Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has confirmed the arrest of the suspected attackers of St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, where 44 people were gruesomely murdered and several others badly injured during a Sunday service on June 5.
The governor confirmed the arrest shortly after the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor made the announcement in Abuja.
Governor Akeredolu further disclosed that the owner of the house where the attackers stayed before the attack has also been arrested.
He said the government did not spare a moment in trailing the terrorists since the horrendous attack on innocent worshipers at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo.
“Now that the military has announced it, I can tell you that five of them have been arrested now. They are still on the trail of the rest. The home where they lodged in Owo and the person that accommodated them before the attack has also been arrested,” he stated.
“We did not spare a moment. I am happy that the Chief of Defence Staff has announced it. We have known for a while but we needed not to come out with it because more works are still ongoing. I can confirm that this arrest has been made. And they are still on the trail of some of them,” he informed.
Governor Akeredolu also called on leaders of the Ebira community in the state to warn their people against kidnapping.
The governor said recent reports from victims of kidnap in the state have established that some Ebira indigenes are involved in the unwholesome act.
He noted that the Ebiras have lived together with the people of the state peacefully for several decades, adding that they have always been supportive and hardworking.
“I want to use this medium to urge our brothers to concentrate on their farming. It will be unfortunate to know that the Ebiras in our midst are now involved in kidnapping.
“We are appealing to them not to copy bad things. The traders selling by the roadside should not become informants. We are not fighting them.
“We have seen their numbers, they supported and voted for us during elections. I will call their leaders and talk to them. Our brothers who were kidnapped on their way to Ikare were taken to Ebira farmsteads.
“For me, we have lived together for too long for this to happen. I am ready to make any effort to ensure that the conviviality that we have enjoyed continues. But we are begging their leaders to urge them not to copy bad things. They are in our midst, we are surrounded by them. The issue of security is key and its dynamic,” Governor Akeredolu noted.
SUN NEWS
