The Nigerian military on Thursday confirmed the arrests of two more suspects in connection with the June 5 attack on a church in the country’s southwestern state of Ondo.
The arrests were made in a military operation in the Ose area of Ondo state on Tuesday, said Jimmy Akpor, a defense spokesperson in a statement issued in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo, told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday in Akure, the state capital, that five of the gunmen who attacked on June 5 on the St. Francis Catholic Church in the state’s Owo town have recently been arrested by troops in different locations across the country.
Akpor said the latest arrests in connection with the church attack were done through a collaborative effort by the military and other security agencies.
“It is the avowed commitment of the leadership of the military, Nigeria police, and other security agencies to work in synergy to enthrone peace and security all over the country,” Akpor said.
At least 40 worshippers were reportedly killed and 61 others wounded following the bloody attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, a town in Ondo, over two months ago. The Nigerian government said it suspected the Islamic State West Africa Province of being behind the attack. Enditem
