Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has described the attack on some communities in the Akure North Local Government Area of the state by bandits as unfortunate.
While assuring residents of the affected communities of government intervention following the brutal attack on Alajido and Sunday Camp farm settlements at midnight on Saturday, Aiyedatiwa assured the villagers of immediate security measures to ameliorate their plight.
Four communities—Aba Pastor, Aba Sunday, Ademekun Camp, and Aba Alajido within Ala Elefosan—were invaded and attacked, with scores of farmers killed in the midnight assault.
The governor, who was represented by the commander of the State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, confirmed the extent of the carnage.
He 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.”
Meanwhile, the governor, who has summoned all heads of security agencies in the state to ensure that such an attack does not occur again, appealed to residents to return to their homes and farms, assuring them of guaranteed security.
On her part, the Regent of Ademekun in Akure North Local Government, Princess Adelowo Adekemisola, who recounted the attack, which she described as horrific, said, “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.”
One of the survivors, a 35-year-old farmer, Samson Joro from Taraba State, who was born on the farmland and expressed despair over the attack, said, “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.”
With the state government deploying security forces to the affected communities, residents continue to demand justice and protection. The massacre has reignited concerns over farmer- herder conflicts, with calls for stricter security measures to prevent further bloodshed.
