Nigeria police have detained five suspects in the terrorist attack that resulted in the deaths of 40 people at a Catholic church in Ondo, Nigeria last June.
Newsroom(19/08/2022 9:30 AM Gaudium Press) Police authorities in Nigeria have confirmed the arrest of five suspects in the attack on a church in early June.
The St. Francis church in Ondo, Nigeria, was attacked during the celebration of Pentecost Mass resulting in the death of 40 people and 61 injured.
Authorities suspect that the crime was perpetrated by the terrorist group Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).
ISWAP, a terrorist group
ISWAP is a faction of the radical Islamic group Boko Haram, which is responsible for terrorist attacks and kidnappings of boys and girls in Nigeria.
Last July ISWAP attacked an Abuja detention center, facilitating the escape of 400 prisoners.
The terrorist group has also claimed several smaller impact terrorist attacks in recent months.
Joint operation to arrest the perpetrators
The arrest of the suspects was announced by the African country’s Chief of Defense Staff, Leo Irabor.
In the official statement, Irabor explained that the arrest of the suspects was the result of joint work between the army, the security service and the police.
The suspects remain anonymous
However, he did not give the details about the arrest and explained that the suspects will remain anonymous as some investigations are still ongoing:
“I would like to say that in due course the world will see them as well as others responsible for other cruel attacks in the country,” he said.
The governor of Ondo state confirmed that one person has also been arrested for hosting the suspects before the attack.
Climate of insecurity and violence in Nigeria
Nigeria suffers a climate of insecurity and violence because of attacks by bandits and radical Muslims.
Since 2009, the Boko Haram group has carried out attacks and kidnappings across the country. More recently, in 2015, ISWAP is also responsible for scenes of terror and violence.
The two jihadist groups are believed to have killed more than 35,000 people and caused the displacement of more than 2 million people in Nigeria and neighboring countries like Cameroon, Chad and Niger.(FM)
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
