Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has confirmed the arrest of five suspects who attacked the St Francis Catholic Church, Owo which left several people dead.
The confirmation follows the announcement by General Lucky Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, in Abuja.
Akeredolu disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, led by the State Council Chairman, Mr Leke Adegbite.
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.”
The governor urged leaders of the Ebira community in the state to caution their youths against engaging in kidnapping, noting the recent reports from victims of kidnap in the state have established that some Ebira indigenes are now involved in the unwholesome act.
He added, “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 road side 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 thing. They are in our midst, we are surrounded by them. The issue of security is key and it’s dynamic.”
Source: Thisdaylive