Ten months after terrorists gruesomely murdered 41 worshippers and injured 41 others at St. Francis’ Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, the church, yesterday, reopened for Easter service amid tight security.
Security was provided by men of the Nigeria Police Force, the military, hunters and the security arm of the church, code-named Men of Order and Discipline, MOD.
They were drafted to strategic places to secure the church which was filled to the brim.
It would be recalled that suspected terrorists on June 5, 2022, stormed the church during morning Sunday mass and shot dead 41 worshippers and injured others
The Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese, Bishop Jude Arogundade, while addressing the congregation, who wore a mournful look, lamented the inability of the government to nip incessant crimes and criminality bedeviling the country in the bud.
Arogundade, while expressing dismay over the attack on the church last year, lambasted government for failing in its core responsibility to protect lives and property.
The cleric added that government also failed to apologised to Nigerians over the unprovoked attack, which claimed lives and injured unsuspecting worshippers.
He said: “We have to call ourselves back to the greater understanding of what is happening in our society today.
“I have never seen a nation so comfortable watching the killings of its citizens on daily basis in hundreds and nothing has been done for the past 15years.
“It doesn’t happen in other places. I don’t know why the government refused to apologise to the citizens they failed. A government, which failed or cannot protect its citizens is not worthy to be called a government.
“I wish to say this without fear of anyone that the government of this country has failed us and you pressmen should record me very well: they have failed in the area of protecting the lives and properties of the people.
“Almost on daily basis we hear people being killed in their tens and hundreds, many people have even forgotten what happened in this church 10 months ago, because many more have happened without the world paying attention.
“The government must wake up and show strength and courage and make sure those who carried out the evil attack that took place in this church and the evil going around our country are brought to book and punished accordingly.”
Arogundade who wondered why no one has ever been sentenced for committing heinous crimes in troubling the country urged the perpetrators to allow peace to reign.
lncident’ll remain evergreen in our memories— Survivors
Speaking with newsmen after the service, one of the survivors of the attack, Augustine Oloruntogbe, described the killings as an unfortunate incident that would remain evergreen in the memories of other survivors.
Oloruntogbe appreciated the timely efforts of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and other well-meaning Nigerians who were helpful to the injured and families of the deceased after the attack.
Another survivor, Mrs Josephine Ejelonu, whose two legs were amputated following the effect of the hand grenade explosion, said she appreciated God for still being alive, even in her present situation.
Ejelonu said she passed through a horrible experience during her travails while in the hospital for months.
