It was an emotional moment on Friday as people, mostly mourners gathered in Owo, Ondo State, as the Catholic Diocese of Ondo conducted a funeral mass for the victims of the massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo town on June 5, 2022.
It would be recalled that the innocent worshippers were attacked on Sunday, June 5 by gunmen during mass which left scores injured and many others dead.
The remains of the dead, which were deposited at the morgue of the St Louis Catholic Hospital in Owo, were laid for the mass at the Mydas Event Centre in the town.
Present at the funeral mass were incumbent Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, and former governor, Olusegun Mimiko.
Some men of the cloth also present at the mass were the Bishop of the Ondo Catholic Diocese, Jude Arogundade, and the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah.
According to the church, no fewer than 40 people died in the attack while many others sustained various degrees of injuries.
Since the attack, state governments in the South West have pronounced official days of mourning in honour of the victims.