The Nigerian Police, on Wednesday, June 29, issued an apology to the people of Owo and all Nigerians for the terror assault that claimed over 40 lives at a place of worship in Owo, Ondo state, and promised that those responsible would not escape punishment.
During a condolence visit to the palace of the Olowo of Owo, Oba Gbadegesin Ogunye, and the scene of the church attack; Yunus Akeera, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 17; which includes Ondo and Ekiti Command, offered his apologies.
Akeera stated that the police have been investigating the awful attack’s circumstances around the clock; even as he promised that it won’t happen again anywhere in the nation.
The Ondo AIG said that police will henceforth engage the community in order to prevent a recurrence; but called for the cooperation of the people of the state to tackle insecurity across the country.
He said “Issues like this have never happened and people are wondering, why Owo? We must say we are sorry for what has happened. But as law officers, we are going to put our ears to the ground and we will leave no stone unturned to make sure those who are behind this wicked act will be apprehended and faced with the law. This I must assure you.
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“We have come to the scene of the crime and from all indications the place is situated in the heart of town…Any rational person will be wondering what could happen….Our focus should be how to go about round up those behind this incident so that they will be prosecuted.
“Furthermore, all the security architecture will be placed here so that such incidents will not repeat themselves anymore and other areas in the state.
“The focus is to give robust policing. We are going to engage with the community and we employed them to give us useful information…All hands must be on deck because security is everybody’s business.”
The police boss commended the Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, over the Executive Order signed to compel public and private institutions in the state to install Close Circuit Television (CCTV) on their facilities, saying that the move will enormously enhance the fight against crime by security agencies.
“The governor’s pronouncement is a welcome development. All over the world, that is the best practice. If every public places have CCTV installed in their environment, it will checkmate a lot of things. Also, it will give adequate capturing of who and who goes in or goes out. It will also ease investigation.
“It is a positive development. I think the governor has done what is needed so that the entire state can move forward. I commend the governor for the progressive and proactive pronouncement.”
