Owo Massacre

 Akeredolu supports Matawalle's claim of self-defense in the Owo massacre.

Ondo state Governor, Rotimi  Akeredolu 

Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo State, has criticized the federal government for asserting that the Islamic State West African Province was responsible for the slaughter of worshipers in the state's town of Owo.

Akeredolu urged the people of his state to ward off attackers, supporting the governor of Zamfara State's appeal for inhabitants to arm themselves and protect themselves against terrorists.

The governor claimed that the Nigeria Police Force cannot successfully secure the nation while criticizing the country's centralized police structure.

On June 9, 2022, Rauf Aregbesola, the interior minister, revealed that ISWAP was responsible for the June 5 attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which left 40 people dead.

Speaking on the current affairs program Politics Today on Channels Television on Monday, Akeredolu urged the people of the state to defend themselves in the event of an assault.

Regarding the alleged arrest of the Owo attackers, he responded, "We are still on the trail of the offenders and we are yet to make a meaningful advance and that is for several reasons.

These people typically vanish into our woodlands before moving on to other states.

The governor, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, noted that the Department of State Services had been given the car and mobile devices believed to have been used by the terrorists for forensic examination.

"We have urged our traditional leaders that we must all be prepared to rise up to defend our land and our people," he continued. That is to say, you cannot fold your hands and claim that assailants are approaching while you are fleeing.

“No. Fight back if they start a fight with you. There is nowhere to hide from it. Because of this, when I heard my brother in Zamfara say that everyone should carry weapons and have permission to Carry weapons; it may seem like an extreme measure to some, but when you're up against the wall, there is nothing else you can do.

So, what we've discovered is that our workers cannot afford to hang back or behave lazily. We are not sluggish; rather, we have an unbreakable spirit, making us impossible to subjugate. So, fight these folks back when you strongly believe it and act on it. Push them (back) inside the forest if they arrive, then move on. Whoever has the stronger arm will prevail.

Akeredolu responded to the Federal Government's assertion that ISWAP was responsible for the attack by saying, "We are not people who will buy the idwith hat they are Fulani herders, ISWAP, bandits, terrorists, or bandits. We have been dealing with terrorism from the three, whether they are bandits, Fulani herdsmen, or ISWAP; they collaborate. At least in Ondo State. Unless you have hard proof, I'm not sure how you want to separate them.

"Our claim is that ISWAP generally accepts responsibility for their conduct, though not always. They therefore claim to have completed tasks when they do them. They are proud of their horrifying crime. I therefore anticipate that ISWAP would have acknowledged their mistake if they had been responsible all along (to it). However, some of us worry that it's not ISWAP, and we disagree with  that because the security agencies moved in that manner far too quickly.

The governor of Ondo noted that the Owo attack had occurred about a month earlier and that people had since grown more concerned about security. As a result, he issued an order mandating the hiring of security guards and the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in public areas.