C/O Futures Terrorism Research Note Series
Lisa J. Campbell
16 September 2022
An unknown group of approximately five armed men attacked the Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church during a Pentecostal Sunday mass on 5 June 2022. The attack occurred in Owo, a small town of traders and government workers in southwestern Nigeria, long considered one of the most peaceful areas in Nigeria.[1] The attack was a coordinated mass shooting that included the use of explosives resulting in 40 people dead and at least 60 being treated in local hospitals with injuries, many severe. In the days and weeks following the attack, Nigerian law enforcement made several arrests. The Nigerian government is publicly claiming the attackers were likely Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), however various analysts, local persons from Owo and Ondo State, and some religious organizations have alternative views on the incident. The motives behind the attack also remain unresolved.
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