Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, on Tuesday, disclosed that 22 people have been confirmed dead out of the 80 people involved in the last Sunday terror attack at St.Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa street, Owo in Owo Local Government Area of the state.
The governor who disclosed this during a statewide broadcast to the people of the state in respect of the last Sunday terrorist attack, said 52 survivors are still on admission at the Federal Medical Center, Owo, St Louis Hospital, Owo and the Owo General Hospital as well as some private hospitals.
According to Akeredolu, who said the attack was an attempt to test the will of the people of the state and indeed, the Southwest, adding that the dastard act has the brazenly possible consequence of invitation to national anarchy but said, “Yorubaland, and Owo in particular, have never been conquered before; and it will never happen.”
The governor, however, promised to commit every available resource to hunt down the assailants and make them pay dearly for the attack, stressing that the state will never bow to the machinations of heartless elements in its resolve to stamp out criminals.
“The site, that is, St. Francis Catholic Church, Owaluwa, Owo presents a gory war-like scene. The Federal Medical Centre, Owo, the St. Louis Hospital, Owo, the General Hospital, Owo as well as some private hospitals in Owo were filled with the injured, most of who were in critical conditions.
“The most unfortunate part is the lives of innocent children cut down in their prime and some severely injured by the mindless attackers.”
“At Owo, the anger was palpable. The tension was at an abrasive level just as the urge for reprisals was high.
” Without doubt too, the ripple impact of this heinous act, as well as the understandably angry reaction across the State, could not have been different.
“I urge our people to be calm but remain vigilant. Do not take the law into your own hands. Leave the rest for government to shoulder.
“I have spoken to the heads of the security agencies. I can assure you that security operatives have been deployed to monitor and restore normalcy to Owo kingdom.”