The Owo massacre

ON Sunday, June 5, gunmen suspected to be terrorists stormed the St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, cutting down scores of worshippers in cold blood. The gunmen, who invaded the church just as Sunday Mass was being rounded off, reportedly disguised as worshippers. According to multiple eyewitnesses, they detonated an explosive device, creating a loud bang that caused parts of the church’s altar to cave in; took strategic positions, and pumped bullets into the shell-shocked worshippers. By the time the ordeal ended, many of the worshippers lay dead, the church floor crimson with their blood. The pictures and videos produced immediately after the encounter were a gory sight, and condolences poured in from around the country even as the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) called for blood donations in a frantic bid to save lives.

Reacting to the incident, President Muhammadu Buhari described it as heinous, declaring that “eternal sorrow awaits the perpetrators of the bad act both on earth here, and ultimately in the hereafter.” The president condoled  with the families of the victims, the Catholic Church and the government of Ondo State, charging emergency agencies to swing into action and bring succour to the wounded. According to him, “No matter what, this country shall never give in to evil and wicked people, and darkness will never overcome light. Nigeria will eventually win.” On his part, the Ondo State governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), said the attack was a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of Owo kingdom who had enjoyed relative peace over the years.

 He said: “It is a black Sunday in Owo. Our hearts are heavy. Our peace and tranquility have been attacked by the enemies of the people. This is a personal loss, an attack on our dear state….We shall never bow to the machinations of heartless elements in our resolves to rid our state of criminals.” Sadly, more tragic news was still on the horizon, as some of those ferried to hospital after the incident succumbed to their injuries. On Wednesday, June 8, the Ondo State government indicated that the death toll had reached 40. According to the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, those so far discovered to have been affected by the carnage were 127, and investigations were still ongoing to determine the full extent of the episode.

  The Owo massacre certainly ranks as one of the most horrific incidents that have taken place since the return to civil rule in 1999. It is shocking, barbaric and gruesome. In quenching their thirst for blood, the killers gave no quarter to even horror-struck children; they took lives with maniacal fervour, intent on bringing everlasting sorrow into the lives and homes of the families of the victims and Owo town. Apart from the issue of sacrilege and the desecration of a place of worship, there is also the context of ethnic provocation represented by the incident which has been attributed to ISWAP/ISIS by the Federal Government, and it is a pity that the powers that be have turned a blind eye to the potentially disastrous consequences.

It is dastardly for a band of outlaws to turn virtually every part of the country into a killing field all in the bid to gain territorial advantage as a sub-text of their ethnic hegemony. If many see the Owo incident, condemnable in all ramifications, as a form of declaration of war on the people of the South-West, it is because of the ease with which such killings have been perpetrated in the zone without any response by the Nigerian State. Of course, the Federal Government is to blame for the present state of affairs. It has not only underfunded the police, creating the absurd situation during the Owo incident when policemen were blaming the Ondo State government for their ill-equipped status as if it was its responsibility to provide the equipment complained about, it has also consistently opposed the clamour for state police. Just how do you centralise the police in an ethnically, linguistically and culturally complex formation like Nigeria and underfund them at the same time?  The widespread insecurity that plagues the country can never be tamed without the decentralisation of the security architecture.

It is absurd that officers and men of Amotekun, a creation of the law, are not allowed to bear sophisticated arms but terrorists who bear no allegiance to the Nigerian State do so, satiating their bloodlust by staging regular acts of terror on law-abiding communities. Those who control the levers of federal power may have moved on from the Ishieke, Ebonyi State and Igangan, Oyo State massacres but the affected communities, still plagued by mental and emotional torture over the horrific incidents, have not, and it is doubtful that they ever will. It is terrible optics that the Owo carnage happened amid ethnic tension and suspicion of planned terrorist attacks, and President Buhari, regardless of his apparently heart-felt response to the incident, must carry the can for failing to govern the country in such a way that all zones would feel needed and appreciated, and without ethnic/religious rancour.

We commiserate with the families affected by the Owo tragedy and wish them the fortitude and grace to survive this hour of need. We commend the efforts by the Catholic Church, the Olowo of Owo, Oba Gbadegesin Ogunoye, and the Ondo State government to calm the nerves in Owo while the security agencies hopefully hunt down the perpetrators.