June 07, (THEWILL) – Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has said that 22 people, at least, have been confirmed dead and 52 others injured in Sunday’s terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State.
Speaking in a statewide broadcast to the people of the state on Tuesday, Governor Akeredolu said the injured are receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo and other hospitals in the locality.
Akeredolu described the attack on the church as an attempt to test the will of the people of the state and indeed, the South-West, adding that the dastardly act could possibly lead to anarchy nationwide.
“Yorubaland, Owo in particular, has never been conquered before and it will never happen,” he said.
The governor promised to commit every available resource to hunt down the assailants and make them pay dearly for the attack, stressing that Ondo would never bow to the machinations of heartless elements in its resolve to stamp out criminals.
Akeredolu, in a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, said, “22 people lost their lives to the horrific attack while 56 survivors were on admission at the Federal Medical Center, Owo, St Louis Hospital, Owo and the Owo General Hospital as well as some private hospitals.”
The statement reads in part: “The site, that is, St Francis Catholic Church, Owaluwa, Owo presents a gory war-like scene. The Federal Medical Centre, Owo, the St. Louis Hospital, Owo, the General Hospital, Owo as well as some private hospitals in Owo were filled with the injured, most of who were in critical conditions.
“The most unfortunate part is the lives of innocent children cut down in their prime and some severely injured by the mindless attackers.
“At Owo, the anger was palpable. The tension was at an abrasive level just as the urge for reprisals was high. Without doubt too, the ripple impact of this heinous act as well as the understandably angry reaction across the State could not have been different.
“I urge our people to be calm but remain vigilant. Do not take the law into your own hands. Leave the rest for government to shoulder. I have spoken to the heads of the security agencies. I can assure you that security operatives have been deployed to monitor and restore normalcy to Owo kingdom.”
