'Dem blow my papa head open' - Worshiper remember horror of Owo church attack ten months afta

Worshippers for St Francis Xervier Catholic Church Owo, Ondo state recount dia ordeal as di church reopen weekly activities ten months after gunmen invade di church, shoot and kill at least 40 pipo and leave many injured.

Worship activities resume for di church on Easter Sunday. Plenti pipo turn up for service even though dem still dey mourning period.

Some bin dey very moody during di Easter service while odas say dem happy say di church don reopen.

BBC Pidgin tori pesin Gift Andrew visit Owo wia im attend one of di services since di church reopen.

For di service, Rev. Fr. Andrew Abayomi wey preside say dem decide to reopen di church dis time to "speed up dia healing process".

Di church wear new look as dem don renovate and wash di areas wey blood stain during di shooting. Dem install CCTV cameras in and outside di church.

We also notice di presence of police and oda local security teams wit guns around di church.

E no dey clear for now how long di security officials go dey for di church as some members say dem still dey fear say anoda attack fit happun.

'My papa and mama no dey lucky like me'

Chinedu Onuoha bin dey di church on di day of di incident.

For im koro koro eyes di gunmen shoot, kill and wunjure plenti pipo including im papa and mama.

According to Chinedu e manage escape death dat day as e hide for one corner wen bullet dey fly upandan.

“My papa and mama no dey so lucky like me. Bullet hit my mama by di side, dem blow my papa head open as e dey try escape through di church fence”, na so Chinedu tell BBC Pidgin.

E explain say afta di incident e first find im mama as she dey bleed from bullet wound, e rush her go hospital and return to di church to find im papa.

Unfortunately for am e see im papa near di fence wit im deady body soaked for inside im own pool of blood.

“My mama no make am," Chinedu tok. Di first hospital reject her, we try to move am to anoda hospital for Akure but e die along di way”.

At a point during di church service, Chinedu burst into tears, cry waka go outside di church, sidon and begin dey weep.

Chinedu lament how im family dey miss dia parents since 10 months wey di incident happun.

“My parents leave behind 11 children, six of dem still dey school wen di incident happun. Na we di elderly pikins now carri di entire load for our head” - na so Chinedu tok.

E say di kain support dem receive from goment since di incident dey very low.

According to Chinedu, im mama twin sister begin sick sake of di death of di woman and still dey sick ten months afta.

'Dem cut my two legs'

Mrs Atta Magret use her leg enter church on dat faithful day wit high spirit, but she no know say dat na di last time she use those legs.

Injuries she sustain during di shooting make doctors cut off both of her legs and now she dey use wheelchair.

“I dey fine and dey get well. Di trauma dey tough but we dey grateful to God say we still dey alive afta such incident” - na so Mrs Magret tell BBC Pidgin.

She attend one of di services afta dem reopen di church.

Na her little pikins dey help push her wheelchair as she dey comot for church afta di service.

She still get some smiles for her face despite di pain she dey go through.

She say she go soon get prosthetic legs wey go help her to dey waka around.

'Ten months afta no news of prosecution of attackers'

Veronica loose her mum on di day of di incident.

10 months down di line, she say she and her siblings neva recover from di effect of di loss.

“My mama body no get any physical injury from di shooting," Veronica tok. "We believe say na heart attack wey she get wen di shooting happun kill her inside di church”.

Wen dem reopen di church on Easter Sunday, Veronica attend di service, but she say she begin feel somehow wen she enter di church.

“I no gree go church today becos dat day wey dem reopen di church, I begin feel somehow. Till now I neva get back myself,” na so she tok.

She say no amount of moni goment go give dem wey fit replace dia mama.

Authorities bin announce say dem don arrest some pipo wey get hand inside di shooting but ten months afta, no news dey available as to dia prosecution and di victims dey complain bitterly.

BBC Pidgin see di memorial park wey goment promise to build to honor di victims. Di park still dey under construction.