Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and the Bishop of Ondo Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Jude Arogundade, have given conflicting figures about the number of persons that were killed in last Sunday’s attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, the headquarters of Owo Local Government Area of the state.

Many worshippers were reported to have killed while several others were injured in the attack which occurred on Sunday.

Bishop Arogundade had said 38 bodies were in the morgue while efforts were on to locate the families of those who did not take their relatives to the hospital.

But Governor Akeredolu said 22 people lost their lives to the terror attack.

Akeredolu, in a statewide broadcast on Tuesday, added that 56 survivors were on admission at the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Owo, St Louis Hospital, and the Owo General Hospital as well as some private hospitals.

The governor, who said the attack was an attempt to test the will of the people of the state and the South-West region of the country, stated that 78 persons were involved in the incident.

He, however, promised to commit every available resource to hunt down the assailants and make them pay dearly, stressing that the state will never bow to the machinations of heartless elements in its resolve to stamp out criminals.

The governor said: “The site, that is, St. Francis Catholic Church, Owaluwa, Owo presents a gory war-like scene.

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“The Federal Medical Centre, Owo, the St. Louis Hospital, Owo, the General Hospital, Owo as well as some private hospitals in Owo were filled with the injured, most of who were in critical conditions.

“The most unfortunate part is the lives of innocent children cut down in their prime and some severely injured by the mindless attackers.

“At Owo, the anger was palpable. The tension was at an abrasive level just as the urge for reprisals was high. Without doubt too, the ripple impact of this heinous act as well as the understandably angry reaction across the State could not have been different.

“I urge our people to be calm but remain vigilant. Do not take the law into your own hands. Leave the rest for government to shoulder. I have spoken to the heads of the security agencies. I can assure you that security operatives have been deployed to monitor and restore normalcy to Owo kingdom,” the governor said.

Akeredolu, who further expressed his appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for directing Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to visit the scene of the attack and individuals who donated to support the victims, said he had directed that an account be open to receive further donations to assist the victims.

The Star