Owo attack: Don’t just visit… come with solutions, residents tell sympathisers

Residents of Owo town have asked sympathisers to come to the community with solutions to end the current security challenges in the area.

On June 5, gunmen attacked St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state, while the Sunday mass was nearing its conclusion.

According to the state government, 40 persons were killed while 61 victims are still hospitalised. 

The gunmen were said to have detonated explosives before firing at the worshippers.

The incident has elicited public sympathy nationally and internationally.

In a statement signed by the concerned residents of Owo/Ose federal constituencies, the residents accused the government of not doing enough to stop the attacks on the communities.

The residents also asked the government and traditional leaders to intensify efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“The level of insecurity in the Owo Ose axis is unprecedented and governments at all levels are not doing enough with the level of frequent attacks as being experienced in the areas we, therefore, implore government, the leaders and all the security agencies to do the right thing by fishing out the perpetrators of this dastardly crime and bring them to justice,” the statement reads. 

“Our royal fathers at all spheres should unite and reason together to engage the state government and security agencies with facts and not shy away, synergy between the traditional institution and stakeholders at this critical time is paramount as they have more  information at their disposal being close to the grassroots.”

The residents said the recent attack had been looming for a long time, but that the government and traditional leaders failed to act on intelligence reports from the locals. 

“It is an open secret that these elements have encircled the entire Owo Ose and beyond for years while our political and traditional leaders failed in their responsibilities to positively engage the government and the security apparatus to safe the situation after many intelligence reports by the locals,” they said.

“Our people should also see security as everyone’s business, a collective responsibility and report any strange movements within their neighbourhood to the security agencies or their community heads or representatives.”

“It is disheartening that this insecurity is driving away potential investors and folding up the few existing ones thereby rendering the teeming youth jobless and possibly into crime and ready tools for politicians to make ends meet.”