Senate Reacts To Ondo Church Attack, Tasks Security Agencies On Intelligence Sharing

The Senate, on Tuesday, urged security agencies in the country to be discreet in collaborating on intelligence gathering and sharing to prevent future attacks by bandits and terrorists.

This was just as the red chamber condemned the recent terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State even as it mourned the victims.

These were part of resolutions reached by the Senate, sequel to the consideration of a Motion on the “Killing of Worshippers in Owo, Ondo State” sponsored by Senator Ajayi Boroffice (APC, Ondo North).

Boroffice, in his presentation, noted with deep concern the attack on worshippers on Sunday, June 5, 2022, at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State.

According to him, the attack led to the killing of 40 worshipers, with about 80 others suffering varied degrees of fatal injuries.

He stated that, “the attackers deployed dynamite and heinously massacres aged persons, women and children.”

The lawmaker, while noting the killings of Nigerians across different parts of the country, warned that such massacre could be a trigger to inter-religious conflicts and ethnic war in Nigeria.

Contributing, Senator Nicholas Tofowomo (PDP, Ondo South) said, “our internal security is still very defective.

“We need to put our resources together and improve the Nigeria Police, so that what happened in Owo, should not happen in other places.”

On his part, Senator Istifanus Gyang (PDP, Plateau North), blamed the attack on St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, on religious extremism.

He urged religious leaders in the country to desist from inciting their followers through religious messages preached in places of worship, adding that doing otherwise poses great security threat to the country.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, in his remarks, said, “this is one sad event that took place, and we are all united in grief.

“One thing that is so imperative is for security agencies to continue to protect our citizens, and where we encounter breeches, the perpetrators must be fished out and then the law takes its full course.”

The Senate, in its resolutions, accordingly, urged security agencies to intensify efforts to investigate the matter with the aim of bringing perpetrators to book and as well deploy drones and helicopters to monitor forests and ungoverned areas in Nigeria, to identify illegal camps of Armed Bandits throughout the country.

The upper legislative chamber called for collaboration amongst various security agencies on intelligence gathering and sharing in very discreet and organised form, at local government and state levels, and nationwide.

It also commiserated with the families of the victims, the Catholic Church, the people and Government of Ondo State.

The chamber also observed a minute silence in memory of the victims killed during the attack.