Rotimi Akeredolu, the Governor of Ondo State has warned the Ebira community in the state against venturing into the kidnapping business. The Governor made this pronouncement after the arrest of the masterminds of the Owo Catholic Church massacre that left over 40 people dead.
The governor also disclosed that the owner of the house where the attackers were harbored before the dastardly act had also been arrested.
Akeredolu revealed that five of the attackers of St. Francis Catholic Church were apprehended in Kogi State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He noted that government did not spare a moment in trailing the terrorists since the attacks on innocent worshippers in Owo.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to his office by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), led by the state chairman of the council, Leke Adegbite, Akeredolu said the state government will continue to prioritize the safety of lives and property of the people of the state.
He said, “Now that the military has announced it, I can tell you that five of them have been arrested. Some of them were said to be the real ones that came. They are still on the trail of the rest. The home where they lodged in Owo was identified and the person that lodged them before the attack has been arrested.
“We did not spare a moment. I am happy that the CDS 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.”
Akeredolu called on leaders of the Ebira community in the state to warn their young ones against taking to kidnapping as a venture in the state, saying recent reports had established some Ebira indigenes are responsible for the kidnapping of some people in the state.
He said the Ebiras have lived together with the people of the state peacefully for several decades and have always been supportive and hardworking but frowned on the recent development.
“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. 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,” Akeredolu noted
