Owo Enemies Of The Church

In life, human beings are governed by different zodiacs andluck. That is why some people commit certain ignoble andgrievous crimes and get away with it, while others aredifferent. Some people repeat their acts and even live in it without any untoward consequences, but others even in their first attempt are made to face the wrath of the law. Some say those whom the gods are willing to make less their suffering are timely unveiled in their acts. The Owo ‘withered’ hands must belong among those whom the gods have destined totimely lead the ‘buckle’. That is why it didn’t take long before they are exposed. Or, can it be said that those whom the gods intend to make their punishment heavier are revealed while their act is still fresh. For a nation used to waiting for time for their national wounds to be healed, the Owo church mayhem was too sudden to be revealed.

Like Don Coleone said in Mario Puzo, revenge even after 40years is still very sudden. Perhaps Nigerians would have been contented with Don Coleone’s submission, of waiting for 40years. But this one was God’s case and so a challenge to the mind of God and, no appeal. It was one of the most gruesome attacks and direct affront to the spirit and order of sanctity and sanity in the house of worship. Sunday June 5 it was, worshipers were in their solemn mode of worship when suddenly strange ‘worshipers’ invaded the church and turned out to be agents of death who  opened fire as well as drop explosives on the harmless worshipers. And the results thereafter were groans and shouts of agony and death as thatignoble visitation by Satan’s agents snuffed life out of 40 worshipers and scores of others injured. I had just finished watching the video clips of that heartless murder when the news of the arrest of the alleged culprits broke.

According to the defence headquarters’ information, five men allegedly responsible for the attacks plus the man said to have hosted them before the attacks have been apprehended. There couldn’t have been any more cheering news than this. As revealed by the information credited to the chief of Defence staff, Lucky Irabo, the cheering news has equally registered the collaboration of other security arms in the efforts leading to the arrest. Nigerians can now rend the air with endless ‘gbosas!’ to our security agents for this feat. But it is worth noting here that if our security agents have been applying similar depth and dint of investigation in tackling other threatening security issues, perhaps and only perhaps,Nigeria wouldn’t have been at the current security quagmire she is now finding herself.

Talk about insecurity would have assumed another and different threats. Nigeria would be talking and approaching the issue more gallantly than the fear-stricken nature she is now parading. In fact, we would be talking with more alacrity like the America – challenging any intruder to rise up to be noticed. We would be more famed in handling matters concerning our national security, and no threats would be too much or frightening for our national security outfits to handle. We would not now be talking about Nigeria enlisting thecooperation of even less-endowed countries of the world to come to our rescue. This perhaps is why we are still fumbling the way we are.

The arrest of the bandits or unknown gunmen and people, I would like to call ‘the Owo enemies of the church,’ is a feat tobe celebrated and commended though. Our security men have actually broken the ice in this matter. But beyond thejubilation for the arrest are other factors that must be exhumed concerning the whole issue, and I think that is the part that will give our security agents more glory than just the arrest. First, the identity and root of the culprits must be ascertained. There are also sponsors and underlying factors or motive for the attacks. The attackers did not just attack the church for attacking’s sake. Like Mark Twain said, Adam did not eat the apple just for eating sake. There was something to be derived therefrom. In fact, watching the video clips of the dastardly acts would readily reveal many things: for example, the way the attacks were being carried out revealed that the attackers were not in any way in a hurry executing their assignment; again, they all seemed to have been familiar with the church environment which of course is not in doubt.

Other areas of concern should be, are the culprits indigenous to Owo or are they foreign bandits or unknown gunmen as has been alleged? Answers to these questions and others wouldprobably offer as the lead the security men can follow to unearth other worries about our security. Occurrences have over the years revealed that perhaps we have been in the habit of being too fast in handling our security matters. We are always assuming as a nation that our security plagues are foreign but without pointing at any nation as the offender nation. This is why this arrest must go a long way to unearth more facts about what should make foreigners choose the way of the guns in treating worshipers of the gospel in their most solemn moment.

One thing I have always known about the frictions in Nigeria is that those who choose to attack members of other religioussects are very ignorant of God. Again, I always believe that this type of people are actually those wanting to bring down the nation, and they are enemies of the state. As mentioned before, any religion that inducts such young blood in the society to embark on such is already engaged in self-destruction. I pity anybody or group that claims to know the mind of God concerning humans. That is one great secret the Creator never wanted the humans to know. He keeps His secret beyond our knowledge such that whatever we think we know will always boil down to nothing. His thoughts , like the Bible says, are not our thoughts.

Hence, God will disappoint a lot of gullible men who by their ignorance seek to put God into their own foolish thinking – of trying to play God. I have examined the whole facts about God and come to realize that God does not work in anybody’s column; little wonder why Walter Russell has it that God will work with you but not for you. We are who and what we are because the Creator wants it so, not by our own command or standard. The killers in Owo church never thought theircrimes could be unveiled so soon or ever. But the eyes that watch over our activities, be it noble or ignoble, never sleeps, hence man is paid his due as and when due. That is why there will be enough calamity and sorrow for men to discover, after all their ‘busy body’ that the supreme creator never reckonswith man’s acts and intents.