DO we still remember that on June 5, 2022, some people went to St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, not for worship but to carry out mass shooting of worshippers? Do we remember that people − helpless men, women, boys and girls, including toddlers, were boxed in by these attackers and shot at will? Have we forgotten that 41 people were killed in that heavy gun attack? The attackers also injured more than 80 others, mind you. How do we even quantify the number of people who are scared forever following that event? Does the memory of that incident, in any way, cause us to wrinkle our brows and leave us in a cringe like the holy water of David Diop’s The Vultures? Are we not worried that we are yet to identify the perpetrators of that attack let alone apprehend them for prosecution? It is forlorn for the majority of the stakeholders in the event while the unknown powerful minority’s stake is still not known.
Following that meltdown, the parish closed for 43 weeks and opened only at Easter this year. That was on April 9. If April 2023 sounds too far off in your memory, it’s just two months ago. The massacre occurred on Sunday, June 5 last year. The resumption of liturgical and sundry activities at that parish triggered questions which are gaping to be fed answers like newly-hatched fledglings. The parish priest of St. Francis, Owo, Father Michael Abugan, carried the scar of that event and wishes that even if it isn’t healed, it should at least be assuaged even if it is for the sake of the sanctity of life. He thinks Owo as a community will not be at peace until the perpetrators of that dastardly act are brought to book. And Father Abagun is a man of hope and faith. Otherwise, he would not have said of the Nigerian authorities and the incident: “We don’t want to believe that justice will be denied. We are hoping, and we know that one day, the government will do what is necessary to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
What with the forgettable descent of humanity? Why would Sam Nwaoko be writing about this incident? Is he trying to keep reminding us of the past we should throw behind us? The past tells us a lot about the future and every man has his own way of spewing his chewing stick spittle. Besides, the Esan people of Edo State have an admirable description of the event of death and mourners. The people in their wisdom distillate the pain of death in a very unique way that throws special light on why we mourn the way we mourn. They say that each mourner of the dead is wailing and crying not exactly because of the dead, but according to the impact of that calamity on him. Perhaps, that is why the local ordinary in the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, where the affected church is, Most Reverend Jude Arogundade, didn’t have to spell it out in black and white. Bishop Arogundade knows that there is a need for the government in Nigeria to show that human life in the country has worth. Or does the bishop need to give a homily for the government to respect the sanctity of human life? Okay, he did tell the government. He spoke at the anniversary of the massacre. Bishop Arogundade said although they say “time heals all wounds”, it is imperative that we must also continue reminding “the world of the evil of terrorism and the long-term effects it has on people.” It is hoped that our government will listen to our bishop and also listen to us. If they don’t listen to us, those they listen to should please remember “the evils of terrorism and the long-term effects it has on people” and tell them. That is enough for a homily. That is a preaching sound enough for any entity that has ears. Isn’t it the Bible that teaches in Proverbs 17:27 about wisdom in speech, which Benjamin Franklin adapted to give that timeless maxim: “A word is enough for the wise”?
The anniversary of the Owo Catholic Church shooting, Bishop Arogundade says “presents an opportunity for us to reflect on what we have done so far and what further we can do to relieve those who are still suffering and help them live with their grief and trauma.” He says a lot still needed to be done to console the victims and that whatever support they receive as a diocese would be plowed into helping the victims who are still in need.
Indeed, the scar is a deep one and the pain, eternal more so because nobody has been called to question. Nobody’s been brought to book. The bombing of St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla in Nigeria State happened in 2011. It was Boko Haram we were told. Shooting happened in Anambra State when gunmen without shape or form entered a Catholic Church in Nnewi, shot and killed several people and went away unhindered just as they had gone there. Official reports were not made available to Nigerians on why that happened. There was nothing made known as regards who made it happen and what those perpetrators aimed to achieve. Everything about that deadly attack ended in the usual Nigerians’ speculations of vengeance against one man suspected of being a criminal. The donor of the church building was even blamed by some people as the reason people were shot that callously during worship. Nothing official was really said about it, and to the knowledge of most Nigerians, nothing official has been done in that case. Everything about it diffused like smoke as we moved on as usual.
Bishop Felix Femi Ajakaye is as vocal as Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah. They are not found wanting when Nigerians need people to speak up and defend the sanctity of human life. They are both victims of criminality. Bishop Ajakaye’s priest, Father Emmanuel Akingbade, was kidnapped but was released in miraculous circumstances. Bishop Kukah’s seminarian was shot dead by terrorists even after ransom demanded for his release was paid. They have the locus to speak on sustained killings in Nigeria. Bishop Ajakaye has asked General Lucky Irabor, the Chief of Defence Staff about the people he told the world were arrested in connection to the Owo massacre. General Irabor has not responded.
Nigeria has mellifluous ways of making the christening of persistent ugly violence sound acceptable. The argument has been on the table that the type of violence being experienced in Nigeria is simply a ploy, a deliberate activity geared towards an end. The victims know how to put it better. The daily reports of deaths in the country have covered Nigerians with yet another layer of skin on their usual thick skin to the news. We are something else! For instance, the constant willful killings in parts of our country are conveniently referred to as ‘conflicts’. By not calling terrorism what it is, we are just telling the mad man that he is the bridegroom so as to get our free and unfettered passage.
Conflicts have different hues and are generally two-sided. Deliberate labelling of what is going on in parts of Nigeria as ‘conflicts’ tend to whittle down the intensity of the crimes. Where herders are fingered in the attacks and killings, they fine-tune the name as farmer-herder conflicts without the courtesy of looking at the lopsidedness of the deadly attacks. They remain ‘conflicts’ even when witnesses claim otherwise and when evidence shows a well-orchestrated, armed vicious attack on unarmed people − including hapless women and unaware children. These ‘conflicts’ give us names and our new government must find a way to rechristen us and our country.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
WEEK BRIEF: Emefiele’s suspension, arrest and Nigeria Air’s revelations top news
The story of the suspension of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele by President Bola Tinubu broke the internet on…
95% of Nigerian male celebrities, including myself, ‘do both men and women’ — Actor Uche Maduagwu
Controversial Nollywood actor Uche Maduagwu has claimed that no fewer than 95% of both married and single celebrities, including…
Real Reason Tinubu suspended Emefiele — FG
President Bola Tinubu, on Friday, ordered immediate suspension of Mr Godwin Emefiele as…
10 points from President Tinubu’s Democracy Day broadcast
In commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day celebration, President Bola Tinubu made his…
[PHOTOS] Hilda Baci: Lady begins 120 hours cook-a-thon to break Guinness Records
DURING his inauguration speech, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced that the era of…
SERIE A: Victor Osimhen becomes first African to win Capocannoniere award
A chef identified as Damilola Adeparusi has begun a 120-hour cooking marathon in Oye Local Government Area in…
and then