Olowo Owns Land, Not Church – Aiyedatiwa Responds to Catholic Bishop

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has defended the demolition of the Owo Memorial Park, stating that the Bishop of the Ondo Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Jude Arogundade, misunderstood the circumstances surrounding the action.

In a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, the governor noted that the bishop ought to have explored appropriate institutional channels before making public comments regarding the demolition.

Earlier, Bishop Arogundade had condemned the removal of the cenotaph erected in memory of victims of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church attack, accusing the Ondo State Government and the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, of being behind the act.

However, Governor Aiyedatiwa explained that the demolition was a deliberate effort to preserve the cultural values of the Owo people, as the structure symbolized death, which contradicts local traditions.

He further clarified that the land on which the cenotaph stood legally belongs to the Olowo of Owo. According to him, the government revoked the land after identifying procedural flaws in its previous acquisition for the cenotaph project.

“The demolition of the Memorial Park in Owo was a necessary step taken to restore the dignity of Owo’s culture and the original purpose of the site,” the governor stated.

He added that during the initial construction of the cenotaph, there was no formal documentation indicating the revocation of the land from AgroMore, the entity previously holding rights to the property, thus rendering the acquisition invalid.

Governor Aiyedatiwa’s statement comes amid public debate over the removal of the cenotaph, which was built under the administration of the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu in memory of worshippers killed in the June 2022 church attack in Owo.