At least 28 people died in a violent attack on a church in Nigeria on Palm Sunday, sparking nationwide fear among Christians ahead of Easter celebrations. The assault occurred during worship services in Owo, Ondo State, when gunmen opened fire inside the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as bullets rained down on congregants, many of whom were children and elderly. Security forces arrived hours after the initial attack, drawing criticism over delayed response times. No group has claimed responsibility, though suspicion has fallen on Islamist extremists linked to the Islamic State or Boko Haram factions. President Buhari condemned the attack, calling it "a most barbaric act" and vowing to bring those responsible to justice. The Catholic Church in Nigeria has urged heightened security at places of worship, especially during Easter services. Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu confirmed the death toll and expressed shock over the breach of security in a region previously considered relatively stable. Some survivors recounted hiding under pews and playing dead to escape notice. The massacre marks one of the deadliest attacks on a church in Nigeria in over a decade. Investigations are ongoing, with military operations expanding across border areas near Benin Republic. Authorities have not ruled out possible complicity by local collaborators.
When President Buhari calls an attack "barbaric" but offers no new security strategy, it signals a pattern: outrage without overhaul. The Owo church massacre didn't happen in the northeast conflict zone but in the south, where such violence was once unthinkable. That this attack succeeded exposes a dangerous gap between Nigeria's security rhetoric and its reach. For Nigerian Christians, Easter is no longer just a holy season — it's a test of whether the state can protect its most vulnerable citizens.
