Owo attack: women group ask FG to end killings

A coalition of over 500 women organisations, under the aegis of Womanifesto, on Tuesday, tabled a five-point demand for the government to swing into action and address the menace of killings in Nigeria.

The women, who were reacting to the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, in Ondo State by terrorists, which led to over 35 casualties, therefore gave the government about one-month ultimatum (July 5, 2022), to do something about their demands or face any consequence for the preservation of the lives of Nigerian citizens.

The Convener of Womanifesto and Executive Director of Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, raised these issues in a statement on behalf of the 500 groups titled, “Womanifesto condemns the killing, gives Nigerian government four weeks ultimatum to address the incessant killings.”

Among the 500 groups included Action Aid Nigeria, Bring Back Our Girls, 100 Women Lobby Group, Yiaga Africa, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Christian Women in Nigerian Politics, International Federation of Women Lawyers, HEIR Women Development, Nigeria Labour Congress (Women Committee), Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative, Nigerian Women Trust Fund and Nigeria Association of Women Journalists.

Womanifesto quoted a report by Nigeria Security Tracker that “over 3,515 people have died as a result of violent attacks between January and June 2022, with 1,214 deaths in March, ranking higher than the 996 deaths recorded in January.”

The organisation cited another report that “at least 14,641 people have been killed across the six regions in Nigeria in the past three years, and in just the first five months of this year, about 3,173 have been killed and more than 2,293 abducted in similar circumstances.”

The statement reads, “In the immediate term, however, we demand the following actions by the Federal and Ondo State governments: