Owo church massacre: Defence Chief, Irabor makes fresh revelation

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, has revealed that security operatives have averted what could have been the most devastating incident in the history of Nigeria.

Irabor made the disclosure during his appearance on a Channels Television’s special progamme tagged ‘Democracy Day: Giving Hope To Nigerians’ on Sunday.

He disclosed that the catastrophe was averted in Kano State the same week gunmen opened fire on worshippers at a Catholic church in Owo, Ondo State.

It was reported that on June 5, terrorists attacked St. Francis Catholic Church, Owaluwa Street, Owo, during church service.

“Perhaps, you may not know that just only the same week of the Owo incident, in Kano, for example, given the intelligence available to security agencies, we were able to botch what would have been the most catastrophic incident within our country,” Irabor said.

Recounting how the process went, the general explained, “In that operation, we recovered Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) making materials.

“We recovered a large quantum of arms and ammunition and other materials which, of course, the criminals were intending to use in various parts of the country, including Abuja. That the Owo incident happened does not imply that improvements have not happened.

“Let me state that this is a process, and if you could take a look at the war stage in countries around the world, you will find incidents of violence and criminality in one way or the other.”

He added, “I will say that a lot has happened; there’s been quite a lot of improvement in terms of the armed forces and other security agencies doing all that is necessary to bring peace to the various troubled regions of the country.

“I can tell you that from last year till now, we have had quite a lot of improvement; from the North East to the North West, North Central, South South, South East and South West. Of, course, there still remains a long haul in terms of addressing the nuances that attend to insecurity in Nigeria.”