Barely a year after suspected armed men killed over 40 worshippers at Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state, all is now set for the reopening of the church for religious activities.

Jude Arogundade, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese Ondo dropped the hint at a public programme on Friday.

Mr Arogundade said the church, which had been under lock and key since the incident occurred, would open for worship on Easter Sunday.

“The Church (St Francis) shall be opened again for Easter Sunday…” the cleric said at a public event to mark activities for the Easter celebration.

St Francis Catholic Church is located in Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s hometown of Owo.

On June 5, 2022, the gunmen stormed the Catholic church on a Sunday morning – opened fire on the congregation, and also detonated explosives while the Christian worshippers scampered for safety.

Both women and children were among the worshippers killed by gunmen, who disguised as worshippers, during the violent attack on the church.

Scores of worshippers caught in the massacre were also injured.

The casualties and victims were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre and Saint Louis Hospital, both in Owo.

Mr Arogundade said that the church had been closed down since the tragic incident for security reasons and as a mark of honour for the casualties.

He emphasised that Governor Akeredolu’s government was already planning to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the massacre.

“Since the unfortunate incident that befell our members at the Saint Francis Cathedral in Owo on June 5, 2022, the church has been closed down for security reasons and as a mark of respect for our fallen brothers and sisters,” Mr Arogundade added.

The Owo massacre jolted Nigeria and the global community, attracting public outcry and condemnation from local and international organisations.

Last month, Governor Akeredolu announced the construction of a ‘Memorial Park’ to honour victims of the massacre.

He explained that the park was being built as a mark of respect that would also allow the state to always commemorate the soul of the departed worshippers, adding that his administration was determined not to forget those who were massacred by the gunmen.

“For us, we are determined not to forget the souls that have departed. They were 41 in number. And others that are still nursing the wounds, although they have gone back to their homes, have been discharged, and some of them are outpatients.

“So, for us, it is just a way of remembering those 41 souls that died,” Mr Akeredolu had said.

The Ondo governor had also hinted that the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, who visited Owo to commiserate with the state during the incident, is expected to commission the park when completed.

In August last year, the Nigerian military hierarchy announced the arrest of four terrorists believed to be masterminds of the Owo massacre.

Lucky Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff, who announced the arrest, noted that the terrorists were captured at different locations across the country.

He listed their names as; Idris Ojo (37), Jimoh Ibrahim (39), Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, and Momoh Abubakar.

Others arrested in connection with the attack included; Aliyu Itopa and Auwal Onimisi.

The Chief of Defence Staff said some of the suspects are also high-profile Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) members that escaped from Kuje Prison.