Claims linking the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) to the church attack in Owo have been dismissed by Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi as mere speculation.
He emphasised that no proof has been found that the terrorists were involved in the attack, which took many lives and injured many more.
Fayemi made this call on Monday, June 13, in response to a question regarding the position of the Federal Government during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
The Governor said;
I am not going to go into any speculation.
As far as I’m concerned, the statement that ISWAP or Boko Haram, or whatever other institutions are responsible for this (attack) is purely speculative at this stage. I haven’t seen any evidence that concretely puts this in the corner of any of these rogue elements that we have.
And really it doesn’t – at this stage – matter, they have committed this crime, they have demonstrated the capacity to cause maximum damage to our people.
When gunmen opened fire on attendees at St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, the capital of Ondo State’s Owo Local Government Area, at least 40 people were murdered and many more were injured.
The attack drew global outrage, with many individuals and organisations urging the government to guarantee that the perpetrators were apprehended and brought to justice.
Read Also: Ondo Govt Cancels Commemoration Of June 12 Celebration Over Owo Terrorist Attack
The Federal Government has attributed the deaths to the Islamic State’s West Africa Province, sparking a debate over who was to blame.
The viewpoint of the Federal Government, according to Fayemi, who also serves as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), is guesswork.
Governors, as the main security officers of their states, have access to a wide range of intelligence, but not all of it is actionable, he claims.
He explained that it is their obligation to relay such information to the appropriate institutions, who are then required to take appropriate action.
Fayemi noted;
I don’t want us to jump the gun as far as this is concerned and that is why I am not going to go into any detail as to what intelligence we had and at what point we had it.
Our duty as security officers is to ensure that this does not occur again and we go after elements of this nature, whichever organisation they may represent within our domains.
