Bandits have vowed to target St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, three years after it was fatally attacked.
In a letter to the church, the unidentified attackers promised to launch an attack “soon,” without giving a timeframe.
The historic town, which is still in shock after the June 5, 2022, Pentecost Sunday attack, in which gunmen attacked the church, murdering 41 worshippers and injuring 69 more, is tense due to the danger.
Residents of Owo were deeply affected by the sad event, which was one of the bloodiest acts of violence against a religious institution in Nigeria. Many of them are still afraid because of the ongoing instability in some areas of the state and the nation.
Concerned about the development, the community led by its traditional ruler, the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, convened a security summit to address the rising insecurity in the area.
According to the summit’s publicity secretary, Mr Bosun Oladimeji, the maiden edition of the Owo Security Summit, themed “Securing Owo and its Environs: Strategies for Community Safety and Resilience”, will be held next week.
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Oladimeji maintained that the summit will raise awareness about community security, foster cooperation between residents and law enforcement, reduce crime, and propose sustainable security initiatives with the key objective to establish a Security Trust Fund to support long-term efforts.
