Three days after a deadly attack on communities in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, the state government has officially acknowledged the incident after initially dismissing reports of the violence.
During a visit to the affected areas, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa assured residents and victims that immediate security measures would be put in place to prevent further attacks. The villages of Alajido and Sunday Camp, where nine people were reportedly killed in the Saturday assault, were among the locations inspected.
Initially, the state government, through its Senior Special Assistant on Security Matters, Olugbenga Atiba, had issued a statement on Monday denying the attack. Atiba described the reports as false, insisting they were the work of individuals trying to spread panic among residents.
However, the governor—represented by the commander of the State Security Network Agency, Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye—confirmed the extent of the devastation and urged displaced residents to return home, assuring them that security would be reinforced.
“All heads of security agencies in the state have been summoned to ensure such an attack does not happen again,” he said. “On behalf of the good people of Ondo State, I extend my condolences to the affected families. Now that the government is here, we will secure the area and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice. This is a tragic event, and we pray it never happens again.”
The Regent of Ademekun in Akure North, Princess Adelowo Adekemisola, recounted her swift response upon hearing of the attack. “As soon as I was informed, I immediately alerted all security agencies and the government,” she said.
A survivor, 35-year-old farmer Samson Joro from Taraba State, who was born on the farmland, described the harrowing ordeal. “My family and I have nowhere else to go. We don’t know why they attacked us. Around midnight, we heard gunshots—first in the distance, then closer.
“Before we realized what was happening, they were here. I heard my neighbor and his wife screaming. It was the herdsmen. By the time they left, we counted nine bodies, including a man and his child.”
