Amotekun operatives arrest Ondo church attackers

The operatives of the Amotekun Corps in Ondo State have arrested the suspected killers of worshippers at St. Francis Catholic Church in the Owo area of the state.

The Ondo State Commander of Amotekun, Adetunji Adeleye, made the disclosure while parading 71 suspected criminals before newsmen in Akure, the state capital on Thursday.

Adeleye disclosed that some suspects were arrested in connection with the terror attack, which left no fewer than 40 worshippers dead with many injured.

He said: “We have recovered the last vehicle they used in the operation and we have made some arrests. We have recovered some vital things which we are working on.

“We are not stopping until we get to the root of this and I assure you that the perpetrators and their sponsors will be brought to book.”

Adeleye added that the 71 suspects were arrested within the month for cattle rustling, armed robbery, cultism, kidnapping, human trafficking, and theft of commercial motorcycles.

He further stated that the corps also recovered 31 stolen motorcycles

The Star recalls that terrorists, on June 5, 2022, attacked St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, and killed many worshippers.

The worshippers killed were laid to rest last Friday after a funeral mass was held in their honour.

The Federal Government had earlier revealed that the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists masterminded the attack.

However, the governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, debunked the Federal Government’s claim.

Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Kayode Fayemi, also described the claims linking ISWAP to the church attack as mere speculation.

Fayemi stressed that no evidence confirmed that the terrorists were responsible for the attack, adding that the position of the Federal Government was only speculative.

The Star