St Francis catholic church in Owo will be holding mass for victims exactly a year after the deadly attack.
Just as some victims narrated their harrowing experiences during the attack that left over 40 people dead and several others injured during a mass to mark Pentecost Sunday.
The Catholic Church in a statement by the Director of Social Communications of the Ondo Diocese of the Catholic Church, Augustine Ikwu, said a week-long programme would be held to reopen the church for services officially.
Ikwu disclosed that the programme, which commenced on Monday, will be dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives in the incident and to thank God for those who escaped death during the massacre.
The statement stated that “The week features the opening of two memorial parks built by the Ondo State Government and Catholic Diocese of Ondo in honour of the deceased,” Mr Ikwu said.
“There will be candlelight procession mass of the church’s dedication and consecration of the altar and a memorial mass to round off the events.”
Ikwu said visitation would also be made to the families of the deceased and the disabled.
An interdenominational service was held on Monday morning to herald the events.
The dedication of the church will hold on Thursday, while the memorial mass will hold on Saturday, 10 June.
Some of the victims, while speaking on their harrowing experience, a Catholic devout, Adejokun Titilayo, who was still recovering from the attack, said she escaped miraculously from being killed by the gunmen who were armed to the teeth.
Adejokun explained that the experience will linger on in her memory, saying she has been confined to a wheelchair after the ugly incident.
She said, “I was in the church that very day, I can’t believe that I’m still alive. I can’t even describe how the incident happened because it was a devastating experience for me.
“Seeing myself alive gives me joy because those who had the opportunity to escape were killed by the gunmen who mercilessly attacked the house of God.
“It is heartwrenching to see how innocent worshipers were killed because I was at the front when it happened, Adejokun added.
A trader, Mrs. Monogbe Imisioluwa Rita, who is still mourning her loved ones, including her husband, who is the breadwinner of the family, said, “I won’t forget this bad incident because I lost my husband, a police officer, Monogbe Ayodele John, and two sisters-in-law: Monogbe Omolola, Testimony John and one of my sons who is alive but sustained injury head.
“On that fateful day, our Reverend’s father called children out to pray for them, so after he finished the mass, I wanted to go when they started raining gunshots into the church.
“Immediately, people started running inside, I saw some hefty men clad in black, so I ran back. After the consistent gunshots, my husband, who was a police officer, and the churchwardens left the middle of the church to find out what was happening.
“On his way to peep through the window so as to check what really went wrong outside, he was gunned down, and his sister, who was following him as well as cautioning him not to peep, was also shot dead.
“My daughter, who was trailing his dad before he was eventually shot alongside his sister, ran back for her life, but he was given a hot chase by one of the attackers, but the gunman pursuing her shot her. The bullet slightly hit her on the head, and she managed to roll under a car parked at the premises.”
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