Kogi church, mosque killings: Suspects arrested in Edo

THE police claimed on Wednesday to have arrested three suspects in connection with the Monday and Tuesday gun attacks in Okene, Kogi State, in which a total of 24 persons, including two soldiers, were killed.

The Kogi State Police Command said the suspects were arrested at a hide-out on Idare Hills of Okene following a tip-off and after a brutal gun exchange between the police and the suspected criminals.

Among the arrested is a 50-year old woman. The suspects were said to have opened fire on sighting the policemen in their hide-out with the leader of the suspects sustaining gunshot wounds.

The wounded leader, named Yekini Isah, was said to have been picked up later in Edo State while receiving traditional treatment for his injury.

The arrest was confirmed by the Police headquarters in a statement by Force deputy spokesman, Frank Mba, on Wednesday.

Mba’s statement reads in part, “In the ensuing battle, the gang leader identified as Yekini Isah of Obehira area of Okene sustained injury on his head. Though he initially escaped from the scene, he was trailed and arrested in a hide-out at Ibilo in Edo State, where he was receiving native treatment for his gun wounds.

“Two other suspects, including a female, were arrested during the operation. One AK-47 rifle with 30 rounds of live ammunition was also recovered from the criminals.”

Mba said the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, commended the police operatives from Kogi and Edo commands for “their professionalism, courage and gallantry, and thanked Nigerians for their cooperation, partnership and faith in the police force,” adding that investigation and efforts at tracking other fleeing members of the gang continued.

Kogi State police commissioner, Muhammed Katsina, who also confirmed the arrests to journalists in Lokoja said the suspects were responsible for the Monday attack in which 20 members of the Deeper Life Bible Church were murdered in cold blood, and the killing of two soldiers at the Central Mosque, Okene, on Tuesday.

Katsina said his men shot some of the suspects and that all efforts would be made to arrest other members of the gang.

He stated that with the effort of Edo Police Command, the police also recovered the suspects’ traditional uniforms.

Katsina warned that people that concealed weapons for criminals or sponsored them would be consider as accomplish and would be treated as such.

One of our correspondents observed an increase in the number of security agents on duty in Kogi State on Wednesday. A security source said more security personnel had been deployed in the state on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria on Wednesday called for additional security coverage of churches in the country.

The President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, in a statement by his Special Assistant (Media and Public Affairs), Mr. Kenny Ashaka, also commiserated with the families of victims of the attack and the church.

He said, “Oritsejafor believes that from this attack in Okene, the enemies of Christians and Christianity in Nigeria have changed tactics from their Sunday attacks on churches to an everyday onslaught. He, therefore, urges the leadership of the various churches in Nigeria to step up security around their churches as they hold their daily devotions, crusades and vigils while also being security conscious at all times.

“The Federal Government should also change its strategies by making the various Joint Task Forces stronger through the provision of additional military and Police cover for churches in the northern part of the country and internally stiffening its intelligence network.”

According to him, CAN has been in the forefront of those calling on the Federal Government to be decisive, adding that “now is the time to save the Church and innocent Nigerians from the attacks of murderous groups who believe that the only way to fight for God is by killing those who are not of the same faith with them and those against their understanding of the Muslim religion.”

Ashaka quoted the President of CAN as saying that Christians would not be deceived to think that they were not the targets of the “murderous gangs” just because they had started attacking some fellow Muslims, adding that the Muslims being attacked were those opposed to the callous activities of the gang.

While sympathising with the Muslims, Oritsejafor urged them not to be discouraged by the threats from “bloodthirsty gangs.”

According to him, CAN believes that the attacks on them are diversionary and calculated to shield their real motives from the world. “They are to deceive Nigerians and indeed the international community that their attacks are not only aimed at Christians.”

“CAN repeats without fear that the series of gun and bomb attacks are primarily targeted at Christians in the North in order to exterminate all forms of western education and enthrone Islamic law of Sharia as the universal law in Nigeria, a country with multi-religious population,” he said.

The Action Congress of Nigeria also on Wednesday urged President Jonathan to immediately convoke a national conference on the worsening insecurity in the land instead of offering platitudes any time the deadly Boko Haram struck out lives out of innocent Nigerians.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Ibadan, the party said the government must admit that it was clearly not winning the war against terrorism and as such must adopt a completely new strategy if we were not all to be consumed by the raging violence even as it condemned in very strong terms the recent needless bloodletting in Kogi, Sokoto, Yobe and Borno states.

“Nigerians today are not safe in their homes, offices, roads or places of worship. Terrorists, kidnappers armed robbers and arsonists have taken complete control of the country and all the government can offer are platitudes,”the party lamented.

The party called on Jonathan to free himself from self-serving advisers and reach out to all leaders across the nation irrespective of political loyalties, religious or ethnic prejudices to find an urgent solution to the scourge.

It also called on all leaders – political, ethnic or religious – to refrain from inflammatory statements as some of these pronouncements had done nothing but fanned the ember of discord.

However, the police also said that their men on Wednesday defused a high calibre Improvised Explosive Device planted at Rigiya area of Sokoto by an unknown motorcycle rider.

The police said that a concerned citizen gave them information about the explosive which was hidden in a black polythylene bag and planted in front of the secretariat of one of the political parties