The Governor of Ondo State, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has in an interview on Tuesday announced the arrest of the attackers of the Catholic Church in Owo back in June. He added that the security agencies also arrested the owner of the house where the suspects lodged before the attack.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, confirmed the governor’s announcement stating that all the security agencies operating in the country were involved in the arrest.
What’s more
Gen. Lucky Irabor while speaking in Abuja on Tuesday also confirmed the reports that the suspects nabbed by security agencies were members of the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP). The Nigerian military high command named the terrorists, including Idris Abdulmalik Okeiza, Momoh Otueze, Aliyu Yusuf and Awal Oreiza.
Gen. Lucky Irabor also assured residents of Abuja that terrorists group have not taken over the state. He added that the news of a security breach in the state was fake.
In case you missed it
On Sunday, 5th June 2022, Catholic Christian worshippers who gathered at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church to commemorate Pentecost Sunday were interrupted as gunmen (now confirmed to be members of the terrorist group ISWAP) opened fire on the congregation.
- The attack which occurred in the hometown of the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, was a scene littered with the dead bodies of both old and young; men, women and children, amounting to about 50 victims.
Why this matters
As Nigeria continues the fight to secure the nation against perpetrators of violence and crime, the news of the arrest of the attackers of the Catholic Church in Owo is a step in the right direction.