Eleven Killed, 18 Injured in Shooting at Nigerian Church

At least eight people died and another 18 were injured in a shooting Sunday at a church in southern Nigeria. Photo courtesy Anambra State Police Command Awka/Facebook

By Allen Cone  

UPI -- At least eight people died in a shooting Sunday at a church in southern Nigeria apparently by a lone gunman, police said.

Another 18 worshipers were wounded in the attack at St. Philip's Catholic Church in Ozubulu near the city of Onitsha in the state of Anambra, the Police Command in Awka said in a post on Facebook.

Initially, witnesses said the attack was carried out by gunmen at 5:45 a.m., but police now say it likely was carried out by one man, the Premium Times in Nigeria reported.

Garba Umar, commissioner of police in the state, said they believe the attack was carried out by a native of the area.

Umar said the shooting related to an argument between Nigerians from Ozubulu who live abroad, including one who built the church in which the attack occurred.

"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," Umar said. "The man after shooting at his targeted victims still went on a shooting spree, killing and wounding other worshipers."

Umar said the attack was not linked to Boko Haram.

Boko Haram does not operate in southern Nigeria.

From Daily-Mail:

At least 11 killed in 'barbaric' Nigeria church shooting

At least 11 worshipers were shot dead at a church in southeast Nigeria on Sunday, with authorities suggesting the bloodshed was due to a local feud.

"The information at the disposal of the police is that the gunman had been hired to kill a particular family person believed to be among the worshipers," he said.

He said the governor of the state visited the scene and promised to pay the medical bills of the injured.

Local rights activist Emeka Umeagbalasi said his information about the motive largely concurred with that of the police version.

The gunmen had gone to kill the son of a local chief but failed to find him at his home, Umeagbalasi said.

The attackers then went to the church to hunt for him, but could not find the intended target and became angry, he said.

They opened "fire on parishioners and shot indiscriminately," he said, adding that the father of the intended target was shot and wounded.