By Seyi Odewale, Linus Aleke, and Oludamisi Ojo
After what seemed like an eternal wait for their apprehension for a dastardly act of mass murder, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday announced the arrest of the perpetrators of the Owo massacre by security operatives.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, who made this disclosure while interacting with editors and media executives in Abuja, also noted that the arrests were carried out in different locations in collaboration with the intelligence agencies.
He promised to parade the perpetrators of the dastardly act in due course, saying that investigations were still ongoing to unravel their mode of operations.
Recall that on June 5, worshippers at the St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, south-western Nigeria, congregated to worship when a group of armed men, who had been hiding among the congregation, suddenly opened fire, killing 40 people, including four children.
Irabor said, “I want to tell you that we have arrested the attackers of Owo Church. We were to parade them today for you, but investigations are still ongoing.
“For this interaction, I will like to read out their names, and as I read out their names, let me say that it is not just the Armed Forces, but the DSS, the Police, and other intelligence agencies, that were part and parcel of the efforts to apprehend these criminals, who have put us and indeed the nation on the toes.
The CDS added, “On August 7, Idris Ojo (37), was apprehended at Aiyetorosi in Ondo State. He is one of the high-profile Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) members who escaped from the Kuje Prison.
“Alongside him is one Jimoh Ibrahim, a 39-year-old criminal, who was also arrested. Idris Ojo was not done with all the criminal activities which he undertook in the past, he was also planning other deadly attacks and was perfecting those plans along with his cronies before he was apprehended.
“On August 4, again, the military, in a combined operation with the DSS, arrested four terrorists at Eika in Okehi local government area of Kogi State.
“These are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, otherwise known as Ibn Malik; Momoh Abubakar, Aliyu Itopa, and Auwal Onimisi. Now, Omeiza is one of the masterminds of the June 5 Catholic Church attack in Owo, as well as the attack on the police station in Adavi, also in Kogi State that led to the killing of a policeman, as well as weapons being carried away.”
The CDS also frowned on the idea of recruiting ‘mercenaries’ to support the military in the fight against terrorists.
He advised that the resources that would be used to hire mercenaries should be channelled to build the capacity of the troops who are constitutionally empowered to protect the nation’s territorial integrity.
According to him, “Mercenary is not an option, it is a half story. Mercenaries are commercial entities moving from one place to the other. We should rather use the resources to build the capacity of those that have the responsibility to protect the country.”
The CDS urged Nigerians, especially the media, to unite against the enemies of the state.
“The core responsibility of the military is to protect the territorial integrity of the country. A nation is as strong as its military, and there are various avenues you can weaken your military.
“There are people who are strong physically, but you can attack them emotionally, and their strength will be useless. Do not encourage people to weaken the emotional strength of the Armed Forces.
“If you do, every one of us will be the loser. God has created this space for us to dominate, our dominating and exploiting the resources of the state is a collective responsibility. It is for us, our families, and our children to enjoy.
“It is not for us to abandon it for some other idiots to take over, it is for us to defend and enjoy. So, whatever it will take to defend the nation, we will do,” he assured.
Irabor further assured that the military is prepared to defend the 2023 electoral process.
He said, “Sometime last week, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), had a forum for personnel of the police, military, and other security agencies that will be involved in the election, and I made a statement that, as members of the armed forces, we have a covenant with the electoral process.
“That statement presupposes that we will do anything to create the condition for free, safe, and secured conduct of the 2023 general elections. We will do everything to ensure that nothing stops it. We have a covenant with the democratic process.”
Answering a question on how safe Abuja is for the residents, the CDS concluded that Abuja is very safe.
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*Akeredolu gives details of how suspects lodged in Owo before striking
Meanwhile, Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, yesterday confirmed the arrest of five suspected killers of worshippers at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo on June 5.
Akeredolu, who disclosed this during a courtesy visit to his office by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo State Council, led by the chairman, Leke Adegbite, confirmed the arrest shortly after the CDS announced the arrest of the masterminds of the attack in Abuja.
The governor further disclosed that the owner of the house where the attackers stayed before the June 5 attack in Owo had also been arrested, noting that government did not spare a moment in trailing the terrorists since the horrendous attack on innocent worshippers.
“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, have 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 work is still ongoing. I can confirm that this arrest has been made, and they are still on the trail of some of them,” he said.
The governor has also called on leaders of the Ebira community in the state to warn the young ones against their bad venture into kidnapping.
According to the governor, recent reports from kidnap victims in the state have established that some Ebira indigenes are now involved in the unwholesome act.
He noted that the Ebiras have lived together with the people of the state peacefully for several decades, adding that they have always been supportive and hardworking.
He said, “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 the 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 disclosed that, aside from the recent recruitment and training of new Amotekun personnel, 20 hunters and local vigilantes would be trained by the Amotekun corps in each of the 18 local government areas of the state.
The governor, who thanked the NUJ in the state for the cooperation extended to his administration, assured them of sustained efforts at developing the state.
