The governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has criticized the Federal Government for claiming that the Islamic State West African Province was responsible for the massacre of worshippers at Owo, a town in the state.
Residents of Zamfara State should arm themselves and defend themselves against terrorists, said Akeredolu, who supported the demand of Zamfara Governor Bello Matawalle to do so.
While criticizing the country’s centralized police structure, the governor claimed that the Nigeria Police Force was unable to adequately secure the country.
The attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of 40 people on June 5, 2022, was masterminded by ISWAP, according to the minister of the interior, Rauf Aregbesola.
On Monday, Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu appeared on Channels Television’s current affairs program Politics Today and urged the people of the state to fight back when they are threatened.
There are several reasons why we haven’t made much progress in our investigation into the Owo assailants,” he replied when asked about the alleged arrests.
In our forests, “these folks frequently flee to other states and begin a new life.”
Forensic analysis of the alleged terrorists’ vehicles and mobile devices is being carried out by the Nigerian government, according to the governor, a Nigerian Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
That’s why we’ve called on our traditional rulers to tell us to be ready to defend our territory and defend our people,” he continued. In other words, you can’t just throw up your hands and declare, “People are coming, and I’m running away.”
“No. Don’t back down from a battle if it’s brought to you. There is no room to run away from it. When you’re pushed to the limit, there’s nothing else you can say. That’s why when I heard my brother in Zamfara propose that people should carry weapons and license individuals to do so, I thought it was an excessive approach.
In other words, our people can’t afford to sit around and do nothing like you’re slackers.” We are not slackers; rather, we are a spirit and a people that no one can control. So, if we believe and act strongly in this, we should fight back against those who oppose us. If they show up, shoo them back into the woods and make your escape. “Whoever has the most powerful arm will win,” he said.
“We are not people who will buy the idea that it is ISWAP or bandits or terrorists or Fulani herdsmen,” Akeredolu remarked in response to the Federal Government’s assertion that the attack was carried out by ISWAP. At least in Ondo State, we’ve had to contend with terrorism perpetrated by the three groups listed above: bandits, Fulani herders, and the Islamic State West Africa Province. In order to separate them, you’ll have to provide actual evidence.
For us, ISWAP generally, if not always, accepts responsibility for their actions. ” That’s why they say things like “we’ve done it” when they’ve actually done them. They take pleasure in committing this despicable crime. As a result, I expect that if ISWAP had been doing this all along, they would have come forward and admitted their mistake (to it). The security agencies were simply too swift, according to some of us, for it to be ISWAP. We don’t concur with that position.
Rotimi Akeredolu added that the attack in Owo had occurred about a month ago, and that the people had learned to take security more seriously, leading to his directive on security guards and the installation of CCTV cameras in public locations.