The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has condemned the killing of innocent worshippers during a church service at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State last Sunday, describing the gruesome massacre of the defenceless faithful as disheartening, despicable and barbaric.
The Institute also noted that such a heinous crime is a smear on the serenity, sacredness and dignity of humanity as well as an affront to the territorial integrity of the Nigerian State.
The IPCR, in a statement on Friday by the Director-General of the Institute, Dr. Bakut Bakut, noted that a nation only strives and develops when citizens avoid acts of criminality and stay together in peace and harmony.
Bakut called on Nigerians to be accommodating, tolerant and receptive to one another as well as shun vices that are inimical to peace and antithetical to development.
The DG admonished that as a nation, unity and oneness must define everyone, noting that clear-cut ideas that bring development are incubated in a peaceful environment.
The Institute appealed to those perpetrating all manners of violence and criminality in the country and in a way, sabotaging the efforts of the Federal Government, to desist and give peace a chance given that ”Nigeria is the only country we can call our own, we should treasure our country as a common heritage for the present and the generation to come”.
Bakut commended the security agencies especially the Armed Forces and Police who are the frontline agencies for their commitment and gallantry in maintaining peace and order.
He, however, charged them to deploy all necessary machinery in making sure that the perpetrators of St. Patrick Catholic Church massacre are apprehended and are made to face the full wrath of the law.
He commiserated with the families of the victims of the unfortunate attack, the Catholic Church, the government as well as the people of Ondo State.