Fear and grief have gripped Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State after suspected herdsmen carried out a deadly attack, leaving over 20 farmers dead across at least four communities.
The assailants, heavily armed, stormed the villages in the early hours of the weekend, their gunfire shattering the dawn’s silence as they wreaked havoc.
Residents of Aba Pastor, Aba Sunday, Ademekun Camp, and Aba Alajido Camps within Ala Elefosan found themselves at the mercy of the merciless attackers.
So far, search teams have recovered 14 bodies from the blood-soaked settlements, with efforts ongoing to locate other missing persons.
Princess Adelowo Adekemisola, Regent of Ademekun Village, described the chilling moment the killers infiltrated the communities.
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“The herdsmen entered our community through the Edo-Ondo boundary and began shooting sporadically. During Akeredolu’s administration, Amotekun came to our rescue, and the perpetrators were arrested and paraded. Since then, peace had returned to the community until now,” she lamented.
As the region reels from the devastation, Ondo State Police Command spokesperson, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, confirmed that law enforcement officers have been deployed to the affected areas to restore order.
With the death toll rising and the fate of the missing still unknown, the tragedy has left a dark cloud over the farming communities, reviving painful memories of past violence.