Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has stated never again shall there be such attack as on Owo community in the South-West.
Newsonline reports that the governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu said such an attack by alleged Fulani herdsmen, who came into Yoruba land to kill without any provocation or war shall not be tolerated again.
Governor Akeredolu stated this in Government House, Akure, during the condolence visit of Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State.
Governor Akeredolu who described the Pentecost Sunday attack at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, as black Sunday, told the visiting governors that the attackers declared war on Yoruba land.
He however lamented that the people of Yoruba are peaceful people who are always out to protect the unity of the country.
Governor Akeredolu told the visiting governors that if it were to be a war between the people of Owo and the attackers, 40 Yoruba would not be killed on a day.
“If you get to the scene, I’m sure it will bring tears out of your eyes. These criminals, these animals in human skin, what they did was horrendous.
“They did not come to kidnap, they did not come to steal, they took no dime. They went into the church and shot at everything within their sight,” the governor lamented.
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Governor Akeredolu said: “We are part of this country and we have always come to this country in peace and we have maintained peace. We have been trying every time to maintain Nigeria because we believe in Nigeria.
“Let someone point to an incident in which we left our enclave or we left this peaceful environment and went to cause problems in other places. Let them tell us.
“We have come to this country in peace, and now people want to visit us with war. You want to maim and kill us; it is not easy.
“It is a dreadful assault. I said to people that if we were at war and we were armed and faced ourselves, in one day 40 people would not die from our side. But this is not war, we were not at war.”
Governor Akeredolu further stated: “This is an assault on us, on our psyche. We cannot continue this way. We believe in this place, we believe in the South-Western region, and we believe in Yoruba. Is Yoruba part of Nigeria we believe in? Yes.
“But I thank you for your solidarity. You have come all the time and we have always worked together, all of us,” he said.
