Owo Massacre: ‘Nigeria Needs State Police At No Other Time Than Now’

With the spate of insecurity in different communities across Nigeria including the latest attack on Church worshippers at Owo, Ondo State on Sunday there is renewed call for the Federal Government to create state police for better security of lives and properties.

Former commissioner for information and Orientation in Ondo State, Mr. Donald Ojogo, said with the level of violence, killings, kidnappings and other criminalities in the different parts of the country, there is no better time to restructure the federation than now in order to create state police.

Mr. Ojogo made the call while speaking at Channels Television SunriseDaily programme on Monday morning regarding the attack at Owo.

The former commissioner who recently emerged as the House of Representatives candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal constituency in Ondo State, described the attack as an act of terror. “They are terrorists not bandits,” Ojogo stated.

Undentified gunmen reportedly attacked St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo on Sunday during mass, killing over 20 and leaving many worshipers injured.

Some eyewitnesses who spoke to newsmen at the scene said the criminals came and detonated explosive devices in the church and started shooting in the premises, killing and injuring many worshippers.

Ojogo stated that Ondo State has in the past few years been targeted for an attack but efforts were put in place especially by Amotekun (regional security group in southwest) to prevent them from happening.

He said this latest attack took everybody by surprise, adding that the timing, target of the attack and the fact that it happened in the state governor’s home town calls for concern about the intention behind it.

Ojogo said security is everybody’s business and urged security agencies to be proactive in order to forestall such attacks in future.

“We felt bad when we heard that police officers were unable to get to the scene because they didn’t have available vehicle to go there on time.”

“This calls for concern and one of the highpoints of this very unfortunate incident underscores the fact that there is no time Nigeria needs state police than now.

“We must deepen and take policing to the grassroots. That’s what Nigeria needs now. It would rather strengthen our federalism, encourage people to be more effective, make security and policing more efficient in the country for those of us who believe that true federalism should be practiced. There is therefore, no ripe time for that than now for state police to be put in place,” Ojogo advocated.

Since the incident occured on Sunday, many groups and political leaders, public aspirants and even the even the international community have condemened the carnage at Owo.

Governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu who visited the scene shortly after the incident, expressed shock over what happened and vowed to haunt down the perpetrators and bring to justice, declaring that the state would not be cowed in its resolve to rid the state of criminals.