PETER DADA writes about terrorists’ bloody invasion of a Catholic church in Owo, Ondo State
The bloody attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church, Owo, the headquarters of Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State on Sunday, June 5, 2022, by suspected terrorists raped the innocence of the peaceful community.
It was gathered that the gunmen stormed the church at about 11.30am and waited till the service ended and worshippers were leaving the premises. They were said to have disguised themselves as part of the worshippers and no one suspected their evil mission. Suddenly, they opened fire, shooting at everyone and everything in sight.
Incidentally, the day was when the Catholic Church Worldwide celebrated the Pentecost Day when biblically, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples of Jesus Christ. Fifty days after he resurrected from the dead and 10 days after his ascension to heaven. Notwithstanding, the gunmen charged the atmosphere with their disastrous exploits.
Our correspondent who visited the church on the day of the attack observed that bloodstains littered the auditorium and altar. Some worshippers were seen rolling on the floor in pain and efforts ongoing to give them emergency aid.
Currently, many people from all walks of life have been visiting the ancient town to commiserate with the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu and the town’s monarch, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye. The dignitaries included the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; governors of Ekiti and Oyo states, Dr Kayode Fayemi and Seyi Makinde respectively, Minister for Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, catholic bishops in the South-West among others.
In his reaction to the attack, the National President, Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria, Sir Henry Yunkwap, KSJI, in a statement stated that he was heartbroken and found it difficult to address his people at the moment because he had yet to recover from the recent murder of their daughter and friend, the late Deborah Samuel by some heartless religious extremists in Sokoto State.
Yunkwap stated that the crimes committed by those killed were just two; one; they were Christians and second, because they were in the Church on Sunday worshiping God.
“As a Christian group and direct mourners of this sad incident, we do not want to only condemn this barbaric act carried out by these animals in human form but use this medium to let the government know that we have taken enough of this killing of our people and we now find it difficult to chew what they’ve forcefully put in our mouth. The only option left is to throw it out.
“For any government who cannot provide security for her people, it is indirectly telling them to defend themselves by whatever means they can. We are indeed tied of words. We want action and the urgent arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of this evil act. Our leaders must rise against just condemning this act by using the over used words like ‘bringing the perpetrators to book.’ They must see the life of every Nigerian as important not minding where he or she comes from.’’
He said that the entire Catholic Laity in Nigeria sympathised with the bishop, priests and the Laity of Ondo Diocese over the act, adding “Our hearts are with you. We pray for the departed souls and quick recovery to the injured.’’
The casualty figure is twofold. The Bishop of the Ondo Diocese, Jude Arogundade, said the death toll was 38 while the state governor said the government recorded 40 as of Wednesday.
The statement by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka said, “The situation report as of 12 midnight on Tuesday, July 7, 2022. At Saint Louis Hospital, Owo, 39 people were involved and 13 died. At the Federal Medical Center, Owo, a total number of persons involved is 84 and number of corpses in FMC mortuary is 25 comprising females 17, and eight males. Two other people died in two private hospitals.”
Many of the survivors receiving treatment at the FMC, Owo and St. Louis Catholic Hospital, Owo, described the incident as war-like. They told Saturday PUNCH that they thought war broke out when the gunmen started killing and used explosives to blow parts of the church.
Twenty four hours after the incident, the Force Headquarters said three more undetonated explosives were discovered on the premises of the church by the men of the anti-bomb squad of the Force. Some of the survivors who spoke with our correspondent on their hospital beds shared their painful experiences.
A 51-year-old businessman, Mr Udeh Augustine, said his survival was miraculous as he was shot in the chest and abdomen. He said he had never experienced such an incident in his life, particularly the killing of people in the house of God.
Narrating his ordeal, he said “I have been attending the church for a long long time. It’s a peaceful parish. Our church is peaceful. It’s a terrible incident that happened on that day. It is only in movies I have seen such a dreaded incident. But I saw it in real life on Sunday. Well, it was God that saved me that day. I have bullet wounds on my left hand. It leaves a deep cut there. There is another wound on my abdomen, but the bullet didn’t penetrate my intestines.
“The attackers invaded our church and shot indiscriminately. They used explosives. Something hit me and I was in the pool of my own blood. Shortly after, I didn’t hear gunshots again. I ran out of the church without minding if the killers were still lurking around. Immediately, I saw an Okada rider who rushed me to the FMC, Owo, where I am currently receiving treatment.’’
Appealing to the government to find a lasting solution to the security challenges in the country, Augustine said, “The government knows the right thing to do. We watch things on the television. They know the right thing to do. I thank God my wife and children did not die. I don’t want the government to give me money. They should end insecurity. I saw dead bodies of children. We heard that they said the perpetrators won’t go scot free, but they are still killing with impunity.”
Another survivor, Josephine Ejelonu, said that it was when the service was about to end and they were planning to leave for home that she heard a strange noise.
She stated, “I heard a strange noise. We heard deafening sounds and people started shouting and crying. I wanted to escape but the route to take was filled up with people. I lay down with others. The next thing I saw an object that looked like a bomb beside my leg; the type we see in movies. I saw some people who moved to where I was and took the object away. Immediately, they left and I ran out and jumped over the fence. It was at the hospital that I discovered my two legs were seriously damaged. I want the government to help me. I am not happy with the way I am.’’
Ten-year-old Mary Jane is another survivor with threatening injuries in her two legs. She is one of the victims who appeared to need surgery to enable her to use the legs to walk again. The young girl, who is in excruciating pain, said the incident remained strange to her, recalling that members of the church ran helter-skelter and bumped into one another when the gunmen shot at the worshippers.
She said, “When the father (priest) ended the mass and asked us go home, the people (terrorists) suddenly started shooting. We lay flat; unfortunately my legs were severely injured as many rested on them. I can’t walk well.”
Similarly, a businessman Arinze Mgeara, said that he was in the church when the gunmen began to shoot. He said he was shot in his legs and thought he had died.
Mgeara added, “We were still in church on that day. Immediately the father gave the blessing, we heard gunshots outside. At that moment, people tried to rush out but there was much. Everybody stood in a place because there was much noise. I lay under a desk where some people rushed to take cover. They used dynamites and bullets for the operation. While still under the desk, I noticed that the person next person to me was dead. I didn’t know that my leg was outside and they shot it. After they left, a friend of mine carried me and I was taken to a hospital.”
But for Okoye Stephen, who was among the survivors, it was disturbing that security agents were not in sight to confront the terrorist throughout the time the attack lasted.
The 35-year-old, who also said that explosives were thrown into the church by the hoodlums, said he would have died if not for being rushed immediately to a hospital.
Recounting the incident in a solemn voice, he said, said “The mass had ended at the time. All of a sudden, I heard the sound of a gun thrice. Then those in the church looked outside to see what happened. That was when we heard intense gunshots. Immediately, some of us ran towards the altar and others followed. We heard gunshots similar to AK47 and it was at intervals. An explosive was thrown into the church. Some people and I ran into the choir room to hide while others jumped the fence to hide at the back of the church. Where we hid, we kept hearing shootings and suddenly, something landed on my chest. I checked and saw blood on my body. A bullet landed on my abdomen as the shootings continued. The explosives affected the church ceiling. Later, we were told that the attackers had left. I managed to escape as I wasn’t breathing well. I managed to come out but it was cloudy. I yelled for help. In my state, I noticed that the priest came. He saw me in a pool of my blood, rushed to get his car key to take me to the hospital. I lay at the back of the car in pain. People wailed and shouted. All I knew later was that I found myself at FMC, Owo.’’
The police in their post-incident moves discovered about three undetonated explosives on the premises of the church 24 hours after the attack. Our correspondent observed that the casualty figure could have increased if the explosives exploded.
A statement by the Force spokesperson, Mr Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said that the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Usman Baba, condemned the attack and ordered full scale investigations into the incident.
The statement read in part, “The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has condemned in all totality the brutal murder of innocent Nigerians in an attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owaluwa, Owo, Ondo State. The attack was carried out by yet-to-be-identified gunmen at about 11.30am on Sunday, June 5, 2022.
“The gunmen, from preliminary investigations, invaded the church with arms and materials suspected to be explosives. Police Investigators who were part of the first responders deployed to the scene have recovered pellets of expended AK-47 ammunition while the Explosive Ordnance Devices – Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Explosives (EOD-CBRNE) unit confirmed the use of explosives as fragments of the IEDs used were found and after thorough sweeping of the scene, three unexploded IEDs were recovered at the scene of the incident.’’
The police noted that attackers positioned themselves around the church premises from different directions and fired into the church.
Stakeholders proffer solutions
Reactions have continued to trail the incident as some Nigerians condemned the dastardly attack.
Commenting on the development, a security expert, Dr Gideon Akinwumi, said there was a need to employ modern methods to tackle insecurity in Nigeria, noting that the current system of security in the country was reactive instead of proactive.
He said, “The lapses came from the fact that the state government is using a mono layer of defence which does not always work. The security system of Nigeria (reactive security system) which is outdated is what the new security agents are still using instead of a proactive security system. More professional security organisations are still needed in the country. “
Similarly, a public affairs commentator, Mr Dele Akinola, faulted the security system at all levels, saying there was a need for the government to allow establishment of state and local government police.
He argued that the only way to get Nigeria out of the current security challenge was to allow each state to create its police for effective policing of the local areas.
Akinola stated, “Nobody needs to be told that Nigeria is too big for the current security system we are using. The church attackers would not have had a free day if we had enough and well-equipped policemen at the local government level. We learnt they ran into the busy area. It is only the local people who know the terrain that can tackle such people in the bush. Look at the creation of the Amotekun corps in Ondo State. Their efforts have been able to tackle insecurity in the state to a large extent. If they are well funded and allowed to carry AK 47, the security situation in the state would have been more effective.
“The church incident is another pointer that the Federal Government should allow the creation of state police to complement the efforts of the federal police. As a matter of fact, many things are wrong in Nigeria and the country should be restructured.”
In another vein, a group of women in Ondo State, under the auspices of the Association of Akoko Women Chiefs have called on well-meaning Nigerians, corporate bodies and government agencies to donate funds and materials to victims of the church attack.
The association’s President, Chief Mrs Ebun Oladunni, said that the victims needed assistance from the people at this period. She commended those who had donated blood for the survival of victims who lost blood during the attack and described the gesture as a real sacrifice to humanity. She urged others to emulate the act.
Oladunni urged, “People particularly in churches, mosques, markets and other gatherings need to be security conscious always and report strange faces in their communities, farms and forests to security agents.”
However, on Thursday, the Federal Government on behalf of the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola disclosed that the Islamic State for West Africa Province was zeroed down as the mastermind behind the attack.
Earlier, the Ondo State Police Command denied the arrest of those who carried out the attack on the church. Some media reports on Thursday claimed that the army, Amotekun Corps, other security agencies and hunters had apprehended the terrorists.
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