The governor of Ondo State, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has described as “unfortunate” the alleged involvement of the Ebira people living in the state in kidnapping.
Akeredolu stated this yesterday in Akure when the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) visited him.
The governor said recent reports from victims of kidnap in the state had established that some Ebira indigenes are now involved in the wicked and dastardly act.
Spokesman for the governor, Mr. Richard Olatunde, quoted Akeredolu in a statement as warning the Ebira natives living in the state to shun crime.
“I want to use this medium to urge our brothers to concentrate on their farming trade. It will be unfortunate to know that the Ebiras in our midst are now involved in kidnapping.
“We are appealing to them not to copy bad thing. The traders selling by the roadside should not become informants. We are not fighting them.
“We have seen their numbers. They supported and voted for us during elections. I will call their leaders and talk to them. Our brothers, who were kidnapped on their way to Ikare, talk to them. They were taken to Ebira farmsteads.
“For me, we have lived together for too long for this to happen. I am ready to make any effort to ensure that the conviviality that we have enjoyed continues. But we are begging their leaders to urge them not to copy bad thing. They are in our midst; we are surrounded by them. The issue of security is key and it’s dynamic,” he said.
The governor while giving an update on the Owo church killing of June 5, on Tuesday, Akeredolu said five suspects had been arrested over the incident.
He added that the person, who accommodated the gunmen behind the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, had also been apprehended.
“Now that the military has announced it, I can tell you that five of them have been arrested now.
“They are still on the trail of the rest. The home where they lodged in Owo and the person that accommodated them before the attack has also been arrested.
“We did not spare a moment. I am happy that the chief of defence staff has announced it. We have known for a while but we needed not to come out with it because more works are still ongoing.
“I can confirm that this arrest has been made and they are still on the trail of some of them,” the governor said.
Recall that earlier that day, the chief of defence staff, Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor, announced had announced that gunmen behind the attack on the church had been arrested.
Irabor said the suspects, who are members of the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP), had been detained.
He disclosed while speaking with media executives at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) in Abuja, that the terrorists who were nabbed in Kogi State on August 1, 2022, included Idris Abdulmalik Okeiza, Momoh Otueze, Aliyu Yusuf and Awal Oreiza.
He also said that the military, in conjunction with the security agencies, arrested masterminds of the attack, one 32-year-old Idris Ojo at Aiyetoro, Ondo State, alongside 39-year-old Jimoh Ibrahim on August 7, 2022.
According to him, Ojo, who was one of those that escaped from the Kuje Prison during the July 5 attack, were planning deadly attacks before they were nabbed by intelligence dragnet of the security agencies.
