In a move unprecedented, outraged President Muhammadu Buhari has instructed an immediate mobilisation of all state resources, directed to finding and neutralising the criminals, who attacked the St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, Owo Kingdom, in Ondo State, yesterday, and killed scores of people, mostly women and children.
To further underscore the extent of his rage at the unprovoked attack of worshippers, the president also rained curses on the terrorists, who were yet to be identified, saying eternal sorrow awaited them, both on earth and in the hereafter.
Describing the killings as heinous, Buhari, however, maintained that Nigeria would never give in to evil and wicked people, even as he vowed that the country would win eventually.
Also, speaking, the Ondo State Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, (SAN), who was deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and killing of innocent people, vowed to go after the attackers and hunt them down.
But the Owo Catholic church, while reacting to the development, said at the point the nation is now in her history, it was time to seek God’s intervention in the affairs of the country.
This is as the Police command in the state, has confirmed there was the use of grenade in the attack, even as they were unable to ascertain the casualty level.
At the same time, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), has called on Nigerians, especially the people of Ondo State, to donate blood in order to help save as many lives as possible.
In view of this, however, more and more eminent Nigerians and prominent bodies, both locally and internationally, have begun to react to the incident, condemning it in the strongest terms possible.
An explosion, yesterday, rocked the St. Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State capital, which was immediately followed by sporadic shootings by gunmen suspected to be terrorists.
The explosion, which occurred on the church premises, left scores dead and many others injured.
An eyewitness, Kehinde Ogunkorode, told THISDAY that the incident caused pandemonium in the area as residents, who were taken by surprise, ran for safety.
When THISDAY visited the scene of the incident, it was observed that the gunmen used dynamites to blow the altar of church while the service was going on.
Parts of the altar POP caved in as the gunmen shot many worshipers.
Pool of blood littered the floor of the church as corpses were moved to the Federal Medical Centre and St Louis Catholic Hospital, Owo, as well as those who sustained injuries.
Another eyewitness, Ikechukwu Eze, told THISDAY that, “Immediately I heard gunshots, I smartly escaped through the fence. The gunmen were up to 10 in number,” adding that, security men, who later came to the scene of the incident were chased away by the angry people.
The Catholic Bishop of Ondo, Jude Arogundada, was seen at the scene but refused to speak with Journalists.
To this end, the President, who had put the security on the alert, vowed to track and bring to justice, everyone involved in the attack, promising to set an abiding example with the criminals.
A presidency source, who hinted THISDAY at the situation, said the incident left the president utterly distraught and had said enough of the criminalities, because he would never surrender the state to evil.
Apart from condemning the incident, Buhari, also in a release issued by his Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, said only fiends from the nether region could have conceived and carried out such dastardly act.
According to him, “eternal sorrow awaits the perpetrators of the bad act both on earth here, and ultimately in the hereafter.”
President Buhari, however, mourned the dead, condoled with their families, the Catholic Church, and the Government of Ondo State, charging emergency agencies to swing into action, and bring succor to the wounded.
But in submitting, Buhari said, “No matter what, this country shall never give in to evil and wicked people, and darkness will never overcome light. Nigeria will eventually win.
Akeredolu, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, said the vile and satanic attack was a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of Owo Kingdom, who had enjoyed relative peace over the years.
“It is a black Sunday in Owo. Our hearts are heavy. Our peace and tranquility have been attacked by the enemies of the people. This is a personal loss, an attack on our dear state.
“I have spoken to the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Most Reverend Jude Arogundade, who is presently on his way to Owo. Similarly, I have had to cut short my party’s national assignment in Abuja and visit Owo immediately. This is an unexpected development. I am shocked to say the least.”
Nevertheless, the governor has said, he would commit every available resource to hunt down the assailants and make them pay.
“We shall never bow to the machinations of heartless elements in our resolves to rid our state of criminals. I commiserate with my people in Owo, particularly, families of the those who lost their lives to this ugly and unfortunate attack. I extend my condolences to Olowo of Owo, Oba Gbadegesin Ogunoye as well as the Catholic Church.
“I urge our people to remain calm and vigilant. Do not take laws into your hands. I have spoken to the heads of the security agencies. I have equally been assured that security operatives would be deployed to monitor and restore normalcy to Owo kingdom,” Akeredolu said.
On their part, the Catholic church in a statement by the Director of Social Communication at the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Rev. Fr. Augustine Ikwu, said the attackers stormed the church during the Mass, shooting randomly and leaving unspecified persons dead and others injured.
“It is Pentecost Sunday, a time every Catholic is expected to be in Church to commemorate the solemnity. It is so sad to say that while the Holy Mass was going on, men of unknown origin, wielding guns attacked St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.
“Many are feared dead and many others injured and the Church violated. The identity of the perpetrators remains unknown while the situation has left the community devastated.”
The church said security agencies have been deployed to the community to relatively handle the situation.
At this point in the history of our dear country, Nigeria, we need God’s ultimate intervention to restore peace and tranquility,” the statement stated, adding that all the Priests in the parish were safe and none was kidnapped as the social media has it.
“The Bishop of the Diocese is also with them at this trying time. Let us continue to pray for them and the good people of Owo and the state at large. We turn to God to console the families of those whose lives were lost in this distressing incident, and we pray for the departed souls to rest in peace. Amen. The Bishop appeals that we remain calm, be law abiding and pray for peace and normalcy to return to our community, state and country,” it said.
The Ondo State Police Command, which confirmed the attack, in a statement by Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Funmilayo Odunlami, said “the Commissioner of Police, Oyeyemi Oyediran, had deployed men of the Explosives Ordinance Device Unit also known as Anti Bomb Squad to the scene while all efforts were being intensified to arrest those, who perpetrated this evil.
“The Ondo State Police Command is aware of the attack at Owo, we will give you the full details of the incident later. We want to implore the people of the state to be calm as all security apparatus is currently active to ensure peace in this area,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Nigerians from all walks of life have started to react to the development, and unanimously condemned what a majority of them considered unprovoked attack.
Christian Association of Nigeria:
The leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has condemned the unprovoked attacks and killing of several innocent worshippers at the St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, Owom, and therefore, called on the security agencies to apprehend the perpetrators of the dastardly criminality.
A statement issued by the Media Assistant to the CAN President, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, described the attack and killing of innocent worshipers as very sad and condemnable.
“This is sad, wrong, condemnable, outrageous, unacceptable and satanic. There is no explanation for this unprovoked attack and assault on a place of worship. This is raw persecution. These people are possessed, demonic and are not working for the good of the country. May God descend heavily on them and fight them mindless agents of Satan from their roots in Jesus’ name.
“We are once again reiterating our quest for a total overhauling of the security architecture and are asking President Muhammadu Buhari to stop the recycling of those criminals and terrorists in the name of de-radicalising programme. If the programme is not counterproductive, how come the criminalities are always on the increase and nowhere is safe again.
“Criminals are operating with impunity all over the country and unfortunately, our government appears to be so busy with the 2023 general election that it has no time for the unending killings in the country. What legacy is the government and those who are the managers of our security architecture leaving behind for the unborn generation?
“We are praying for the government and the security agencies to get it right before it will be too late. If the federal government is not interested in the State Police, what efforts are being put in place to arrest this unpleasant situation?”
While commiserating with all the bereaved, the Olowo of Owo, Oba Gbadegesin Ogunoye, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) and the Ondo State Government, CAN said, “We call on the state governors to meet with the president to find lasting solution to these killings. Issuing mere press statements of condemnations and what looks like empty threat is apparently not a way out of it.”
