THE OWO TRAGEDY FALLOUTS

There is need for a thorough investigation of the mayhem

Last Thursday, the federal government blamed the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an ISIL-affiliated armed group, for the June 5 attack that killed dozens of worshippers at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State. The Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, who dispelled the notion that the heinous attack was due to “ethno-religious thing,” said the security agencies had located the “imprints of the Islamic State of West Africa Province.” While we commiserate with families of the deceased and wish quick recovery for the wounded victims, it is unfortunate that investigation into the killings is now marred by a needless controversy.    

The scepticism about ISWAP being responsible for the killings is understandable. That the vicious armed group which loves publicity is yet to claim credit for the attack is quite unusual. Besides, many experts have given opinions about why, both in style and substance, the attack could not have been carried out by ISWAP. This perhaps explains why the Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, said the federal government was hasty in reaching conclusion about the brains behind the deadly attack. Akeredolu told a Swiss-based Christian human rights Organisation, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) that since ISWAP is known for claiming responsibility for their attacks, he doesn’t agree with the conclusion. “ISWAP don’t hide their attacks. If they have done it, they would have owned up. We are yet to know their identity and our security people are still on their trail,” Akeredolu said.   

The families of the dozens of people who were killed in cold blood inside a church deserve justice for their loved ones. And the authorities must ensure a thorough investigation for that to happen. However, whatever may be their misgivings, nobody should exonerate ISWAP that has been credited for several deadly attacks not only in the Northeast but in other areas as well. Last month, the terror group claimed responsibility for an assault on a cultural event in Kogi State, and for a bombing in Taraba State that claimed 30 casualties. Some security analysts have noted the possibility of its expansion to the southern part of the country.   

There is no doubt that the canvass of insecurity is broadening with large scale and unexplained violence in many communities across the country. While some analysts say the expansion of armed groups in the south is unlikely to materialise because of a lack of local support and inadequate logistics, the Commander of the United States Special Operations Command in Africa, Major General Dagvin Anderson, once raised the alarm that ISIS and Al-Quaeda were penetrating new territories across the country, and on the verge of furthering their terrorist campaigns to the south of Nigeria. Anderson particularly warned that these threats should not be underestimated, and that the terrorists could seize “opportunities” and weaknesses as they emerge.   

However, the Army Defence Headquarters had downplayed the threats, arguing that Anderson was raising an unnecessary alarm. But as things stand, the entire country is indeed gradually being sucked in by various terrorist groups and vicious criminals. In the Northeast that is under the siege of insurgents, more than 40,000 persons have been killed and millions of others rendered homeless. The Northwest is also coming increasingly under the vice grip of bandits and other criminal gangs.  

The announcement that ISWAP was responsible for the Owo attack should put the authorities on high alert. Opening a frontier of religion-induced terror in the southern part of the country raises the prospect of danger. Sectarian violence with ethnic colouration that such infiltration would represent is a recipe for disaster. The federal government must do all within its power to combat such threat.