Following the claim of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) that they were behind the Kuje jailbreak that saw the release of 64 notorious Boko Haram terrorists and many other criminal inmates in the Kuje correctional center, questions are now being asked.

There is a renewed attention now drawn to the Owo church massacre in ogun State, which the Nigerian government then immediately claimed was carried out by the same ISWAP terrorist group, but which ISWAP has never claimed responsibility.

Background

When the St Francis Catholic church in the city of Owo in Ondo State, Nigeria was attacked on the 5^th of June 2022, there was a mass shooting and bomb attack that reportedly claimed the lives of almost 50 worshippers according to official figures, while many others received multiple degrees of injuries.

In a swift reaction by the Nigerian government, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola immediately put the blame at the doorstep of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), a terrorist group and administrative division of the dreaded Islamic State (IS).

While addressing newsmen in Abuja after a National Security Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister claimed that ISWAP was responsible for the Owo masacre. This was barely few days after the dastardly incident.

“The Council is quite concerned about the violent attack in Owo, Ondo State. We have been able to locate the imprints of the perpetrators of that attack and from all indications, we are zeroing in on the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP),” Mr Aregbesola said.

The Minister was completely dismissive of any other group or any other reason behind the attack other than terrorism by a known terrorist group.

He said, “It is not an ethnoreligious thing. The ISWAP members wanting attention and recognition are suspected to have carried out that attack and we have directed all the agencies concerned to go after them and bring them to justice,” concluded Mr Aregbesola.

By this official claims by the Nigerian government, every other suspicions and popular opinions out in the public circle as to those behind the attack and the possible reason for the attack were consequently dismissed by Abuja.

For instance it was a more popularly held opinion within Owo and Ondo State that the attack was perpetuated by the Fulani headers, who were also known to have carried out multiple attacks of same violent nature all over the country.

Reaction to Aregbesola`s claim

It was therefore, not surprised to most people when the governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu openly disagreed the claim made by the federal government, which the Minister claimed was informed by preliminary investigations by the security agencies.

This federal government preliminary report have up to date not been updated by the Minister before the recent Kuje jailbreak.

Governor Akeredolu rather than believe the report of the federal security agencies preferred the investigation of his own state security apparatus, even with very limited resources.

Akeredolu said, ”The statement is too hasty. I take their conclusion with a pinch of salt. ISWAP don’t hide their attacks. If they have done it, they would have owned up. We are yet to know and our security people are still on their trail.”

Takeaway

• It is the tradition of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) to claim responsibility for their attacks.
• The group did not claim responsibility for the Owo church massacre, and more than a month after the attack, ISWAP still have not claimed responsibility for it.
• However, they claimed responsibility for the Kuju jailbreak in Abuja, and this was done barely 24 hours of the attack. They also provided video evidence of the attack
• Up till date, Nigerian government and security agencies have not provided any evidence linking ISWAP to the Owo church attack.