Fulani herdsmen, bandits, and unknown gunmen have all been fingered as the culprits by social media commentators.

But my conversation with residents and interaction with journalists who reside in Owo has revealed that a different sentiment is shared by them.

The scale and speed of the attack on the church shocked many, leading to widespread condemnation.

This begs the question…who is responsible for this attack…or rather who should be held responsible?

When a tragedy of this scale takes place, it is common for reactionary comments to follow, but it is the duty of the fourth estate to probe and unveil the truth.

To understand why such an attack might have taken place, we have to understand the town itself.

Owo, Ondo state Nigeria.

With a population of over 300,000 investigations revealed that there are just about 100 police officers in Owo, with about 4 patrol vans.

This is a perilously low police presence, coupled with the fact that there is little or no army and DSS presence in the town.

Cultism and violent crimes are also common. Just a day before this attack, there was a face-off and heavy gun battle between a group of cultists and Opc members in Owo.

There is also another threat to the peace of Owo.

Marijuana cultivation and government forest clearing.

Marijuana cultivation is a booming business in Owo, and the farmers are usually heavily armed.

Recently, the state government has been clearing the forest reserves to encourage open grazing and this move has not pleased drug lords.

The sentiment shared on social media that the attack must have been carried out by Fulani Herdsmen differs from the view of people living in Owo.

This I can authoritatively confirm.

For many residents, such violent attacks are rampant, though not on a scale as large as this one.

The peace of Owo was not just disturbed on the 5th of June 2022…it has been an ongoing series of unfortunate episodes in the ancient town.

We should not narrow our options to the obvious and should recall in 2017 when gunmen in a similar style stormed a popular church in Anambra killing 35 leaving scores injured.

The initial reaction and sentiment at that time were that the attack must have been carried out by Fulani Herdsmen, but investigations would prove otherwise.

It would turn out that the attack was a spill from a drug war in South Africa.

Today the biggest menace in Owo is cultism and unverified reports currently claim that the mother of a cult group leader was among the victims of the attack.

Till the culprits are nabbed and investigations concluded by security agencies, only the perpetrators can truly tell those behind the attacks.

But the question we should all be asking.

Who is to be blamed for the killings in Owo?

I would say, the government.

The government is responsible for failing to protect the lives of citizens from criminal elements.

Our leaders are aware that the current Federal police force is overstretched but are only bothered about how fat their pockets are.

There are over 200 million Nigerians to just 302,000 police officers. That is a worrying statistics.

Criminals in Nigeria are aware of this and now carry advanced weapons.

Mass recruitment of police personnel, or approval of local policing…while also properly equipping them with high-grade weapons can go a long way in solving our challenges.

Two security agents were killed in Owo, as the attackers came with explosives and high-grade weapons to clear any resistance.

This has been a script played across the country.

If we are conversant enough, we would realise that in recent times armed robbers first attack police stations before going on to their targets.

This is because they understand how weak and ill equipped those police stations are.

Rather than join detractors in stoking up ethnic tension or hatred, I will enjoin the good people of Nigeria to use this time for deep reflection.

Our leaders should also remember that they are one of us today and forever.

Though they might currently have the luxury of security today, this won’t last forever as is the case with power.

If they fail to upgrade our security apparatus, they should know that they also might fall victim just like every other citizen.

Written by: Tolulope Ayeni

https://www.facebook.com/100001104864074/posts/pfbid0CtjFqQ6TS3bsLvRRKNRzSUTqrsF68hXwM4SVr5a6fq483w64jMTWAD1JoQBd5TXSl/?d=n

We all have it at the back of our minds

Ipob

Trash from a Fulani slave

They should blame Sunday Igboho, ESN and MNK who is currently in DSS custody. Bunch of confused lots...

Because of the way the False Flag Dept Of a well known attack and deny Terrorist Group have gone full gear overdrive into their usual Fake News misinformation since the Owo attack It is now beginning to look like they need to be seriously investigated more closely for involvement

Let us wait and see what the Police Forensics dig up