Insecurity: Ondo Communities Protest, Query Security Votes’ Impact

Communities in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State on Saturday protested incessant kidnapping for ransom and killings in the communities in the council area.

The communities, including Imafon, Igushin, Ilado, and Ilu-Abo communities in Akure North Local Council Area, have been a hotbed of criminality, including kidnapping for ransom and killing.

Suspected bandits on Thursday stormed the Igushin community in an attempt to kidnap residents, but in the process, the gunmen shot dead the owner of the poultry farm and her daughter.

Less than 24 hours after the Igushin incident, gunmen also struck the Ilado community, where they abducted a popular youth, with the victim macheted and shot while trying to escape from his abductors.

The communities trooped out and barricaded the busy Shoprite intersection, located just a few metres from the Governor’s Office, and expressed dismay over the brutal attacks that have continued to plunge the communities into mourning.

A youth leader from one of the affected communities, who identified himself as Kunle, lamented that gunmen have been operating unchecked across the state, particularly within the Akure environs, being the state capital.

The youth leader queried how the state’s security vote is being expended, emphasising that its impact has not been felt, given the rising spate of insecurity.

His words: “We are protesting due to the incessant killings and kidnappings day in and day out at Imafon, Igushin, and Ilado. A mother and daughter were killed two days ago, and another guy was brutally macheted yesterday. We want the government to rise up to its duties. We have not seen the impact of the monthly security votes in the state.

“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, and yet our leaders remain silent. Where exactly is the security vote going? We see no presence of security, no patrols, no results,” he stated.

The youth leader further warned that residents would not relent until the government takes concrete action to secure their lives and property.

The demonstration is the latest in a series of protests that have erupted across various communities in the state over the past few weeks, fuelled by incessant abductions and killings, with a traditional ruler being one of the victims.