Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has assured residents of the state that his administration will strengthen security measures and equip security agencies to combat rising insecurity, particularly in Akure North Local Government Area.
The governor’s assurance comes in the wake of a deadly attack last Saturday that left at least 14 people dead in four communities—Ademekun, Aba Pastor, Aba Sunday, and Alajido.
There was also the abduction of nine surveyors in Ilu Abo Community, also in Akure North, which sparked a protest by hundreds of women.
The surveyors, however, regained their freedom hours after the demonstration.
Reacting to the attacks, the regent of Ademekun Community, Princess Kemisola Adelowo, expressed her distress over the killings and called on the state government to deploy security personnel to prevent further assaults.
“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,” Adelowo pleaded.
Though the state governor had earlier on Monday denied the killing, Governor Aiyedatiwa, addressing journalists on Wednesday, reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring the safety of lives and property.
“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,” Aiyedatiwa stated.
Meanwhile, two survivors from Aba Sunday Community, Solomon Simon and a man identified as John, recounted the horrors they experienced during the attack.
John, who sustained a gunshot wound to his hand, described how the attackers stormed the community in the middle of the night, shooting indiscriminately.
“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,” he recounted.
He added, “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, Solomon Simon, recalled that the attack occurred around 2 am.
“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.
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