- Mourns the dead, condoles with Ondo Govt, people
- We’ll hunt down assailants, make them pay – Akeredolu
- It’s Declaration Of War Against Yoruba People — Akintoye
- Attackers Targetting Akeredolu – Afenifere
BY EDMOND ODOK – President Muhammadu Buhari says eternal sorrow and damnation await those behind the heinous killing of worshippers on Sunday at the St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, Owo Kingdom, in Ondo State.
The President, who expressed shock and sadness over the unfortunate incident, said those that perpetrated the dastardly act, will have no peace both here on earth and in the hereafter.
Expressing his grief in a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, President Buhari said; “Only fiends from the nether region could have conceived and carried out such dastardly act, adding that eternal sorrow awaits them both on earth here, and ultimately in the hereafter.”
He 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 succour to the wounded.
Also, the statement quoted him as saying, “No matter what, this country shall never give in to evil and wicked people, and darkness will never overcome the light. Nigeria will eventually win.”
Akeredolu Vows To Hunt Down Assailants, Make Them Pay
Pained over the killing of innocent people of Owo, worshiping at the St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, on Sunday, Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) has vowed to hunt down assailants and make them pay dearly for the crime.
Describing the incident as a ‘vile and satanic attack’, Akeredolu expressed sadness over the calculated assault on the peace-loving people of the Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the years.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, said; “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, We shall commit every available resource to hunt down these 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”, the governor said.
It’s Declaration Of War Against Yoruba People — Akintoye
Also reacting to the Sunday killings, the Leader of the Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide (IOOW), Professor Banji Akintoye, described the deadly attack allegedly unleashed against Christian Worshipers at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo-State by gunmen suspected to be Fulani Herdsmen, as a declaration of war against the Yoruba people.
Accordingly, Akintoye charged Governor Akeredolu to declare an emergency against the activities of Fulani Herdsmen in the state with immediate effect.
In a statement by the Communications Secretary of IOOW, Mr. Maxwell Adeleye condemning the incident that left about 85 people dead, the renowned scholar said the Fulani Marauders’ effrontery needs to be frankly and courageously confronted to prove to their sponsors that the Yoruba people can never be intimidated or subjugated.
He said: “We have stated it very expressly that the Yoruba people need to negotiate their exit from Nigeria as a matter of urgency but our Partisan Political Actors in Yoruba Land never took us seriously. We warned them that there was fire on the mountain, but we were mocked because of their personal aggrandizement.
“Today, we have all been encircled, most especially, in Lagos. For Herdsmen to have the effrontery of bombarding a Church in Yoruba Land to kill about 85 people shows that we are now in real danger.
“My urgent advice to Governor Akeredolu is to pick up the gauntlet and declare an emergency against the activities of all Fulani Herdsmen in the state with immediate effect. We have now been taken for granted. We need not pretend anymore. We must demand unanimously, an exit from Nigeria.
“We the Yoruba People cannot live in the same country with characters whose idea of common citizenship in Nigeria is to brutalize, subjugate and even exterminate us. It is time to leave these characters now. All Stakeholders – the Elites, Traditional Rulers, and Our Women should act now.
“All the South-West States, including the Yoruba Leaders in Kogi and Kwara States should equally declare an emergency against the activities of Fulani Herdsmen. We must now take our destinies into our hands.”
Attackers Targetting Akeredolu – Afenifere
In its reaction, the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere said the heartbreaking attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo town in Ondo state, was targetted at Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
Condemning the attack, the group also said it was a direct attack on Yoruba land, noting it was aimed at the governor who has not relented in championing the local security outfit, Amotekun and backing the anti-open grazing laws.
A statement issued on Sunday by the Afenifere’s Secretary, Apagun Kole Omololu said in parts; “The massacre in Owo Catholic Church is a direct attack on Yoruba land. It is directed at Governor Rotimi Akeredolu for his unflinching support for security in Yoruba land by championing the Amotekun security outfits, his stringent upholding of the open grazing law, and for his ‘big mouth’ about Southern co-operation for equity and justice in Nigeria.
“They will not be allowed to bring down our civilization. We will hunt the killers down. Citizens should not take law into their own hands by attacking innocent northerners. Only the terrorists, who are mostly foreign Fulani, should be fished out and finished off by the security forces.
“This attack is to cause confusion and cause war in our land. We should not play into their hands. This evil is condemned in the strongest term.
“We commiserate with the government and people of Ondo State, the Catholic Church, the Olowo of Owo, and the people of Owo. May the soul of the departed rest in peace.”
