The Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu while confirming the arrest of the attackers of St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, called on the elders of Ebira community to warn its Youths against venturing into criminal activities in the state.
Speaking on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to his office by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) led by the Chairman of the Council, Prince Leke Adegbite, Akeredolu also said the owner of the house where the attackers stayed before the attack had been arrested.
He noted that the government did not spare a moment in trailing the terrorists since the horrendous attacks on innocent worshipers at the church.
He said recent reports from victims of kidnap in the state have established that some Ebira indigenes are now involved in the unwholesome act.
The governor noted that the Ebiras have lived together with the people of the state peacefully for several decades, adding that they have always been supportive and hard-working.
The Ebira people are an ethnolinguistic group from Kogi State.
“I want to use this medium to urge our brothers to concentrate on their farming trade. It will be unfortunate to know that the Ebiras in our midst are now involved in kidnapping,” he said.
“We are appealing to them not to copy bad thing. The traders selling by the roadside should not become informants. We are not fighting them.
“We have seen their numbers, they supported and voted for us during elections. I will call their leaders and talk to them. Our brothers who were kidnapped on their way to Ikare, talk to them. They were taken to Ebira farmsteads.
“For me, we have lived together for too long for this to happen. I am ready to make any effort to ensure that the conviviality that we have enjoyed continues. But we are begging their leaders to urge them not to copy bad thing. They are in our midst, we are surrounded by them. The issue of security is key and it’s dynamic.”
