ABUJA, June 5 — Gunmen attacked a Catholic church in Nigeria's Ondo state during mass today, killing several people, local media reported.

A doctor at a hospital in Owo, a town in the state in Nigeria's southwest, told Reuters that "several worshippers were brought in dead".

Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Local media said gunmen had fired at worshippers and detonated explosives at the church.

Africa's most populous country has witnessed attacks and kidnappings for ransom by armed gangs, mostly in its northwest. Such attacks are rare in southwestern Nigeria. — Reuters