A week after the tragic terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, numerous churches in the area had a poor turnout of worshippers on Sunday, according to The PUNCH.Recall that the Catholic church, which was attacked last Sunday during service is located in the hometown of the state governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, which recorded the death of 40 people and injured many more.
To honor the victims, the state administration issued a seven-day mourning period and canceled the annual Democracy Day celebration.
According to reports, the incident instilled fear in the hearts of many Christians in the area, prompting them to avoid going to church on Sunday.
That came as officials at many of the town’s churches increased security around them to prevent a recurrence of the previous Sunday’s attack.
Only a few churches were open for regular Sunday services. According to reports, the churches that opened for service had poor attendance.
When our reporter visited the St. Francis Catholic Church, the scene of the Sunday attack, the doors were locked and just a few members were present.
No church official was available as of the time.
Some members of the Christian Association of Nigeria, however, were subsequently seen gathering on the church grounds to conduct inter-denominational prayers.
Churches in some areas of the town like Iselu, Ijebu, Oke-Ogun, Okedogbon, and other parts of the community witnessed low attendance.
In the Akoko area, it was gathered that men of the State Security Network also known as Amotekun Corps, the police, and other security agents were seen moving around churches to forestall any attack.
An Assistant Pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, His Praise Parish, Oke-Ogun, Owo, Kehinde Ogunkorode, said his members were in the church on Sunday, saying they were not afraid of anybody. “You can see us here in our large number, we are not scared,” the pastor stated.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami, said efforts to secure lives and property in the state were being intensified, stating that the command had re-strategized.
“We can’t discuss our strategy in the media but there is no cause for alarm, we are battle-ready, we have re-strategized, and no church would be attacked again,” she said.
Also, the state Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, said he had deployed his men around the state to ensure adequate security.
He said, “We have deployed our men everywhere. All strategic places are being manned. We have been on 24-hour patrol.
“We are on serious surveillance, especially in our markets, all big churches are already manned. People should call our distress numbers in case there is anything. We are on ground at the 18 local government areas of the state.”
Meanwhile, Akeredolu has called on churches in the state to install Closed-Circuit Television as part of security measures to prevent criminal activities on their premises.
The governor stated this on Sunday at a special interdenominational prayer service organized by CAN, Owo chapter, and held on the premises of the St. Francis Catholic Church where 40 worshipers were killed last Sunday. According to him, the attack was meant to create fear in the mind of the people.
He said, “Lot of lives have been lost to this attack and it is very sad. We have failed in providing security for you as an electorate and we will make sure we retrace our footsteps and do better.
“Every church should endeavour to get a CCTV camera for security and monitoring. Those who could not afford CCTV can request the service of vigilantes during church service.”
