Akeredolu allays fears over Owo construction firm attack

Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has said that the Wednesday’s shooting at the yard of the Craneburg Construction Company in Owo was aimed at destroying some of their equipment and not to maim or kill anyone.

Akeredolu, who visited the construction site, yesterday, in company of heads of security agencies in the state, including the Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Chief Adetunji Adeleye; Commissioner for Infrastructure, Lands and Housing, Raimi Aminu and Special Adviser to the Governor on Union Matters and Strategy, Mr. Dare Aragbaiye, urged the people not to panic.

He said: “I want to allay the fears of our people. Clearly, what happened here on Wednesday night was not an attempt to kidnap anybody because they went away with nobody. And we have in the premises over 100 people living there.

“Yes, there were sporadic gunshots at the wall, but they never went inside to kill anybody. It is better for everybody to know. They didn’t go inside there to kill anybody. The only two people who had gunshot wound were security men who they saw outside the premises.

“So, it is clear to us that their intention was to attack one or two equipment here, which they did. Their explosives affected the tyres and the windscreen of another vehicle.

“And we have close to 50 vehicles here. For us, we are looking at it. We are not clear yet about their intention, but this is not one that should send unnecessary panic or fear into the minds of our people. This should not cause panic.

“For the contractors, Owo is a relatively safe place for them. So, they didn’t have armed people here. Maybe we will have to support them to have armed people to protect all their equipment and vehicles.

The governor also reassured the people of the administration’s commitment to protect life and property, stressing that the Wednesday night shooting was not anything near the June 5 Owo Catholic Church attack.

Adeleye, who confirmed the attack, had said: “I am just leaving the scene now where I went to assess the situation and I realised that two security men were injured as the attackers shot into the air.

Adeleye, who doubles as the Special Adviser to Ondo State Governor on Security Matters, also allayed the fears of the people, saying: “By the grace of God, the situation is under control and I urge everyone to go about their normal businesses.”

ALSO, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Funmilayo Odunlami, said the command had commenced investigations into the incident, urging the residents to co-operate with the police in the course of their investigations.

Odunlami, in a statement in Akure, yesterday, said that the Anti- Bomb Squad confirmed that an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used to burst a tractor tyre at the scene of crime.

“The command is using this medium to warn those who do not know the real situation of things not to cause unnecessary panic within the state by peddling unconfirmed stories relating to the incident,” she said.