Akeredolu Directs Flying of Flags At Half Mast In Honour Of Victims Of Owo Terror Attack
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN, has directed all public buildings, facilities and official residences to fly the Nigerian flag at half -mast for seven days in honour of the victims of the Owo terror attack on Sunday.
Governor Akeredolu said the attack on innocent worshipers at St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street,Owo was a deliberate and calculated assault on the people of the state.
The Governor said:”Those who unleashed this unprovoked terror attack on our people have tested our collective resolves. We will not be deterred in responding appropriately to this dastardly act.
“In honour of the victims of this unfortunate attack, i hereby direct that all flags be flown at half-mast for seven days, starting from today, Monday, June 6, to Sunday, June 12, 2022. It is a collective loss to the people of our dear state.” June 6, 2022.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condemned Sunday’s terrorist attack on worshippers inside St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.
The Islamic group said it was proof of the existence of Boko Haram terrorists in the South-West “after their penetration into Niger and Kogi states”.
In a statement signed by its director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, the group called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the attackers.
The statement read, “Dozens of worshippers were killed inside the St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State today, Sunday, 5th June, 2022. We strongly condemn this act of unprovoked aggression. It is inhuman, heinous, horrific and horrendous.
“We call for immediate arrest and prosecution of the attackers. We charge the Inspector General of Police as well as the Ondo Police Command to find the killers without delay. They must be pursued to the most remote corners of Nigeria. These murderers must have no hiding place.
“In particular, we implore President Muhammadu Buhari to order the Nigerian Army to get involved in the search for the killers. This latest attack is indubitable evidence of the existence of Boko Haram in the South West after their penetration into Niger and Kogi States.
“Going by Boko Haram modus operandi, we warn that mosques and more churches may be the next targets because this was how they started in the North. We, therefore, ask for protection for all churches and mosques in the region.
“MURIC sympathises with victims of this barbaric attack. Our hearts go to the families of the dead. Our prayers also go to the wounded and their dependants. We stand in solidarity with the state governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu in this hour of deep sadness.”
SANWO-OLU COMMISERATES WITH AKEREDOLU, ONDO PEOPLE
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commiserated with his Ondo State counterpart, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi (SAN) and the State Government, over the attack and killings of worshippers at St. Francis Catholic Church at Owa-luwa Street, Owo in Ondo State by unknown gunmen on Sunday.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who described the attack as callous, inhuman and despicable act, also sympathised with the people of Ondo State, especially the residents of Owo, Governor Akeredolu’s hometown and members of the St. Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa.
Sanwo-Olu in a condolence message issued on Sunday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, condemned the attack by the gunmen, saying it is crime against humanity to open fire on worshippers on Sunday morning killing scores of people.
The Governor, who also commiserated with the Catholic Church of Nigeria and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the ugly incident.
He said: “On behalf of the government and people of Lagos State, I commiserate with Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, Ondo State Government and the entire people of the State over the tragic loss in the state caused by the attack and killings of worshippers by the evil men this morning.
“Attacking a congregation and shedding innocent blood during a divine service in the temple of God is condemnable as it is a crime against humanity. It is barbaric, callous and despicable crime for any man to attack and kill worshippers or any fellow man in a manner the yet-to-be-identified gunmen carried out the heinous crime in the Catholic church on this morning.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, families and the Christian community and the people of Owo as well as the entire people of Ondo State, who are affected by this unfortunate incident.”
Ondo Catholic Church Attack Is A Declaration Of War by Fulani Against Yoruba People —Odua Nation Agitator, Akintoye
“We have stated it very expressly that the Yoruba people need to negotiate their exit from Nigeria as a matter of urgency but our partisan political actors in Yoruba land never took us seriously. We warned them that there was fire on the mountain but we were mocked because of their personal aggrandizement.
“Today, we have all been encircled, most especially, in Lagos. For herdsmen to have the effrontery of bombarding a church in Yoruba land to kill about 85 people shows that we are now in a realistic danger.
“My urgent advice to Governor Akeredolu is to pick up the gauntlet and declare an emergency against the activities of all Fulani herdsmen in the state with immediate effect.
“We have now been taken for granted. We need not pretend anymore. We must demand unanimously, an exit from Nigeria.
“We the Yoruba people cannot live in the same country with characters whose idea of common citizenship in Nigeria is to brutalize, subjugate and even exterminate us. It is time to leave these characters now. All stakeholders – the elites, traditional rulers, our women should act now.
“All the South-West states, including the Yoruba leaders in Kogi and Kwara states should equally declare an emergency against the activities of Fulani herdsmen. We must now take our destinies into our hands.”
Bandits have reportedly killed over 50 persons in an attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, headquarters of Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Apart from worshippers, the bandits also killed passerby hit by stray bullets.
Witnesses said the attack occurred during the church’s Sunday service.
It was gathered the injured and the dead were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre Owo, for medical attention.
Chief Medical Director (CMD) of FMC, Owo, Dr Liasu Adeagbo, said many medical personnel have been deployed to cater for the injured persons.
But a nurse at Owo, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was not enough medical personnel on ground to attend to the victims at the emergency unit of the hospital.
She said many of the victims were taken to a private hospital.
Owo Attack: We Will Hunt Down Assailants, Make Them Pay-Akeredolu
•Condemns Attack, Condoles With Families of The Victims
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN, is deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack and killing of innocent people of Owo, worshiping at the St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, on Sunday.
The vile and satanic attack is a calculated assault on the peace-loving people of Owo Kingdom who have enjoyed relative peace over the years.
“It is a black Sunday in Owo. Our hearts are heavy. Our peace and tranquility have been attacked by the enemies of the people. This is a personal loss, an attack on our dear state.
“I have spoken to the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Most Reverend Jude Arogundade, who is presently on his way to Owo. Similarly, I have had to cut short my party’s national assignment in Abuja and visit Owo immediately.
“This is an unexpected development. I am shocked to say the least. Nevertheless, We shall commit every available resource to hunt down these assailants and make them pay. We shall never bow to the machinations of heartless elements in our resolves to rid our state of criminals.
“I commiserate with my people in Owo, particularly families of the those who lost their lives to this ugly and unfortunate attack. I extend my condolences to Olowo of Owo, Oba Gbadegesin Ogunoye as well as the Catholic Church.
“I urge our people to remain calm and vigilant. Do not take laws into your hands. I have spoken to the heads of the security agencies. I have equally been assured that security operatives would be deployed to monitor and restore normalcy to Owo kingdom.” Akeredolu said.
UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson Reads From Philippians At Platinum Jubilee Honoring Queen Elizabeth’s Reign
Facing calls to resign over a national COVID-19 lockdown scandal, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson read from the Bible at a royal event Friday with former British leaders in attendance.
Johnson was booed as he and his wife, Carrie, arrived at St. Paul’s Cathedral for the service of thanksgiving for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, one of several events being held in London marking the Queen’s 70-year reign.
While Johnson did not visibly react to the booing, the BBC and other media outlets noted the chilly reception.
Once inside the cathedral, Johnson read from Philippians 4:8, which states: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable … think about these things.”
More than 400 people attended the service, including former prime ministers David Cameron and Tony Blair, the Times UK reported.
Queen Elizabeth, 96, skipped the service due to health issues after reportedly experiencing “some discomfort” after attending events on Thursday.
Johnson has faced calls to resign following multiple reports that he and other members of the ruling Tory party held several parties at 10 Downing Street during the nation’s strict COVID-19 lockdown.
The crowd’s reception could signal some tough sledding for Johnson ahead of a potential confidence vote over the scandal as early as next week.
In a Times interview last July, Johnson hailed Christianity as “a superb ethical system” but added that he would count himself “as a kind of very, very bad Christian.”
When asked to respond to reports that a friend described the prime minister as holding to a “pre-Christian morality system with a multitude of gods and no clear set of rules,” Johnson replied: “Christianity is a superb ethical system and I would count myself as a kind of very, very bad Christian.
“No disrespect to any other religions, but Christianity makes a lot of sense to me.” When he was asked at last year’s G7 summit whether he was a practicing Catholic, Johnson initially balked at a response. But after being told that Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said the prime minister did not believe in God, Johnson promptly quoted Psalm 14:1, which says, “The fool has said there is no God.”
Johnson, who was baptized a Catholic but was twice married as an Anglican before his third marriage to Carrie Symonds also took part in a Bible reading project for the King James Bible Trust in 2011.
The prime minister read from Isaiah 11. He called the King James version the “single most beautiful and influential work of English literature.”
The man tells the story in a new interview that he granted to reveal how he was wrongly accused by a passenger.
Mathew Okotie, a 62-year-old Lagos-based taxi driver, shares his experiences on the job with GODFREY GEORGE
Briefly tell us about yourself. My name is Mr Matthew Okotie. I was born in 1960. I am from Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State. I have Standard Six which is equivalent to today’s First School Leaving Certificate. After that, I couldn’t go further to secondary school because of lack of funds. But since our level of education then was far better than what we have now, people think I have a degree (laughs).
When did you take up cab riding?
I first worked in the Nigeria Air Force as a driver. I was there for some time but my mom was unhappy because of the schedule of the job. People always feel being in the military is not safe. She kept lamenting about the job till I resigned in 1977. After some time, I went to work with a company, Vase Nigeria Limited, which was around Anthony Village, Lagos, then. I worked with them for about 12 years as a driver. When I saw that the salary was not enough to see my children through school, I decided to leave the job. That was when I began driving a taxi. It has been over 20 years now I have been a professional taxi driver. I have four children. My oldest child is 41 (years old) while the last born is over 20 years old.
Is it true that in January a passenger forgot a laptop and other valuables in your taxi and you returned them to the person? Yes, it is true. I work at the Ikeja Central Park, Lagos. But that day, we were posted to the Raji Fashola Station, which was where I picked up the passenger, Mr Dimeji. He told me he was going to a hotel in Ikeja. When he alighted and paid, I asked him if he had carried everything he came into my taxi with, and he said yes. I drove away only to notice later that he forgot his laptop under a seat at the back where he sat. I was so worried. I was trying to eat that day, but I couldn’t. I was troubled. I knew I had to locate that man quickly and return his laptop and other items which were in a bag to him. I left my food and rushed to the hotel. On getting there, I told the receptionist what had happened and she told me that I should drop the laptop with them because, according to her, the man was very worried because the laptop contained valuable information and it was the property of the company he worked for. I asked if she (the receptionist) had his phone number and she said she did. She called the man and he thanked me and asked that I drop the laptop at the hotel and come pick him up at the railway station. I insisted that I would take the laptop with me to the railway station where he said he was. When he insisted that I drop it at the hotel, I did and went to pick him up. We got to the hotel and he told me to wait for some time. Perhaps, he went to check if anything was missing from the bag or the laptop. When he came back, he told me that he didn’t have much money else he would have given me like N100,000.
What did he offer you? He gave me N3,000. He asked that I come and pick him up again at the railway station the following day and I did. When I went to pick him up, he kept asking me how old I was and why I chose to do this job at my age.
Did you have any regrets when Mr Dimeji gave you that money? No, I didn’t at all. I was happy. The laptop is his. He only forgot it in my cab. Giving it back to him was the right thing to do, and whether or not I got rewarded, I am satisfied. I was trained by my parents not to take other people’s property, be it money, phones, laptops, documents or anything else. I will search for you and give it back to you.
I remember I picked up one expatriate one time and he forgot his phone with me. He called the line and I returned it. He was so pleased that he told me that he would remove his SIM and memory cards and give me the phone. I refused. I told him to keep his phone and cards because they were his. He was so pleased that he gave me N20,000. He said he had not seen such an honest man all his life. That alone gave me great joy that I did something right. What then will I do with someone’s laptop? What if he asked the police to trace me and begin to embarrass an old man like me? No. I cannot do that. I am very happy with the N3,000 that he gave to me. On another day, the man came to the park and gave me a Kampala material. I have sewn and worn it. Those are the benefits of honesty.
Honesty is indeed a virtue with many benefits. However, it is lacking in our society. What would you like to say about this? I am not like other taxi drivers. I have a record I must present to my creator on the last day, so I don’t toy with honesty. Honesty pays. I remember one time a man entered my car and forgot a valuable document. I didn’t even know there was something under my seat till the next day when he came with the cops to apprehend me. I was confused. By the time he checked where he said he kept the document, it was still there. You can never catch me compromising. When one compromises, it would be hard to live a fulfilled life. I may be poor but I am not greedy. I only take what is duly mine. This is what I teach all my children. A customer, one time, left a hair comb in my car and my daughter saw it and wanted to take it. I said no, that the owner might come back for it. You won’t believe that the woman came back a few days later to ask for her comb. Imagine if I had let my daughter have it. What would I have told her?
You are quite old. What challenges are you experiencing on this job? The major problem I have has been my car. The former one I was using was not mine, so I decided to buy mine on hired purchase. I have to pay N100, 000 to the seller every month. It has not been easy. As an old man, sometimes I may not be able to come out to work at all because of some ailments. Other times, I may have to close early. Now, we have all these e-hailing services, too, which makes it easier for people to book a ride and all that. The job has been challenging.
Has there been a very bad experience on the road? Yes, I have. I picked one young lady and when she alighted, she started crying that I slept with her in the cab. I was even surprised. I didn’t understand what she meant. I was driving in front. She was at the back pressing her phone. It didn’t even cross my mind. She was seriously crying. I was lucky it happened around my area. I had to call my people to help me. They later found out that she didn’t even have any money to pay so she had to lie that I slept with her. We told her to follow us to the station to lodge a formal complaint about how it happened, but she refused and started to run away. They almost beat her up but I told them to leave her. Some people will board my cab without having money to pay the fare; and would just jump down at their destination without paying because I am an old man. It is not a job for old people at all. Lagos traffic is also an issue.
Do you have plans to stop working as a taxi driver, considering your age? I have a plan that if I have money to start a small business, I will Stop
Nigeria’s Bigger Than Your Ambition, I acted in National Interest – Saraki to Tinubu
In a response to Tinubu’s viral comments, former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki releases statement saying when he opposed the plan to foist a Muslim-Muslim presidency on Nigeria in 2014 he acted in the national interest and believed Nigeria was bigger than anybody’s ambition, including that of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In the statement signed by the head of his Media Office, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki noted that he will oppose any plan that causes a religious crisis in a multi-religious country like Nigeria.
“When I and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014 stood against having a Muslim-Muslim ticket, it was not a decision targeted at any individual or group but one taken in the national interest. Asiwaju knows this and he is just being mischievous by presenting this decision as something aimed at stopping his ambition.
“Let me make it clear that the decision to oppose the plans by some people to make APC present a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2015 was in the national interest and I will take the same stand today, tomorrow, and any other day. My stance is based on the fact that such a ticket is not good for the unity of the country and will further accentuate one of our fault lines.
“Even Asiwaju Tinubu knows that I am a man who does not shy away from standing for what is right. He knows that I don’t follow the crowd and I take a stand based on my conviction of what is good for the country and what is not good for her. It is also obvious that I have paid prices for this stand,” He said.
“The opposition to a Muslim- Muslim ticket was not targeted at Tinubu or any other person. It was a decision that even all party leaders know helped the victory of the party and also worked for the unity of the country. “
He went on say that presidential aspirant made false claims and efforts to make the National Assembly under his leadership look bad.
Saraki urged Tinubu to looks at the bigger picture and stop viewing all issues within the prism of his ambition and personal interest.
I Was Not Consulted Before Nnamdi Kanu’s House Invasion, Says Ikpeazu
-Says his Deputy Udo Oko Chukwu never informed him of his Governorship ambition-
Abia State Governor Dr Okezie Victor has opened up over the 2017 invasion of the home of the Leader of the Indeginous People of Biafra(IPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu .
Recall that the Nigerian Military had sometime in September 2017 invaded the Afaraukwu home of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and Allegedly killed many and properties destroyed.
The Governor who spoke in an Exclusive interview with the ” Nigeria now with Dickson Iroegbu” in Abuja, said the army commander at that time, came to his office to inform him that he had orders to arrest Nnamdi Kanu .
In his words “I was not told that anything like that(invasion) was going to happen, I only saw the GOC who was at Enugu that time, he showed up in my office and told me that he will arrest Nnamdi Kanu, I asked him why, he said he had orders to arrest him, I told him to give me few hours and he obliged, I called the traditional rulers and asked them to talk to Nnamdi’s father who was a traditional ruler to persuade Nnamdi to come and have a word with the GOC, but Nnamdi Kanu refused, saying he was under seige already in his house, I didn’t know that the soldiers were already everywhere”
Speaking further, the governor said that what is happening in the South East is as a result of total disregard of the interest of the South East people.
“What has happened in the South East is a combination of all manner of things, one is the total disregard of the interest of the South East by the center and flagrant and provocative comments from both Government and various elements and characters”
“It is difficult to find peace wherever injustice pesters, Nnamdi Kanu is saying that if we are not wanted, could we go, there are three options available to every man, integrate me, let me be part of it and the other one, endure untill you die or exit but the system is saying, endure untill you are annihilated, the Leadership of the nation is not engaging”
On his first Call for a President of the Igbo extraction, the Governor said politics is about strategy and that it was what prognosticated his first call for a President of an Igbo extraction.
“My argument and my support was for a President of Igbo extraction, first of all , the conversation of how a person can become a President in a country like Nigeria that is multi- dimensional, multi-lingual, multi-cultural requires that you engage and you talk about it, you would want to convince people, and in doing that, you must be strategic on how to play the politics of emergence, I said the first thing to do as a Governor is to first of all begin to say that the Presidency must come to the South and we met in Lagos.
“For us and for we, my strategy was for us to get it in the South, so that we can begin to micro zone, I discovered that the conspiracy against the Igbo man is palpable,you can feel it, you can touch it.
“My support for a South Easterner is not necessarily that we haven’t taken a shot at the presidency, but because the Igbo man believes in Nigeria than any other tribe, the Igbo man is not even prepared to abandone sambisa for any terrorist or any bandit, we can trade in sambisa, for that we have demonstrated our Nigerianess, if there is a people who believes in one Nigeria, it is an Igbo man, For instance, Presidency is important, but of greater important to an Igbo man is whatever that can facilitate Trade and Commerce”
The Governor said he opted for Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State because he was a man that had the courage and has the capacity to call a spade a spade.
Speaking over the defection of some of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)in the South East, the Governor said the people of the south East were not happy over what has played but that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has treated the people of South East well and there is no way the South East can treat the PDP bad.
“The people of the South East can only treat people bad if they have a better option, fire is not better than frying pan, there is no point comparing an elephant with an ant, PDP understands and manages our mechanisms better”
Speaking over his relationship with his Deputy Rt Hon Udo Ok Chukwu, the Governor said the Deputy Governor never informed him of his intention to contest for the Governoship of Abia State .
“My Deputy didn’t tell me he wanted to replace me,he didn’t consult me, he had gone everywhere before they advised him to talk to his Governor, when he finally came, I told him he has come a bit late, mind you, am the only Governor in Abia State that has ran almost 8years with his Deputy”
“He became very ambitious and refused to consult me, I don’t have any place in my heart to harbour bitterness, otherwise I would have done what I should do, everybody knows what a person in my position can do to a recalcitrant Deputy,but I don’t think that is a way to go”
On his emergence as the Senatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of Abia South Senatorial District, Governor Ikpeazu said the Senate was never a retirement place for former Governors but another place of Service.
“My people in Abia South needs somebody that can plunge them to the center and see how we can leverage policies at the Federal level and complement policies at the State level.” he Concluded.
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