Owo massacre, an assault on Nigerian State — Bakare

From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant and Serving Overseer, the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has said that the massacre at Saint Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State on Sunday, is an assault on the Nigerian state.

Bakare, in a statement made available to Daily Sun in Abuja, said the mass murder of worshippers at St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, is an act of unspeakable cruelty.

“I grieve with the families whose loved ones were murdered or wounded in the course of devotion and service to God. May the comfort that emanates from God be theirs and ours in this season of national mourning.

“This horrific tragedy is an assault on the Nigerian State, a desecration of the Nigerian constitution and an affront on our collective freedoms as citizens, including the freedom to assemble and the freedom to worship God. I call on the security agencies to waste no time in fishing out every perpetrator and accomplice in the conception, planning, financing and execution of this evil and to ensure that they are brought to justice speedily in line with the relevant laws preventing and prohibiting terrorism in Nigeria.

“I state unequivocally that this barbaric act calls for an immediate revisiting of our national security architecture to allow for early detection and prevention of threats, and to enable the Nigerian State to fulfil its obligation to guarantee the security and welfare of Nigerian citizens everywhere in Nigeria,” Bakare said.

Bakare further urged Nigerians to resist the temptation to succumb to the same base instincts that led to the carnage, no matter the provocation.

“Let the rule of law prevail over vengeance, and let peace triumph over further destruction. I trust that we will ultimately emerge undaunted in the pursuit of a nation worth living for.

“May God comfort the families and people of Owo, the Catholic Church, the Government of Ondo State, and every Nigerian whose heart is laden with sorrow,” Bakare prayed.