Dozens killed during Sunday mass in Nigerian church

Gunmen opened fire in a Catholic church in Nigeria, killing dozens of worshippers during Sunday mass.

That’s according to a doctor who told Reuters that no fewer than 50 bodies were recovered from St. Francis Church in the town of Owo, in Nigeria’s southwest Ondo state.

Local media outlets reported the gunmen also detonated explosives and that the victims included women and children.

The identity and motive of the attackers were not immediately clear.

President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack, calling it ‘heinous’, while the Vatican said Pope Francis was praying for the victims.

Africa’s most populous country is battling an Islamist insurgency in the northeast, where armed gangs have reportedly carried out attacks and kidnappings for ransom.

However, similar incidents in the southwest, such as Sunday’s attack, are considered rare.