Daybreak, Politics, Entertainment, Sport

Tag: Owo

  • BREAKING: Terrorist Launch Another Attack in Owo Community of Ondo

    BREAKING: Terrorist Launch Another Attack in Owo Community of Ondo

    Terrorist on Wednesday night, launched another attack in Owo, headquarters of Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State

    At the town’s Folahami Junction axis, where Craneburg Construction Company was located, the gunmen were said to have opened fire on everyone on sight.

    Sources confirmed that during the attack, the gunmen also set off explosive devices.

    Few weeks ago, some suspected terrorists attacked St. Francis Catholic Church in the town murdering no less than 40 worshippers.

    With the exact number of casualties yet to be determined, many people were said to be injured in the attack.

    The incident was confirmed by the Police Public Relations Officer for the Command, PPRO, SP Funmilayo Odunlami, who also stated that some persons were injured in the attack.

    She added that it was still unknown if the perpetrators were terrorists or merely bandits.

  • Catholic Church Holds Funeral Mass For Members Killed In Owo

    Catholic Church Holds Funeral Mass For Members Killed In Owo

    It’s a solemn day in Owo, Ondo State as the victims of the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church are laid to rest in the town.

    This followed a funeral mass held on Friday in honour of the victims whose remains had been deposited at the morgue of the Saint Louis Catholic Hospital in Owo.

    After the funeral mass was completed, families of the victims took the remains of their loved ones for burial in the town.

    Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and a former governor of the state, Olusegun Mimiko, were among the dignitaries present at the mass.

    Some clergymen, including Bishop Jude Arogundade of Ondo Catholic Diocese and Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, were also in attendance.

    No fewer than 40 persons were killed in the attack which has received wide condemnation across the country.

  • Owo church Massacre: Gov Akeredolu extends Mourning period

    Owo church Massacre: Gov Akeredolu extends Mourning period

    Ondo State governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has extended the mourning period in the State to Wednesday.

    This was contained in a statement by Mr Richard Olatunde, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor in Akure.

    Olatunde said that the extension was sequel to the resolution of the Southwest Governors’ Forum to observe a three-day mourning period, starting from Monday to Wednesday across all the Southwest States.

    Recall on June 5, Daybreak had reported how terrorists attacked St. Francis Catholic Church, Owaluwa Street, Owo, during church service.

    Olatunde said, “Governor Akeredolu has also directed that all flags in the state must be flown at half-mast for the three days period.

    “Recall that the governor had directed that all flags in the state be flown at half-mast for seven days from Monday to Sunday.

    “Gov. Akeredolu appreciated the governors in the Southwest for the massive love and cooperation shown since the horrendous attack in Owo.”

  • Soyinka Visits Akeredolu, Says Owo Attack A Message To South West

    Soyinka Visits Akeredolu, Says Owo Attack A Message To South West

    Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has described the attack on Owo as a message to the South West.

    Soyinka said this during his condolence visit to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Friday following the attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church on Sunday.

    “He was targeted and there is no question about that. It was not an accident, and it is passing a message to the rest of us,” Soyinka said according to a statement issued by the governor’s media aide Richard Olatunde.

    “That is why I’m here. I want the Governor to know that we have received the message. We understand it and we came to sympathize with him that he was selected as a medium for that message.

    “So, the answer we must give to the message we all received is that we are not slaves. Here, on our own soil, having had the experience of a century of disdain, and contempt about us as black people.”

    He said “some characters come along calling themselves whatever, ISWAP, Boko Haram. So, all those groups including those who are just opportunists – the herdsmen – are making a mistake. I want the Governor to realize they are making a mistake.

    “I have been on this issue for quite some time. This invasion has been on and these herdsmen are all over the forests. At a time we thought it was Boko Haram, we didn’t know that Fulani herdsmen were capitalising on the fundamentalist insurgency and brutality.

    “And that is why we see a nexus of operation between ISWAP, Boko Haram, and Fulani herdsmen. They work singularly, individually and they work collectively. I Know Ondo State has always been at the forefront of awareness.”

    On his part, the governor thanked Soyinka for the visit, saying that the state will remain hugely indebted to him.

    “It is a cause that he has dedicated his life to, and I thank God for his life. The state wants to appreciate you for finding time to come at this hour of grief.

    “This is like a dagger drawn to our heart, and it is an assault on our psyche. The psyche of those of us in the South-West and Western Region,” he said.

    “I think they think they can create some fears in us but they made a mistake because this will make us more fierce in our condemnation of their actions. And we are not hiding it.”

  • ISWAP Responsible For Owo Church Attack – National Security Council

    ISWAP Responsible For Owo Church Attack – National Security Council

    The National security Council has blamed the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is responsible for the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, that led to the death of about 38 persons on June 5.

    The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said this on Thursday while briefing State House Correspondents after the National Security Council meeting in Abuja.

    He disclosed that security agencies, particularly the police, have been directed to apprehend the perpetrators. The former governor said the attack has no ethnic-religious connection, affirming that the group’s activity has nothing to do with religion.

    The council, according to him, is also concerned about killings in the name of blasphemy and has directed the security agencies to go after perpetrators of the incidents that occurred in Sokoto State and Abuja recently.

    Similarly, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba equally noted the imprints of the perpetrators of the Owo killings have been identified and although no arrests have been made, security agencies are now zeroing in on them.

    The meeting, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, was held less than a week after scores of persons were killed in the attack and several others wounded.

    In a recent meeting, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State said 40 persons died in the incident while 26 survivors have been discharged from hospitals in the area.

    “The figure I have now shows that 127 persons were involved and that the number of death now is 40. On admission receiving treatment, we have 61. Twenty-six have been discharged,” he said on Wednesday when he hosted Catholic Bishops from the South-West led by Most Reverend Leke Abegunrin.

    “Those are the figures we have now from the Commissioner for Health. So, the government is not hiding anything.”

  • Owo Massacre: Northern Governors Infuriated

    Owo Massacre: Northern Governors Infuriated

    The Northern Governors Forum says it is infuriated over the attack on worshippers at the St. Francis Catholic Church Owo, Ondo State which left many dead and others injured.

    Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State Simon Bako Lalong said the Forum totally condemns the unprovoked attack on the Church and its worshippers which is a clear attempt by criminals to instigate religious hatred and inflame passions among Nigerians.

    While commiserating with the survivors, families of victims, the Catholic Church and the Christian body in Nigeria, Lalong said the Northern Governors want security agencies to do all that is possible to apprehend those behind the sacrilege, their sponsors and collaborators.

    This he said will not only ensure that justice is served, but ensure a clear message is also sent to criminals who are bent on causing chaos in the country.

    He also said the Northern Governors are in solidarity with their colleague Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and the Government of Ondo State, assuring of their prayers and support at this very sober moment.

  • Akeredolu Visits Scene Of Owo Church Attack, Survivors In Hospitals

    Akeredolu Visits Scene Of Owo Church Attack, Survivors In Hospitals

    Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has visited the scene of an attack in the Owo area of the state as well as survivors of the incident which took several lives and injured others.

    Akeredolu, who cut short his trip to Abuja for the All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention, visited the St Francis Catholic Church in Owo where the incident took place on Sunday.

    The governor had vowed to go after the assailants and described the attack as a “black Sunday”.

    “The attack was the most dastardly act that could happen in any society. What happened today is tragic. No better way to qualify it. It is the most tragic event! Horrific!” he wrote on his Twitter handle as he shared photos of the visit.

    “What we have seen in America is a child’s play to what has happened here. That it happened in a church, to say the least, is most condemnable. I feel terribly sad.”

    While sending condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the “great massacre,” he called for calm and assured them that security agencies are in “charge”

    “I appeal to our people to maintain calm and let the security agencies take charge. They are taking this seriously,” the chairman of the Southwest Governors’ Forum, pleaded.

    “Please, don’t take laws into your hands. The perpetrators will never escape. We are after them. And I can assure you we will get them!”

    I was at the scene of the terror attack on innocent worshipers at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, today. I also visited the hospitals where survivors of the attack are receiving medical attention.