Dozens of women in the Nigerian town of Owo have been marching to voice their outrage at the killing of at least 22 people in a local church at the weekend.

"I am here in the midst of my people. We are mourning. What happened was war," said Yemi Mahmoud, former Ondo state commissioner for women's affairs and social development.

She said the women, mostly from the town’s market, wanted the perpetrators to pay for their sins - so they had placed a curse on the attackers by enacting a local rite.

Most ethnic groups in Nigeria believe that the curses from women - especially mothers - carry some significance.

"We want them brought to book,” Ms Mahmoud explained.