TheCable

Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo, says the recent attack on a construction company in Owo should not cause residents to panic.

Akeredolu said this on Thursday when he visited the construction company with heads of security agencies.

Gunmen, on Wednesday, attacked Craneburg Construction Company in Owo LGA, Ondo, with two workers injured in the incident.

The development comes weeks after gunmen attacked St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, and killed 40 persons.

“l want to allay the fear of our people. Clearly, what happened here on Wednesday night was not an attempt to kidnap anybody, because they went away with nobody. And we have in the premises over 100 people living there,” NAN quoted the governor as saying.

“There were sporadic gunshots at the wall, but they never went inside to kill anybody. It is better for everybody to know.

“They didn’t go inside there to kill anybody. The only two people who had some gunshots were security men who they saw outside the premises.

“So, it is clear to us that their intention was to attack one or two equipment here, which they did. Their explosives affected the tyres and the windscreen of another vehicle. And we have close to 50 vehicles here.

“For us, we are looking at it. We are not clear yet about their intention, but this is not one that should send unnecessary panic or fear into the minds of our people. This should not cause panic.”

Akeredolu also assured construction companies in the state of his administration’s commitment to protecting lives and property.

“For the contractors, Owo is a relatively safe place for them. Maybe we will have to support them to have armed people here to protect all their equipment and vehicles,” he said.

“They have been here for over five years. They had the Ore bridge; they had other roads. So, they are doing so many things for us and they are doing well and we are ready to give them necessary protection.

“We will protect our people and their property. So, there should be no panic.”