Police are on high alert due to rumours of church attack plot in Osun

Following a threat made public in a Facebook post warning of an upcoming attack on a church in the state by certain yet-to-be-identified individuals, the Christian Association of Nigeria, Osun State Chapter has encouraged churches in the state to mount guard and observe security measures.

The Saint Mary Catholic Church in Osun was allegedly the subject of a Sunday attack, according to a screenshot of the Facebook post uploaded under the alias “Anonymous” that our correspondent came across on Saturday.

A church by the name of St. Mary Catholic Church in the Osun region was once again the victim of attacks, according to the Facebook post. It is necessary to explain the situation to those who are close to this church. We request that everyone spread the word to the church’s leadership by the stipulated deadline of July 23.

We won’t be pleased if this is disregarded, just as the OWO slaughter was, as the St. Francis was. There would be many of victims. Once more, we issue a warning.

Speaking alongside the Osun CAN chairman, Rev. John Adeleke, the minister advised churches around the state to follow safety precautions and report any suspicious activity to security personnel.

The clergy added that security consultations with a few churches with names similar to those in the Facebook post had taken place in order to examine the situation and develop suitable safeguards for attendees’ safety.

He continued, “We reviewed the situation in discussions with various churches. Security personnel are on top of the situation, therefore we urge churches around the state to take precautions and report any suspicious activity to the security personnel.

Kehinde Longe, the state’s commissioner of police, visited some churches in Osogbo on Saturday and spoke with their leadership about how to improve security, a very trustworthy source in CAN who wished to remain anonymous told our correspondent.

As of the time this report was filed, attempts to reach Yemisi Opalola, the spokesperson for the Osun Police Command, on her mobile phone were unsuccessful.

However, a high security source who asked to remain anonymous claimed that members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Security had been sent to religious institutions in the state.

The spokesperson for the Osun NSCDC, Kehinde Adeleke, said in response to a question about what the command was doing to prevent an attack in any part of the state: “The Commandant, Sunday Agboola has given a marching order to all Area Commanders, Divisional officers across the state to deploy officers to all worship centres and patrol teams have also been deployed throughout the state.”