The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has visited Owo, Ondo State, where worshippers at the St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, were attacked on Sunday, leading to scores of deaths and injuries.
The governor, who condoled with the government and people of Ondo State on the unfortunate incident, noted that necessary intelligence must be deployed to prevent a recurrence of such incidents, calling on all stakeholders to be more prepared.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Taiwo Adisa, indicates that Governor Makinde, was received at the premises of the Church by the governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, and the Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola.
Report said Governor Makinde, who was accompanied by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Political Matters, Hon. Babatunde Oduyoye, visited the affected church and the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, in the company of Akeredolu and Aregbesola.
Speaking to newsmen at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, where most of the surviving victims, with various degrees of injuries, were receiving treatments, Makinde said that the nation must be prepared to stop terrorism.
He noted that he was concerned and hoped that there was no nexus between the June 5, 2021 attack on Igangan, Oyo State and that of Owo, Ondo State, in June 2022.
Governor Makinde, who was moved to tears at the sight of an infant casualty with severe injuries, said the attack was unacceptable and highly condemnable.
He said: “We just saw a baby on the bed there struggling for life. It was a dastardly act. But we have to avoid any knee-jerk reaction. We have to use the intelligence that we have and not just say a particular thing cannot happen. We have to be prepared.
“I don’t want to make it sound as though this is a regional thing, but as long as it is not acceptable anywhere else, we don’t want to see this kind of thing anywhere in the South-West region of Nigeria.”
The governor on Sunday had expressed his condolences to Governor Akeredolu, the people of Owo, the families of the victims and Ondo State on the incident, which he described as a dastardly act.
Makinde prayed that the souls of the victims would rest in peace, asserting that the unprovoked and barbaric attack is condemnable in its entirety and urged security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators are found and brought to book.
Olusola Akintonde
