FG Was Hasty To Attribute ISWAP Responsibility For the Owo Church Attack – Akeredolu
Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and the Federal Government continue to argue about who is to blame for the murder of worshipers in Owo.
In response to the shooting, he said it is dubious to attribute responsibility for the incident to the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), in an exclusive interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu stated, “I responded to that almost immediately because I questioned what proof they have. “It’s crucial to let us know since the security agencies assumed it was done by ISWAP way too quickly.
“But whatever it is, we stand by the position that it’s a trilogy that is operating in our forests and causing havoc. We just have Fulani herdsmen right in front, followed by these bandits, and again ISWAP; so, the three of them work together and they work separately.”
At least 40 people were killed and numerous others were hurt when assailants opened fire on worshipers at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, the administrative center of Ondo State’s Owo Local Government Area.
The June 5 incident was widely condemned, and many people and organizations urged the government to make sure the attackers were apprehended and prosecuted.
The Federal Government connected the killings to ISWAP amid dispute about who was to blame for the occurrence, a stance with which Governor Akeredolu disagreed.
The governor sees no distinction between the actions of killer herders, robbers, and ISWAP militants, and the terrorist organization has always been eager to take credit for attacks carried out by its members.
“So, we are not people who will buy the idea that maybe it is ISWAP, or bandits, or Fulani herdsmen; we have faced terrorism in Ondo State from the three,” he stated. “So, I don’t know how you want to separate them except you have concrete evidence.
“And our own contention is that ISWAP, most times if not all the time, takes responsibility for their action. When they do things, they say we have done it; they take pride in these heinous crimes.
“I expect that if ISWAP had done this, all this while they would have come out and own up but some of us have our fears that it is not ISWAP and we do not agree with that position.”
This statement was reveal in an interview session with Channels TV in response to the Federal Government accusation for Blaming ISWAP for the Owo Church Attack
The assertion made by the federal government that the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo was carried out by the Islamic State West in African Province (ISWAP) is speculative, according to Kayode Fayemi, the governor of Ekiti.
Over 40 worshipers were slain when gunmen opened fire on a church in Owo, Ondo state, on June 5.
According to reports, the attackers opened fire on the congregation after setting up explosives inside the church.
Days after the horrific tragedy, on June 9, Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola claimed that ISWAP was responsible for the attack.
He added that the police would track down the attackers and bring them to justice after stating that the ISWAP imprint had been discovered at the location of the crime.
