Sunday, June 5 marked a sad day in St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo town, Ondo State. Several armed men invaded the Church with parishioners in their weekly Sunday mass worshipping God. For several of these Church members, this would be their last worship. Reports indicate that these gun men first threw some grenades, entered the Church premises and went on a shooting spree, killing yet to be specified numbers of people, including women and children. Several more were wounded and are hospitalised. Ondo State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in a statement, condemned the attack and called on the State government and security agencies to go after the perpetrators.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, issued a statement on his behalf, stating that “Only fiends from the nether region could have conceived and carried out such a dastardly act.” Continuing, the President stated that, “No matter what, this country shall never give in to evil and wicked people, and darkness will never overcome the light.” He further stated that eternal sorrow awaits the perpetrators on earth and in the hereafter. In addition, he directed emergency agencies to attend to victims who sustained injuries from the attack. However, the statement was devoid of any actionable plan to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators or prevention of further attacks. The passiveness with which the government is handling insecurity is worrying. The President should state in clear terms how he plans to tackle insecurity to avoid further loss of lives and property.
Series of violent attacks and kidnapping all over the country are raising serious security concerns among citizens. Religious groups, professional bodies, civil society groups and individuals have issued statements in the wake of violent attacks on innocent citizens. However, these attacks still persist.