Nigeria Church official calls for justice in 2022 Pentecost Sunday attack

ACI Africa, Aug 24, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Nigeria, Father Solomon Zaku, has called on the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government to ensure justice is applied in the trial of the suspects linked to the 2022 Pentecost Sunday attack on St. Francis Xavier Owo Catholic Parish in the Ondo Diocese, which claimed at least 50 lives.

Speaking to ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, on Aug. 21 after the arraignment of five suspects by the Federal High Court in Abuja, Zaku cautioned against granting bail to the accused, warning that such a move would “deepen the pain of victims’ families” and weaken confidence in Nigeria’s justice system.

The five men suspected of carrying out the deadly Islamist militant attack on the Catholic parish in southwestern Nigeria were remanded in custody on Aug. 19 until a court ruling on Sept. 10 on their application for bail, Reuters reported.

The report further indicated that the suspects, who pleaded not guilty when arraigned last week, appeared in court at the start of their trial on Tuesday, seeking bail three years after their arrest.

“I thought the other time the court was saying that they found out that they are linked with ISIS and other foreign terrorist groups? Now that the law has caught up with them three years after the incident, since they are found guilty, they shouldn’t be given bail,” Zaku told ACI Africa.

The Nigerian Catholic priest emphasized that releasing the suspects would send the wrong message to grieving families and the wider Christian community.

“The families that lost their children are still grieving. To see that those who killed them are just given bail without any serious punishment will not be a good thing,” he said.

Zaku noted that investigations by the Department of State Security Service revealed links between the perpetrators and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), describing it as “a serious revelation that must not be handled with levity.” 

He added: “The persecution has been going on in Nigeria and it has not stopped people from practicing the faith. People will keep practicing the faith, but with this recent attack and the information that it is linked to ISIS, there is an indication that there is a calculated plan to eliminate Christians in this country.”

Zaku described the Owo attack as a shocking extension of terrorism to southern Nigeria. 

“Ordinarily, one would never expect that that kind of attack will even take place in Owo because Owo is in the southern part of the country where no history of insurgency can be traced,” he said. “Now the terrorism moving to the south is really telling the Christians in Nigeria that they are sitting on a time bomb.”

While underscoring the importance of prayer, he urged Christians not to limit their response to spiritual practices alone. 

“Christians must always pray, but not only pray. We also need to be very security conscious and not take things for granted,” he said.

Zaku encouraged victims’ families to draw strength from the ongoing prosecution of the suspects, reminding them that “the state has not abandoned their plight.” 

“The conviction of these people should be a source of strength to them, to tell them that they are not alone, that the government has not left them,” he said.

Zaku, who is a priest in the Maiduguri Diocese, commended security agencies for arraigning the suspects.

“I want to thank the security agencies for the work that they are doing, for arraigning these suspects, and also taking them to court. They have done well by doing that, because if they had not taken them to court, we would not have known that they are linked to ISIS,” he said.

The priest however challenged the system to go beyond arraignment, saying: “It shouldn’t just end there. The government must fight this cause to the end. Justice must be done. These people must … serve the punishment for their crimes.”

For Zaku, the Owo massacre represents not only an act of violence but also “a test of Nigeria’s commitment to justice, national security, and religious freedom.” 

He urged authorities to “find the real funders and then the international community that is supporting them,” insisting: “Justice must be served and the victims must know that their lives and sacrifices are not in vain.”

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266109/nigeria-church-official-calls-for-justice-in-2022-pentecost-sunday-attack