Following an attack on a catholic church in Ondo State which left number of people dead and many injured, some women groups under the aegis of Womanifesto on Tuesday gave the Nigerian government four weeks to put an end to the incessant killings across the country. This newspaper reported that on June 5, some assailants who attacked St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, South-west Nigeria are yet to be arrested.
The incident left at least 70 dead including children and many others critically wounded. Several individuals and organisations have since condemned the incident, including the Roman Catholic Pope. Similarly, Womanifesto in a press statement signed by the Co-convener, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi on behalf of the groups, questioned the government’s failure to provide security for Nigerians due to this incident.
“The failure of the government to properly investigate or take tangible actions to ensure justice or deter future occurrences continues to exacerbate the crises,” Mrs Akiyode-Afolabi said.
She cited a Nigeria Security Tracker report by the Council of Foreign Relations which claimed over 3, 515 people have died as a result of violent attacks between January and June 2022, with 1, 214 deaths in March, ranking higher than the 996 deaths recorded in January.
Consequently, the women groups issued five demands for action by the Federal and Ondo State Governments. They asked for the publication of the identities of all the victims of the Owo tragedy, including those that died and the injured. They requested that the government demonstrate accountability and carry out a speedy investigation that leads to arrests, successful judicial prosecution and sentencing of the killers.
