Holding back tears, the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Friday told the grieving relatives of victims of St Francis Catholic Church in Owo massacre in Nigeria’s Southwest region that he accepted a failure of security was to blame for their deaths.
Gunmen wielding AK-47 rifles and explosives attacked the church on June 5, killing 40 people with the federal government accusing the terrorist group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
At the funeral mass for 22 of the victims, a visibly emotional Governor Akeredolu said: “I am here before you to accept a failure of security. We have failed to defend these people, not because we have not tried, but the forces on the other side are evil.”
The Governor noted that something must be done in the country, adding that the security architecture of the nation needs rejigging.
“When I see the sea of heads that are here it speaks volumes. What has happened to us in Owo in Ondo state is indescribable. A lot of words are used to qualify it. Dastardly, horrendous. But I still believe there are words to use to describe it but I am still short of those words.
“We have just 22 (deceased) in this hall. A few of them have been buried. Because the relatives couldn’t wait till today. But as at the last count, these animals came to the church and murdered 40 people,” the governor said.
But in a swift response, the Bishop of Ondo Catholic Diocese, Dr. Jude Arogundade, declared that Akeredolu has not failed in protecting his people.
Arogundade said: ”You didn’t fail. You are a strong soldier. Your determination to protect those who voted you into power is unquestionable. This was done by cowards. You have tried your best.”
The cleric wondered why the people of the country need to beg for State police, despite the endless attack and killings.
He thanked the governor for accepting to designate a memorial park in honour of the victims, stressing that those who created the situation that made the incident happen has blood on their hands.
Some relatives cried as they followed the mass and speeches inside a large hall in Owo.
Flowers decorated the coffins, with one draped in the national colours of Nigeria and a pair of boots on top. It belonged to a policeman.
It was the first and only large commemoration of the victims, with some families already having buried their loved ones.
While some of the victims were buried immediately after the mass, other families were planning to take their relatives to their home states. Benedict Ogbu said he would bury his wife in Ebonyi state, some 470 km away.
Akeredolu, who is regularly outspoken over security and policing issues, and the governor of neighbouring Ekiti state Kayode Fayemi have expressed doubt over the government’s assertion that ISWAP was responsible for the attack.
No group has claimed responsibility. Security experts have said the lack of a claim breaks with ISWAP’s usual pattern.
Like most of Nigeria, Ondo state frequently experiences violence, including farmer-herder clashes and gunmen who kidnap for ransom, but the Owo attack stood out for its high casualty count, security experts said.
Jude Arogundade, Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Ondo, said the church attack was the work of cowards and that government’s promise to find the killers was empty promise.
“We know the leaders that failed us and we continue to hold them accountable,” he said.
First published in Reuters
