Police confirm death of 8 church worshippers, 18 injured

The police in Anambra have confirmed the death of eight worshippers and 18 others injured in an early

The Commissioner of Police, Mr Garba Umar, revealed that the remains of the dead worshippers had been deposited at Nnamdi Azikwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi, while the injured victims were taken to the hospital.

Garba also said that preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the attack was carried out by a native of the area.

“From our findings, it is very clear that the person who carried the attack must be an indigene of the area.

“We gathered that worshippers for 6 o’clock Sunday mass at St. Philip Ozobulu were in the service when a gunman dressed in black attire covering his face with a cap entered the church and moved straight to a particular direction and opened fire.

“The man after shooting at his targeted victims still went on a shooting spree, killing and wounding other worshippers,’’ he said.

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The commissioner said information available to police showed that the attacker was speaking undiluted Igbo Language at the time he was firing at worshippers.

Umar said though no arrest had been made but that the police already learnt that the attack followed a quarrel between two natives of Ozubulu residing overseas.

Describing the act as sacrilegious, the commissioner of police said it was wrong for the perpetrators of the act to extend their quarrel into the church.