Akeredolu owo attack Black Pentecost Sunday

On June 5, Catholics in Owo, Ondo state, were celebrating Pentecost when, suddenly, armed men arrived at St. Francis Church and attacked worshippers, 81 in number, according to authorities. In the Christian tradition, Pentecost is the celebration of the person of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the Upper Room. A “strong, driving” wind filled the room where they were gathered, and tongues of fire came to rest on their heads, allowing them to speak in different languages so that they could understand one other. 

The Holy Spirit also gave the apostles the other gifts and fruits necessary to fulfill the great commission – to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations. It fulfills the New Testament promise from Christ (Luke 24:46-49) that the Apostles would be “clothed with power” before they would be sent out to spread the Gospel. However, in Owo, gunmen clothed worshippers at St. Francis Church an eerie cloak of death. The bishop of Ondo Diocese, Jude Arogundade, Tuesday, said 38 person’s had been confirmed dead in the Sunday attack. “But we know that many people were taken to private hospitals. Even some people came to take the bodies of their loved ones. We are trying to trace those people so that we can have a recount for all,” he said. 

Owo is the hometown of the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who had to cancel a scheduled trip to Abuja to attend his APC party’s presidential  primaries. In a broadcast to the people of the state, Tuesday, the governor described the attack as “a gory war-like scene. The Federal Medical Centre, Owo, the St. Louis Hospital, Owo, the General Hospital, Owo as well as some private hospitals in Owo were filled with the injured, most of them in critical conditions.” He added, “The most unfortunate part is the lives of innocent children cut down in their prime and some severely injured by the mindless attackers.  At Owo, the anger was palpable. The tension was at an abrasive level just as the urge for reprisals was high. Without doubt too, the ripple impact of this heinous act as well as the understandably angry reaction across the state could not have been different. I urge our people to be calm but remain vigilant. Do not take the law into your own hands. Leave the rest for government to shoulder.”

The outside world has expressed shock as well, calling on the Nigerian government to go after the killers and bring them to book. The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, Tuesday, said “attacks on places of worship are abhorrent.”

Strident and strong as the public outcry and condemnation of the attack have been, the follow up action to fish out the perpetrators has been slow in coming. Gov. Akeredolu told bereaving families to “leave the rest ( action) to the government to shoulder.” But this has been the usual government response to such man made tragedies. 

To be sure, the government is doing its best to stop the reign of terror sweeping the nation. However, it does not have the human and material resources to take on the very mobile terrorists. For instance, in last Sunday’s church attack, the killers operated for over 25 minutes unchallenged, evening telling their victims not to expect help from anywhere. In deed, no help came.

But we believe help could have come if eyewitnesses reported the attack quickly enough to the security forces. We must not only condemn belated government action but make sure to play our part in defending life and property. The security forces need early intelligence to act and only we can and should provide this.