Ten months after terrorists gruesomely murdered 41 worshippers and injured 41 others, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, the church reopened on Saturday for Easter service amidst tight security.
Security was provided by the Nigeria Police Force, military personnel, hunters and the security arm of the church, code named Men of Order and Discipline (MOD).
They were drafted to strategic places to secure the church which was filled to the brim and the environment.
Last 5th June, suspected terrorists stormed the church during morning Sunday mass and short dead 41 worshippers and injured others .
Addressing the congregation who wore a mournful look, the Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese, Bishop Jude Arogundade lamented over the inability of the government to nip incessant crimes and criminality bedeviling the country in the bud.
While expressing dismay over the attack on the church last year, Arogundade lambasted government for failing in its core responsibility to protect lives and property.
The cleric added that government also failed to apologised to Nigerians over the unprovoked attack which claimed lives and injured unsuspecting worshippers.
According to him, “we have to call ourselves back to the greater understanding of what is happening in our society today.
“I have never seen a nation so comfortable watching the killings of its citizens on daily basis in hundreds and nothing has been done for the past 15 years.
“It doesn’t happen in other places I don’t know why the government. refuse to apologize to the citizens they failed. A government which failed or cannot protect its citizens is not worthy to be called a government.
“I wish to say this without fear of anyone that the government of this country has failed us and you press men should record me very well, they have failed in the area of protecting the lives and properties of the people.
“Almost on daily basis we hear people being killed in their tens and hundreds, many people have even forgotten what happened in this church ten months ago, because many more have happened without the world paying attention.
“The government must wake up and show strength and courage and make sure those who carried out the evil attack that took place in this church and the evil going around our country are brought to book and punished accordingly”.
Arogundade, who wondered why no one has ever been sentenced for committing heinous crimes troubling country, urged the perpetrators to allow peace to reign.
He urged the leaders piloting the affairs of the country to frontally tackle bloodletting killings, kidnapping, banditry and other misdemeanors.
After the service, one of the survivors of the attack, Hon. Augustine Oloruntogbe described the killings as an unfortunate incident that would remain evergreen in the memories of other survivors.
Oloruntogbe appreciated the timely efforts of governor Rotimi Akeredolu and other well meaning Nigerians who were helpful to the injured and families of the deceased after the attack.
Another survivor, Mrs Josephine Ejelonu, whose two legs were amputated following the effect of the hand grenade explosion, said she appreciated God for still being alive even in her present situation.
Ejelonu said that she passed through a horrible experience during her travails while in the hospital for months.
She said that the attackers threw two hand grenades where she was hiding on corpses of dead victims, but one hit her on the legs and she later managed to escape out of the scene only to realise that the flesh of her legs had been skinned off leaving the bones showing and with blood flowing.
