Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has vowed to ensure the arrest and prosecution of the criminals who attacked some Akure communities last week.
Armed herdsmen, had in last Saturday’s midnight raid on four communities in the Akure North Local Government Area, including Aba Pastor, Aba Sunday, Alajido, and Ademekun killed at least 14 persons, an incident that has thrown the state into mourning.
Besides, many others sustained injuries, while others have fled the communities in the wake of the attacks.
The governor made the vow on Thursday after his visit to the scenes, through the state Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, and promised an enhanced security.
He assured residents that the perpetrators would be brought to book and that adequate security measures would be put in place to prevent a recurrence.
Calling on the farmers and residents who had fled the communities to return, the governor said: “On behalf of the good people of Ondo State, I commiserate with the affected families. We assure residents and farmers that now that the government is here, we will secure the area and bring the culprits to justice.
“It is a very unfortunate situation, and we pray such an incident never happens again.”
To prevent a recurrence of the incident, the governor has summoned all heads of security agencies in the for an emergency meeting.
The state police boss, Mr. Afolabi Wilfred, had also visited the affected communities, met with survivors, and deployed the command’s homicide department to the area.
Also, Wilfred urged members of the public to promptly report incidents to the police as they occur and verify information before dissemination to prevent unnecessary panic.
By the residents’ account, the attackers stormed the communities in the early hours of the morning, firing indiscriminately at anyone in sight, and in the process killed many people.
Responding to the governor’s visit, the Regent of Ademekun Camp, Princess Adelowo Adekemisola, spoke of her ordeal.
“Immediately I was informed, I quickly called the attention of all security agencies and the government.
“I want to thank the government for their immediate response and the impact we felt.”
In her reaction to the attacks, the regent of Ademekun Community, Princess Kemisola Adelowo, who was expressed her distress over the killings, called on the state government to deploy security personnel to prevent further assaults.
She lamented: “These boys (attackers) came to our village on Saturday and killed 14 people. I later received calls that two more people had been killed by the herdsmen and that they were threatening to kill me. This is why I am crying out loudly and clearly to His Excellency, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, to come to our rescue.”
Also, John, from Aba Sunday, who sustained a gunshot wound to his hand, described how the attackers stormed the community in the middle of the night, shooting indiscriminately.
He said: “I was sleeping when I heard gunshots. I suddenly woke up and realised that the person sleeping beside me had already been shot. As I tried to escape, I was hit in the hand. I managed to run into the bush and hid in a cocoa plantation until morning. Nine people were killed in our camp.
“Those that I saw are Fulani people. This is my fourth year in Sunday Camp, and we have never, for once, killed any of the cows belonging to Fulani people, so we do not understand the reason for the attack.”
Another survivor, from the same community, Solomon Simon, recalled that the attack occurred around 2 am.
According to him, “I was not in deep sleep when I suddenly heard a loud call. Moments later, they started shooting all around the camp. I summoned the courage to flee before they could reach my place. But two of my friends were not so lucky and were killed in their house. We were able to retrieve nine bodies,” he said.
Also, a 35-year-old farmer, Samson Joro from Taraba State, who survived the massacre, said he was born on the farmland and expressed despair over the attack.
His words: “My family and I have nowhere else to go. We really don’t know what happened that day or why they attacked us.
“At about midnight, we heard gunshots. At first, they were distant, but soon they came closer. Before we realised what was happening, they were here. I heard my neighbour and his wife screaming.
“It was the herdsmen. By the time they left, we counted nine bodies, including a man and his child.”
Apart from the four communities, the governor visited others including Dada, Igbodudu, Powerline, Agbo, Oyinbo, Eyin Ala, Aboro, Sunday Camp, Fatai Camp, Allison, Gbere Awo, Gbuwe, and Igbon Moon, all in Akure North Local Government Area.
Others are Ago Ajanaku, Igbatoro, Familugba, Ute, Argentina, Imoru, and Ifon within Ose and Owo local government areas of the state.
In another security breach in Ilu Abo, in the same Akure North Local Government area, gunmen abducted nine surveyors, sparking off spontaneous protests by hundreds of women, and the state chapter of the surveyors association. The abducted surveyors were freed few hours after the protests.
Meanwhile the Governor at a press briefing on Wednesday, reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring the safety of lives and property.
He said, “The security of lives and property is the primary function of any government, and that is exactly what we want to ensure. We have been working hard to keep our people safe in Ondo State. The security agencies are also working tirelessly, and the state government has been supporting them. We will increase this support.
“We have observed that criminals are not relenting in their efforts, trying to find new ways to infiltrate the system. So we need more equipment like trackers and drones. These are some of the tools we are working to procure for our security agencies.”
Also on Thursday, Aiyedatiwa, at a stakeholders’ meeting in Akure, promised adequate security for the state’s citizens.
As relayed in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Strategic Communication, Allen Sowore, the Governor vowed: “We will not allow Ondo State to become a refuge for criminals. While we welcome law-abiding Nigerians who wish to live and do business here, we will not tolerate those disguising as farmers while using our forests as hideouts for kidnapping and other criminal activities.”
“Security is a collective responsibility. If you see something, say something. Report any suspicious movement to security operatives immediately.”
He stressed the need for sustained efforts in maintaining Ondo’s reputation as one of Nigeria’s most peaceful states, saying, “Ondo State is recognised as one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria, and we must work together to uphold that status”
Besides, he assured that his administration would deploy all necessary resources to flush out criminals from the state.
Also, he charged traditional rulers, community leaders, and village heads to be more vigilant and cooperate with security agencies.
