Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has confirmed the arrest of the five suspects allegedly responsible for the massacre in St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, on June 5, 2022.
The Governor, who confirmed the arrest on Tuesday shortly after the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, made the announcement in Abuja, noted that the government did not spare a moment in trailing the terrorists.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, the Governor also noted that the owner of the house where the attackers stayed before they launched the attack was arrested.
He said:” Now that the military has announced it, I can tell you that five of them have been arrested now. They are still on the trail of the rest. The home where they lodged in Owo and the person that accommodated them before the attack, has also been arrested.
“We did not spare a moment. I am happy that the Chief of Defence Staff has announced it. We have known for a while but we needed not to come out with it because more works are still ongoing. I can confirm that this arrest has been made. And they are still on the trail of some of them.”
In the same vein, the Governor called on leaders of the Ebira community in the State to warn their young ones not to get involved in kidnapping as recent reports from kidnapped victims have established that some Ebira indigenes are now involved in the unwholesome act.
“I want to use this medium to urge our brothers to concentrate on their farming trade. It will be unfortunate to know that the Ebiras in our midst are now involved in kidnapping.
“We are appealing to them not to copy bad things. The traders selling by the roadside should not become informants. We are not fighting them. We have seen their numbers, they supported and voted for us during elections. I will call their leaders and talk to them. Our brothers, who were kidnapped on their way to Ikare, talk to them, and they were taken to Ebira farmsteads.
“For me, we have lived together for too long for this to happen. I am ready to make any effort to ensure that the conviviality that we have enjoyed continues. But we are begging their leaders to urge them not to copy bad things. They are in our midst; we are surrounded by them. The issue of security is key and it’s dynamic.” Governor Akeredolu added.
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