Women group gives FG one-month ultimatum to find Owo church attackers

Women groups, under the umbrella of Womanifesto, have asked the federal government to go beyond condemnation and take action against perpetrators of the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state.

In a statement on Tuesday, the women condemned the attack, tagging it a “vile and evil act”.

They also gave the federal government a one-month ultimatum to ensure justice for the victims.

The women said the federal government should, among other things, carry out immediate investigation that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators.

“The Owo massacre in which citizens in their place of worship were killed, again raises the question of governance failure considering that our 1999 Constitution asserts security and welfare of citizens as a primary responsibility of the government,” the statement reads.

“According to a report, at least 14,641 people have been killed across the six regions in Nigeria in the past three years, and in just the first five months of this year, about 3,173 have been killed and more than 2,293 abducted in similar circumstances.

“Unfortunately, the failure of the government to properly investigate or take tangible actions to ensure justice or deter future occurrences continues to exacerbate the crises. Since its insurgence in 2009, the herdsmen and banditry attacks have risen exponentially as the government has failed to demonstrate the capacity to address the insecurity plaguing the country.

“We, therefore, call on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Federal Government, the Nigeria Police and all other relevant Federal Law Enforcement Agency to take immediate measures beyond condemning this barbaric act to end the insecurity in the country.

“We are shocked that our political leaders are continuing to ignore and downplay the rising trend of daily killings of Nigerians in states across the country at a dangerous time like this and instead giving priority to their personal quest for power. This is utterly condemnable.

“We want our President, Governors, and lawmakers across Nigeria to immediately cease from continuing to ‘major in the minors’ and reprioritise the safety and security of citizens to the top of our national agenda. We demand that they focus on the existential threats bedeviling Nigeria and Nigerians now. 

“Finally, we shall be monitoring the response of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Federal and Ondo State Governments to our demands. If by July 5th 2022, we do not see any strong signs of progress on our five demands, Nigerian women will take every step necessary to stand for the preservation of the lives of our citizens.”

The women group urged the government to immediately publish the identities of all victims, demonstrate accountability and carry out investigations that will lead to arrests, prosecute and sentence the killers, provide constant updates, and appropriate succour for families of victims. 

They also asked the government to present a national security status report to Nigerians and transparently communicate the performance of the security establishments in light of the huge budgetary provisions allocated to the fight against insurgency.

In the medium term, they asked the federal government to do “a comprehensive restructure of Nigeria’s security architecture through a national conversation on a new constitution to replace the problematic 1999 Constitution”.