Owo church massacre: Ondo govt demolishes victims’ memorial park

The Memorial Park built by the late former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State to honour and immortalise worshippers of St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, killed three years ago, has been demolished.

The cenotaph, situated at the heart of the ancient town, was demolished by the state government on the order of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. The demolition of the park, which had the names of the victims of the massacre inscribed on it, was captured in a viral video circulated across the state over the weekend.

In June 2022, no fewer than 40 worshippers were brutally killed by armed men, with scores injured during an early morning mass at the Catholic church. Following widespread condemnation of the attack both within and outside the country, the late Akeredolu, in 2023, constructed the memorial park to symbolise the incident and honour the victims. However, the move was not welcomed by the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, who objected to the siting of the monument directly opposite his palace.

The people of Owo, who also described the location of the park as inappropriate, stated that “it is a taboo for the monarch to sight such.”

Confirming the demolition in an interview on Sunday, the spokesman to the state governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, said the decision was taken by the government after complaints from the palace about the site of the cenotaph.

“It was a special request from the palace of the Olowo as it is said to be against the culture and tradition to site such near the palace.”