Gunmen have killed worshippers in a Catholic church in Ondo state, south-west Nigeria, the state’s governor has said.
Arakunrin Akeredolu called it a “vile and satanic attack” on innocent people.
The armed men entered the church, St Francis Xavier, in the town of Owo, during a Sunday service.
Nigeria has experienced an upsurge in violence in recent months, with kidnappings and attacks being reported across the vast country.
There are reports that the gunmen in Ondo also kidnapped some of the worshippers. No figures for the numbers killed or abducted have been confirmed.
A doctor at a local hospital, quoted by the Reuters news agency, said that “several worshippers were brought in dead”.
In a series of tweets, Governor Akeredolu appealed for calm and said people should not “take laws into your hands”.
“Security operatives would be deployed to monitor and restore normalcy to Owo kingdom,” he added.
