Hundreds of youths from the Ilu-Abo community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State on Tuesday barricaded the Akure-Owo Expressway in protest against rising insecurity in the area.
A viral video showed the protesters carrying the corpse of a man reportedly killed on Monday night by suspected bandits and using it to block the expressway.
The identity of the deceased was yet to be confirmed at the time of filing this report.
The protesters prevented the free flow of traffic along the expressway, causing a gridlock for several hours.
They vowed not to allow vehicular movement until the government addressed insecurity affecting communities in Akure North.
During the demonstration, the youths carried placards with inscriptions such as “We are dying, save our souls,” “Mr Governor, please assist us,” “Our children are in danger,” and “We cannot go to farms again.”
They lamented that farmers could no longer safely tend their farms or sleep peacefully due to incessant kidnappings in the area.
The protesters also blocked the state Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, from passing, insisting that the protest would continue until Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa intervened.
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Reacting to the protest, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said a tactical team had been deployed to the area to apprehend the bandits and restore security.
“The command has ordered the immediate deployment and establishment of a Tactical Team Base in Ilu-Abo.
Joint security operations, stop-and-search exercises, forest combing, and intelligence-led raids targeting criminal hideouts and kidnapping networks have been intensified,” Jimoh said.
The protest comes barely 24 hours after the Secretary of Okeluju Local Council Development Area in Akoko North-West, Mr Joseph Aladesuyi, and another victim, Esther, were abducted.
Last week, youths in the community also barricaded the road in protest against the abduction of a couple.