Father Athanasius Abanulo expresses the attitude of the common Nigerian people on the massacre of Pentecost Sunday.
He describes, “This has really thrown the nation upside down. I’ve never seen our people so upset as they are today. They’re angry. Everybody is complaining, but what do we do?”
“Nothing. So this is exactly what we’re going to do now: People have to be careful where you go because Christians are victimized.”
Abanulo, who goes by “Father A,” is the pastor of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama. He came to the U.S. in 2003 and has served in the archdiocese since 2018.
The attack happened at St. Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo in Ondo State. A June 8 memo from Bishop Jude Ayodeji of Ondo states that 38 people were killed, and “about 61” patients remain hospitalized. Details about who carried out the attack and why remain murky.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, though lawmakers in the region allege it was Fulani herdsmen, who are Muslim. Because no one was kidnapped in the attack, Ayodeji deduces that the motive was either to terrorize Christians or send a political message to the Ondo state Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu, according to the statement.