Owo massacre: Security experts give tips to forestall future occurrence

25
Owo massacre: Security experts give tips to forestall future occurrence
Owo massacre: Security experts give tips to forestall future occurrence

Africa-Press – Gambia. If the casualty figure at the last Sunday’s church attack in Owo, Ondo State was frightening, the report that the dastardly attack was carried out by members of the dreaded Islamic State West African Province, ISWAP has made it more worrisome. And security experts say there are indeed more reasons for concern.

Gunmen had at about midday on Sunday, June 5, attacked St.Francis Catholic church in Owo, Ondo State and fired at the congregation during a service to mark the holy day of Pentecost, killing worshippers with the latest official casualty figure put at about 40.Are you a Man 40 yrs and above? Do not miss the Vital Information, it goes off in 2 days! CLICH HERE to READ .

The audacious attack on the ancient Ondo town sent jitters across the entire Yoruba land and drawing the ire of residents of the town who staged a protest against the attack.

Few days after the attack, the Federal Government said it suspected that the insurgent group of ISWAP was behind the the attack. Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola who made the revelation said that the government had been able to trace the incident to the group.

“We have been able to see the footprints of ISWAP in the horrendous attack in Owo and we are after them. Our security agencies are on their trail and we will bring them to justice,” Aregbesola told reporters in Abuja.

ISWAP, predominantly active in northeastern Nigeria and neighboring Chad, is one of the two major Islamist insurgent groups that have been fighting each other and the Nigerian military for years. Tens of thousands of people have reportedly died while millions have been displaced by the activities of the group.

With this revelation, security experts said that the report linking the attack to ISWAP does not mean well for the people in Yoruba land if the claim was anything to go by.

A security expert, Mr. Paul Elimbi said the manner and the sophistication with which the attack was coordinated gave more cause for concern.

“I was not surprised that a sophisticated terrorist organisation like ISWAP has been fingered as a suspect in the attack that rocked the Ondo town of Owo. A proper analysis of some of the reports from the scene of the attack will give you an insight about the pedigree of those behind the attack. From the reports available, one can glean the likelihood that the attack was carried out by an organized criminal group. So, it is not surprising that the government is suspecting ISWAP in this case, “ Elimbi said.

The security expert advised Yoruba leaders to accord the latest attack a serious follow up and come up with a more proactive solution to prevent a recurrence in the zone.

“It is almost a year that a similar attack that claimed scores of lives at Iganagan in Oyo State happened. If the Igangan massacre was given a serious attention by way of unraveling the true identity of those behind it and if the leaders in the region had used the knowledge to further reinforce the security of the entire Southwest, may be they would have been able to prevent the latest attack in Owo. The Southwest leaders will need to do more to secure the zone. Most importantly, they need to do more in the area of intelligence gathering since Amotekun was not granted the full liberty it requires to defend the zone,” he stated.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, while condemning the attack in Owo had said that there were reports to the effect that some criminals were working to invade Yorubaland. So, Elimbi noted that if the intelligence was given the serious attention it deserved, the attack at Owo could have been prevented.

The national coordinator of Community Policing Partnership Association of Nigeria,CPPAN, Deacon Sunday Sholanke, advised the governors in Yoruba land to embrace community policing, saying that lives and property of the people are better safeguarded with a robust community policing system.

According to him, “Community policing remains the most viable solution to insecurity in Nigeria. A lot of people have made case for state police, but I want to tell you authoritatively that the lasting solution to our security challenge lies in community policing. Owo is a community, not a state, a viable community policing system would have helped to nip the attack in the bud.

“If the people of Owo had made the security of their community a major concern, that attack would have been very difficult. Before the attackers entered the church some people saw them. And when they entered the church the worshippers also saw them. Some of the attackers even assumed the positions of ushers . If there was a well organized community policing structure on ground , the presence of such strange faces in the community would have elicited reactions and signal would have been sent to appropriate quarters for necessary actions,” Sholanke noted.

Another security expert, Jackson Lekan-Ojo described last Sunday’s church attack in Owo as ominous and political. He urged the Yoruba to be more vigilant.

According to him, “the Owo attack is an ominous sign and signal. It was not a battle on the Yoruba race but it has political undertone. When you look at the origin of Amotekun, you will discover that Governor Akeredolu played a very significant role in its formation. He is, in my own view, the progenitor of Amotekun in Yoruba land and up till today, apart from Seyi Makinde, no other governor in the region has been so serious with this security outfit. So, I believe his stance against the herdsmen, remember he insisted that the herdsmen must register before they could operate in the forest reserve in Ondo State. There was brouhaha between Akeredolu and the Fulani herdsmen. That decision did not go down well with the Fulani and the Fulani, by their nature, don’t forgive whoever steps on their toes.

“Secondly, when some powerful persons attempted to foist Ahmad Lawal, the Senate President on APC in order to weaken the candidacy of Tinubu you will discover that though the 17 governors of the South were very serious initially, but at the most critical period, it was only Akeredolu that stood his ground that power must return to the South. So, Akeredolu’s stance against the herdsmen and his stance against the oligarchy within the APC, was seen as a threat to them. That was the reason they started the battle from his local government and his home town. If you study the nearness of Ondo State to the North-central starting from Kogi, where is Ido-Ani? Where is Oka-Akoko? Where is Isua-Akoko, Isua-Oke, Isua-Ile, Isin Merin Oka, and so on? All these areas, are closer if you are coming from the North-central. They will get all these areas first. But why did they leave all these areas and head straight for Owo to carry out that attack. It is an ominous sign. Their intention is to use the attack to frighten the governor.

“The Yoruba must be very careful because these people shot sporadically, they threw explosives and did all sorts of things which are ordinarily attracted noise, penetrated the town but they escaped. That indicates that they were within that place. Who knows if they travelled towards Ilesa or Akure or if they went back through Agbani Kaka down to Edo State. I strongly believe they had been stationed to monitor event in that area before they struck. The Yoruba must not sleep with both eyes closed. It is an awakening call.”

Lekan-Ojo noted that Amotekun could not have done much to confront the attackers as the outfit lacks the capacity to confront threats of such magnitude.

“There is nothing Amotekun could do during the attack because it cannot bear more than dane gun or at utmost pump action riffle. If 200 of them carry pump action riffles or dane guns, their fire power is inferior to two or three people carrying AK 47 or AK 49. Amotekun is not supposed to be confrontational against weapon bearing terrorists. Theirs is to gather intelligence and relay it to the government security forces which will analyse it and act on it. But where Amotekun is able to get the intelligence and sends to the security forces, but without the latter taking necessary action, there is nothing else Amotekun can do.

“People have suggested state police, but I can tell you that state police is not going to work because the economic strength of most states in Nigeria cannot support state police. These are states that cannot afford to pay N30, 000 minimum wage. These are states that cannot pay salaries as and when due. Setting up state police across the country will be running to trillions of Naira.The present security system should be overhauled starting from the recruiting system which is very poor, “ he said.

For More News And Analysis About Gambia Follow Africa-Press

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here