occurred on Monday evening, barely four days after another deadly incident in the community reportedly left four policemen and seven residents dead.
Community sources said the DPO had travelled to Makurdi on official duty and was returning to Ayilamo when his entourage came under attack.
One of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the victims were among newly deployed Mobile Police officers stationed in the area.
He said the officers were attacked at about 6pm while travelling from Ayilamo to escort the DPO back to the community from Makurdi.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Peter Aondongu, said two officers attached to the DPO’s entourage were killed in the attack.
“The DPO came to Makurdi to collect some things, and while returning to Ayilamo, he was attacked and lost two of his men in the attack,” Aondongu said.
The latest incident has raised fresh concerns over the security situation in Ayilamo, where repeated attacks have resulted in casualties among security personnel and residents.
The Nigeria Police Force has placed its formations nationwide on red alert following intelligence reports of planned terrorist attacks on worship centres, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other public places.
The alert followed fresh intelligence indicating increased mobilisation of terrorist elements for possible coordinated attacks on vulnerable targets across the country.
Police authorities also reportedly received intelligence on the movement of armed elements from Katsina through Kaduna towards Plateau State.
The operational order was contained in a police wireless message dated September 13, 2026, with reference number CB: 0900/FDPS/DOPS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL38/68, issued by the Department of Operations at Force Headquarters, Abuja.
Marked “Security General” and tagged “Treat as Very Important,” the message was circulated to Assistant Inspectors-General of Police overseeing Zones 1–17, Mobile Police formations, counter-terrorism and other specialised units, as well as Commissioners of Police in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The police directed formations to intensify vigilance and take proactive measures to prevent criminal and terrorist elements from carrying out attacks.
The warning specifically highlighted places of worship, educational institutions, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable public locations as potential targets.
A 16-year-old boy, Favour Ayogu, who was allegedly abducted in Igboeze South Local Government Area of Enugu State, has been rescued in Onitsha, Anambra State, after his abductors reportedly abandoned him near a security checkpoint.
Ayogu was rescued on the evening of September 13, 2026, by a joint security patrol team operating along Oguta Road, Onitsha.
According to the Anambra State Police Command, the teenager was found at Ekene Junction after unidentified persons reportedly pushed him out of a black Toyota Highlander SUV close to a security checkpoint.
The patrol team immediately intervened and rescued the victim, thereby preventing what the police described as further danger to his life.
Following the rescue, the Command said it had intensified surveillance and intelligence-led operations to identify and apprehend members of the suspected criminal gang responsible for the abduction.
The police also appealed to residents of Igboeze South and Ibagwa-Aka in Enugu State who may have useful information about Ayogu or his family to contact the nearest police station or the Anambra State Police Command in Awka.
The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, commended the security personnel involved in the rescue and directed officers to sustain strategic checkpoints, intelligence-led patrols and coordinated security operations across the state.
The Command assured residents and visitors that it would continue to intensify efforts to prevent criminal elements from using Anambra as a safe haven.
At least nine passengers have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a commercial bus at Dungus Junction in Kuru community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The attack reportedly occurred around 9:40 p.m. when the bus, which was travelling towards Jos, stopped at the junction to drop off some passengers.
Several other passengers were reportedly injured in the attack and rushed to hospitals for treatment.
Lawan Suleiman, a neighbour and teacher of one of the victims, identified the driver as Ibrahim and said three of the victims were from his community in Bukuru.
“The driver is Ibrahim and he was my student. Three of them are from our community here in Bukuru. Their bodies have been deposited at the hospital. But relatives are preparing to collect them for burial,” Suleiman said.
The bus was reportedly riddled with bullets, with bloodstains visible inside the vehicle after the attack.
Rwang Tengwong, spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders (BYM), also confirmed the incident, saying the victims were passengers travelling to Jos when the attackers opened fire on the vehicle.
Tengwong said one of those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow.
“The incident happened around 9.40 p.m. The victims were all passengers travelling to Jos when the terrorists opened fire on the vehicle. Among those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow. It is a very sad development and we lament the loss of lives,” he said.
He added that some passengers sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to hospitals, while some of the injured reportedly later died.
The attack has raised fresh concerns over the safety of commuters travelling along the route at night amid continuing security challenges in parts of Plateau State.
As of the time of filing this report, the Plateau State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The Enugu State Police Command has ordered an investigation into two separate incidents of alleged disruption of political gatherings in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state.
The incidents reportedly occurred on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Ndiuno-Obuoffia community and St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to thoroughly investigate the incidents and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
According to the statement, armed hoodlums allegedly disrupted a National Democratic Congress (NDC) ward meeting at Ndiuno-Obuoffia with sporadic gunshots, leaving two attendees injured.
In a separate incident at St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani, hoodlums allegedly destroyed canopies and chairs arranged for a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally.
The police said operatives were promptly deployed to both locations after receiving reports of the incidents to prevent further breaches of peace and track down the fleeing suspects.
The Command, however, noted that neither of the political gatherings had been formally brought to the attention of the police for security coverage.
CP Giwa reiterated his warning that all political activities in the state must be conducted peacefully and in accordance with the law.
He stressed that electoral offences are punishable under the law and warned political parties, candidates, supporters and other stakeholders against violence, intimidation, destruction of property and other acts capable of disrupting public peace or the electoral process.
The Commissioner urged political parties and other stakeholders to notify the police ahead of campaigns, meetings, rallies and other political gatherings to enable the Command to make adequate security arrangements.
He assured residents that the police would continue to maintain a peaceful and secure environment for lawful political activities while dealing decisively with anyone found violating the law.
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