Owo massacre: Senate demands raid on killers’ hideouts

The Senate on Wednesday condemned the June 5 terrorists attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State which left about 40 persons dead and many others hospitalised.

According to The PUNCH, the Lawmakers, who observed a one-minute silence in memory of the victims, asked security agencies to intensify efforts to investigate the matter with a view to bringing the perpetrators to book.

They also urged the agencies to deploy drones and helicopters to monitor forests and ungoverned areas in Nigeria, to identify illegal camps of bandits throughout the country.

The red chamber then urged for collaboration amongst various security agencies on intelligence gathering and sharing in a discreet and organised form, at local government and state levels, and nationwide.

These formed part of resolutions reached sequel to the consideration of a motion titled “Killing of worshippers in Owo, Ondo State” sponsored by the lawmaker representing Ondo North, Senator Ajayi Boroffice.

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

Contributing, the Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker representing Ondo South, Senator Nicholas Tofowomo said, “Our internal security is still very defective.”

On his part, the PDP senator representing Plateau North, Istifanus Gyang 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 a significant security threat to the country.

In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan said, “One thing that is so imperative is for security agencies to continue to protect our citizens, and where we encounter breaches, the perpetrators must be fished out and then the law takes its full course.”