Owo Catholic church attack: Gov. Akeredolu warns Ebira people in Kogi

Ondo Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has corroborated the earlier announcement issued by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), as he confirmed the arrest of those reportedly behind the gruesome attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, on June 5, this year, killing over 40 worshippers during a packed Sunday service.

Governor Akeredolu, similarly, warned the Ebira people of Kogi state to desist from involvement in acts of terrorism and banditry in Ondo.

Akeredolu further disclosed that the military has also arrested the suspect who reportedly accommodated the attackers behind the killings, as he disclosed that the suspect who reportedly accommodated the terrorists behind the attack has been arrested.

Providing more update on the case when the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) visited him on Tuesday, Akeredolu said five suspects have been arrested over the incident.

“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.

“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,” Akeredolu said.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, the Ondo governor also warned Ebira people living in the state to avoid crime, adding that some abductees claimed they were held captive in farmlands owned by the Ebira.

Akeredolu was also reacting to the information that the five accused suspects behind the attack on the church were all Ebira people from Okene Local Government Area of neighbouring Kogi State.

“I want to use this medium to urge our brothers to concentrate on their farming trade. It will be unfortunate to know that the Ebiras in our midst are now involved in kidnapping,” he was quoted as saying.

“We are appealing to them not to copy bad thing. 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, talk to them. They 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 thing. They are in our midst; we are surrounded by them. The issue of security is key and it’s dynamic.”

According to the DHQ, the terrorists behind the Owo Catholic Church attack included; Momoh Ojo Abubakar, Aliyu Yusuf Itokpka, Auwal Ishaq Onimisi, Idris Ojo, and Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza.

The military added that Omeiza is one of the masterminds of the deadly attack.

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, while peaking at a parley with media executives at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, said that the terrorists were captured at different locations across the country.

He said that the suspects, majority of whom were arrested in various communities in Kogi, would be paraded before the public in due course.

“We had wanted to present the suspects to the public immediately but couldn’t because certain investigations are still being carried out,” he said.

He gave his assurance that in due course, the suspects and others who had been involved in some daring attacks in the past few months would be presented to the public.

“Starting with the Owo church attack, it is my pleasure to let you know that we have arrested those behind that dastardly act.

“On August 7, one Idris Ojo (37) was apprehended at Aiyetorosi in Ondo State. He was one of the high-profile Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) members that escaped from Kuje Prison.

“He was arrested along with one Jimoh Ibrahim, a 39-year-old criminal.

“Ojo was not done with all the criminal activities which he undertook in the past, he was also planning other deadly attacks and he was perfecting those plans along with his cronies before he was captured,” he said.

“Again, on August 4, the military in a combined operation with the Department of State Service (DSS) arrested four terrorists at Eika in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.

“Others are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, otherwise known as Ibn Malik; Momoh Abubakar, Aliyu Itopa and Auwal Onimisi.

“Now, Omeiza is one of the masterminds of the June 5 Catholic Church attack in Owo as well as the attack on the police station in Adavi also in Kogi State that led to the killing of a policeman as well as weapons being carried away,” the CDS said.