The Ondo State Government has announced plans to relocate the demolished Owo Memorial Park to a new site, as protests erupted in the ancient town on Thursday.
The demolition of the park, which was earlier constructed as a memorial for those killed during the June 5, 2022, attack on the Catholic Church, Owo, continued to generate reactions.
On Thursday, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa set up a committee to find a befitting place to erect another memorial park.
Advertisement
To order your copy, send a WhatsApp message to +1 317 665 2180
This was contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Ebenezer Adeniyan.
The statement also disagreed with the statement of the Ondo Catholic Diocese, Jude Arogundade, over the demolition.
The statement read, “Governor Aiyedatiwa has commissioned a team of government officials to liaise with relevant stakeholders to make arrangements to build a new cenotaph at a location acceptable to the people of Owo.
“We understand the emotional attachment to the memorial, but the decision to demolish and relocate it was made with careful consideration of its implications.
The statement also disagreed with the statement of the Ondo Catholic Diocese, Jude Arogundade, over the demolition.
The statement read, “Governor Aiyedatiwa has commissioned a team of government officials to liaise with relevant stakeholders to make arrangements to build a new cenotaph at a location acceptable to the people of Owo.
“We understand the emotional attachment to the memorial, but the decision to demolish and relocate it was made with careful consideration of its implications.
“We must find a balance between preserving the memories of the dead and upholding the sanctity of the culture of the community.”
The statement added that Aiyedatiwa had no issues with the memorial park as he was deputy governor to the late former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu when it was constructed.
“The Memorial Park built within the St Francis Church in Owo was commissioned by HE Aiyedatiwa when he was the Deputy Governor.
“This shows that he has no issue with honouring the victims of the June 5, 2022 terror attack.
“The state government, under his leadership, is committed to honouring the victims in a manner that respects the law, the rights of all stakeholders, and the culture of the land,” it added.
It said the letter claimed to have been written to the governor, seeking an audience on the issue, was submitted on Monday, June 23, 2025, while the public statement was issued on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
“The letter said to have been written to Mr Governor, seeking an audience for dialogue on this issue, was submitted by the Church to the Governor’s Office on Monday, June 23, 2025, while the public statement was issued on Wednesday, June 25, 2025—barely 48 hours later.
“The statement not only falsely claimed that 72 hours had passed without a response to the letter, but also gave the impression of issuing an ultimatum to the government to respond.
“We find it concerning that, despite not exploring any other channels of reaching Mr Governor aside from the letter submitted 48 hours prior, Bishop Arogundade chose to address the public while painting the state government as unresponsive, in a tone that could incite the public against the government over the issue.”
The statement advised the Catholic Church to engage the government and the Owo community in a dialogue, rather than playing along with the narratives of those politicising the issue.
“Rather than playing along with the narratives of those politicising the issue, the Catholic Diocese should engage the government and the Owo community—more importantly, the Olowo of Owo—in sincere and constructive dialogue that promotes healing, unity, and respect for the victims’ memories,” it added.
On Thursday, residents condemned recent remarks by Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, widow of the late former governor, over the issue.
They trooped to the centre of the town to show their solidarity for the monarch, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye and the government over the demolition.
The protesters, mainly market men and women, youths, community leaders and Igbo traders, gathered at the centre of the town to offer traditional prayers for peace to reign in the community.
They also kicked against the utterance of Betty Akeredolu, who described the Olowo as a “baby oba.”
Mrs Akeredolu had, during a visit to the tomb of her husband on Wednesday, made comments that the Owo people were planning to destroy his legacy by demolishing the monument.
One of the Igbo traders among the protesters and Vice Chairman of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Owo Local Government, Chief Jude Obika, disowned the statement of Mrs Akeredolu, saying she did not speak the mind of the Igbo in the community.
He said, “What Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu did, we did not have a hand in it. She is not our member. Whatever she is saying, she is saying it on her own.”
A chief in the Owo community, the Elewere of Owo, Chief Idowu Olakunori, also condemned the disrespect to the monarch by Akeredolu’s widow.
“She disrespected the community. Whatever point she has, she should have been cautious. We cannot allow anybody to disrespect our oba.
“I don’t want to go further by referring to one’s place of birth, but in our clime here, we respect our traditional institutions and hold them in very high esteem.
“The point she’s making is not valid. I think if a monument is supposed to be erected, it should be erected at ground zero, where tourists can have the feel and personal knowledge of what really happened.
“If you respect the community, whatever point you might have, which is none anyway, she should have been courteous with the way she spoke. We cannot allow anybody, no matter who you are, to disrespect our Oba,” he said.
Speaking on Aketi’s legacy, the chief said Akeredolu was never a local person, adding that his legacy was visible in the state.
“Now, she spoke about Aketi’s legacy. Aketi was never a local person, he was a national person, and he had his legacy projects all over the place.
“Among them is the Amotekun which is protecting the entire Yoruba race. So when you are talking of some kind of a legacy, it’s a legacy that is almost without a doubt, not the one that disrespects the culture and the traditional institutions.
“Our people have come out today to show their anger. Nobody, irrespective of where you came from, should be allowed to disrespect their legacy place,” he said.
