'Gang war' blamed for Nigeria church massacre

LAGOS — Eleven worshippers gunned-down in a Nigerian church funded by a man accused by some of being a drug lord and described by others as a philanthropist may be victims of "gang war".

Just hours after the slaughter at the Sunday mass in St Philip's in the Ozubulu area of southeastern Anambra state, detectives linked the killings to local mafia-style syndicates that have influence well beyond Nigeria's shores.

"Information revealed that this is not unconnected to a kind of a 'gang war' between the children of the same village who are engaged in a warfare outside Nigeria," said Anambra state police commissioner Garba Umar, referring to South Africa.

Death threats had reportedly been made against the apparent target Aloysius Nnamdi Ikegwuonu, a wealthy young philanthropist who has been accused by some in the Nigerian media of involvement in the criminal underworld.

Such is Ikegwuonu's wealth that he had built roads and schools for the community and even appeared on advertising posters proclaiming his "humanitarian projects".

But on Sunday he was not in the church he had funded so lavishly, even donating three cars to new preachers, according to a local resident.

"The attackers went to the church where their target was supposed to be and started shooting at the crowd," said Umar, who put the death toll at 11, while witnesses say that as many as 20 parishioners could have been killed.

The gunman or gunmen - the number of attackers is disputed - then turned their weapons on Ikegwuonu's father and the congregation in frustration at failing to locate their target.

The trigger for such apparently random bloodshed may have been pulled in South Africa's sprawling commercial capital Johannesburg which is home to many thousands of Nigerians.

Speaking to the Nation newspaper, a spokesperson for Ikegwuonwu denied commissioner Umar's claim that "the mayhem was as a result of a drug war".

The spokesperson described allegations that Ikegwuonwu was involved in the drug trade as "evil and malicious" to the Punch newspaper. — AFP