Eighteen days after unknown gunmen opened fire on worshippers at St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owaluwa, Owo, Ondo State, the state Security Network, otherwise known as Amotekun Corps, has arrested some suspects involved in the massacre.

Commander of the security network, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, told newsmen yesterday that the corps and other security agencies had been on the trail of the suspects since the attack on 127 people and killing of 40 victims on Sunday June 5, 2022.

Adeleye, who disclosed this while parading 71 suspected criminals at the Command’s Headquarters in Akure, the state capital, stated that some weapons used in the attack as well as the car the gunmen used to flee the scene had also been recovered.

He said:

As regards the Owo incident, we have recovered the last vehicle they used for that operation and we made some arrests. We have also recovered some vital items, which we are working on.

A number of people have been arrested concerning Owo issue as well as the equipment. On that day, we pursued them to the point we recovered the vehicle and we are still pursing them.

We have told you that until we get to the root, I can assure you that the perpetrators and their sponsors will be brought to book.

He, however, did not disclose the actual number of suspects arrested in connection with the attack, but expressed the corps’ commitment towards apprehending all those responsible for the attacks and other heinous crime.

He stressed that the perpetrators, no matter their number and how far they think they could run, will not escape justice. He added that the investigation is still ongoing.

Also, the Amotekun boss said his men have arrested 71 suspected criminals across the 18 Local Councils of the state.The suspects, he said, include; armed robbers, kidnappers, cultists, motorcycle snatchers, among others.

The suspects were arrested within the last one month for various offences ranging from armed robbery, cattle rustling, kidnappers, rapists, fraudsters and human traffickers.

The 71 suspects were picked while committing offences and others were tracked to their hideouts in forests.

We have been able to get a cartel that specialises in stealing and dismantling motor bikes which we all know as Okada. Also we were able to recover over 50 bikes during the operation from these criminals

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We also got reports from some herdsmen that their cattle were stolen. We went after them and brought the cows back to the Fulani herdsmen that own the cows.

We have a group of small boys who are under 18 years that turned themselves into a cartel of criminals in a particular local government in Ondo State and armed themselves. They actually belong to a cult group called ‘Agbado.’

We were able to arrest 12 out of the 17 members. We have about three to four suspected kidnappers and we intend to take most of these suspects, especially the ones we have concluded their investigations to the DPP and for their onward prosecution in court.

We want to assure the good people of Ondo State that we will not rest until we get to the bottom of ridding the state of criminal elements. There is no hiding place for them. They turned the heat on us and we have also turned the heat on them.

Recently, the number of these sad occurrences in the northern senatorial part of the state has been on the increase. We are intensifying efforts to get to root of the barbaric acts of these criminal elements.

So, to the people in the northern senatorial district, especially in the other towns in Akoko, we will continue with our Operation Clean-up until the very last of these criminals are driven out of these forests.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.