Angry Ondo residents protest incessant attacks, killings by bandits
Residents of Imafon, Igushin and Ilado communities in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State yesterday staged a protest over the continuous attacks and killings allegedly carried out by
Residents of Imafon, Igushin and Ilado communities in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State yesterday staged a protest over the continuous attacks and killings allegedly carried out by armed bandits.
The aggrieved protesters blocked the popular Shoprite Roundabout at Alagbaka, a stone's throw from Governor's Office, expressing outrage over the continued bloodshed in their communities.
They lamented that the attacks, which have intensified in recent days, have claimed at least two lives and left several others injured, throwing the affected communities into mourning.
According to them, less than 24 hours after the deadly incident in Igushin, where a poultry farmer and her daughter were killed in a violent attack, gunmen struck again in Ilado community, abducting a popular youth.
The victim was reportedly macheted and shot in the stomach while attempting to escape from his abductors.
A youth leader from one of the affected communities, who identified himself simply as Mr Kunle, decried what he described as the unchecked activities of gunmen across the state, particularly within Akure, the state capital.
He wondered how the state's security vote was being used, noting that residents have not felt its impact despite the worsening security situation.
"We are protesting due to the incessant killings and kidnappings day in, day out in Imafon, Igushin and Ilado. A mother and her daughter were killed two days ago, and another young man was brutally attacked yesterday.
"We want the government to rise up to its responsibilities. We have not seen the impact of the monthly security votes in the state.
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We are tired of burying our people every week while those paid to protect us do nothing. These gunmen move freely in the state capital, yet our leaders remain silent. Where exactly is the security vote going? We see no presence of security, no patrols, no results," he said.
Kunle, however, further warned that residents would sustain the protest until the government takes decisive steps to safeguard lives and property.
Ondo State had been facing a growing wave of violent crime, particularly kidnapping of residents with attacks escalating from the rural areas to urban centres of the state.
The security challenges have continued to put both the ordinary residents and the elite on edge mostly in the Akure North Local Government Area of the state.
Last month, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa gave a marching order to security agencies to launch an immediate and coordinated "crackdown" on suspected kidnappers terrorising residents in parts of the state.
Aiyedatiwa, who spoke through his Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon. Idowu Ajanaku, expressed deep concern over the rising cases of abduction in the state.
The governor noted that investigations conducted by the security agencies revealed that some of the crimes were being orchestrated with the involvement of local collaborators.
He claimed his government was aware that certain "unscrupulous elements" are deliberately using criminal activities to portray the state as unsafe, stressing that such acts would not be tolerated.
