Authorities of the Diocese of Ondo on Tuesday disclosed that 38 persons have been confirmed dead after the Sunday massacre at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State even as the church considers a mass burial for unidentified victims.
During an interview with The PUNCH, the Diocesan Bishop, Jude Arogundada revealed that the unknown gunmen had attacked the church located on Owa-Luwa Street in Owo, the hometown of the State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu. The gunmen had reportedly opened fire on the congregation leaving many worshippers dead and many others injured.
According to Arogundade, the diocese had been able to account for 38 victims.
However, he opened up that some families picked up corpses of their loved ones and those could not be accounted for by the diocese at the moment.
He said, “People have been asking me about the figure of those who died. The figure that we can account for presently is 38.
“But we know that many people were taken to private hospitals. Even some people came to take the bodies of their loved ones. We are trying to trace those people so that we can have a recount for all.
“But in the catholic hospital, which is St. Louis Hospital in Owo, and the Federal Medical Centre in Owo, we have 38 bodies.”
Meanwhile, an inside source in the church told newsmen that the church was considering holding a mass burial for the victims of the massacre because some bodies were yet to be identified and claimed by their relatives since the incident happened.
The source, however, said a final decision has not been reached on the date and other burial arrangements.
He said, “There are plans to give mass burial to those who lost their lives in the Sunday attack. The decision was taken due to the nature of their deaths. So we have to bury them instead for them to just be in the morgue for a long time.
Giving a clue as to the possible mass burial for unidentified victims, the Owo Catholic Church official said: “Those that will be given mass burial are those whose bodies could not be identified by anyone. Definitely, when the necessary arrangements have been concluded, the church will notify the public on when the mass burial will be done.”
