Gunmen kill another six in Odo State

Sopuruchi Onwuka

The residents of Sabi town in OndoState on Wednesday witnessed hours of gunmen attack which eye witnesses said left not fewer than six people dead in the early hours of the day.

Spokesman of the Nigerian Police, Ondo State Command, Funmi Odunlami confirmed the killings, saying full details of the incident were yet emerge.

Police sources confirmed to journalists that the gunmen operated in motorcycles in the attack which, according to them, was brief and included armed robbery.

The victims of the attack are said to be early rise traders that displayed their wares along major roads in the town. The bandits are said to have also disposed residents of money and other valuables before riding off on motorbikes.

The recent attack came just days after St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, also in Ondo State was attacked with a combination of explosives and other sophisticated weapons as delegates of the All Progressive Congress (APC) converged in Abuja for a scheduled congress to select the party’s presidential candidate for 2023 election.

Hospital sources said some 50 worshipers died in the church attacks while official figures stood at 40 dead victims as at Thursday when the second attack happened.

Government has blamed the church attack on units of the Islamic State in Waste Province (ISWAP) but other sources point at Fulani bandits who have spread southwards from the north western parts of the country where they currently carry similar guerrilla attacks.