Death toll of last Monday’s attack on Deeper Life Bible Church at Ehika Dagun in Okehi local government area of Kogi State now rises to 19, Daily Trust has gathered.
State commissioner of police Muhammed Katsina yesterday conducted Governor Idris Wada round the church, saying the gunmen shot worshipers at a close range.
The gunmen on reaching the church, according to him, went straight to the generator stand and switched it off before entering the uncompleted church and started shooting worshipers.
One of the victims, Lawal Saliu Itopa, who was also at the church and is currently receiving treatment at Okene General Hospital due to gunshots wound he sustained, said he was lucky to have escaped by whiskers.
[ Related: Gunmen kill 20 worshippers at Okene church ]“We started the Monday service by 6pm as usual without a premonition that something bad would happen to us. At about 7:30 pm, in the middle of the programme, our generator went off and before we knew what was happening two men with guns entered the church and started firing at us; some of our members who attempted to run out of the church were trapped at the door by some of the hoodlums outside”, he said.
Most of the worshippers, according him, went under the benches to take cover but the assailant came close and were shooting at them to make sure that no one survived, saying he could not really tell how he managed to survive with gunshot on his body.
A female victim at the hospital could not hold her tears back when our reporter sought for her comments, saying he would not speak.
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However, the General Overseer of the Deeper Life Church in the state, Raymond Egujubi, wondered why people should murder innocent worshipers, saying 17 worshipers died including the pastor of the church.
Meanwhile, the Vice President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Femi Asiwaju, yesterday condemned the attack, describing the incident as barbaric.
Asiwaju said in Lagos that it was unfortunate that the crisis had persisted and urged government to ensure that new strategies were put in place to protect the lives and property of Nigerians as well as ensuring the peace of the nation. (NAN)
Daily Trust
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