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The dawn of 2025 turned into mourning for many families in Ondo State. Residents were still savouring the feastings at Christmas and the New Year when terror was unleashed in the ancient town of Owo, cutting down the lives of four promising citizens of the state. One of the victims, Fisayo Oladipo, was a politician and a former Youth Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the area.
The ugly incident had occurred at around 2:00am on Monday, January 5, 2025. The gunmen stormed Mr Oladipo’s house in Owo and killed him. Reprisal attacks from armed groups resulted in the death of other persons, sending shock waves across the ancient city.
Although the state government responded with the imposition of a curfew in the entire local government, quiet was only for a while. Before dust could settle over the carnage in Owo, three communities in Iwaro Oka Akoko, chose the moment to reignite their communal rivalry. Two persons died in the senseless attacks.
Investigations revealed that the communities allowed their mutual suspicion existing between them over a piece of land to take a violent turn with the clash of their youths. Although not much clarity exists on what caused the fight, some had attributed the mayhem to a misunderstanding over a disputed land. The tale had it that the communities: Oka Odo, Ebo, and Owake communities in Iwaro Akoko, Akoko South West LGA went to war when members of the Owake Community erected signposts on disputed lands, the act was vehemently resisted by youths from the Ebo Community, and a fight ensued.
However the police reported that “The clash started on January 12th, 2025 when youths from Oka Odo went on a hunting expedition and were allegedly attacked by youths from Ebo.
“The Ebo youths were said to have mistaken them for individuals from Owake, with whom they have an unresolved land dispute.
“In retaliation, Oka Odo youths mobilized and invaded the Ebo community, leading to incidents of arson.
“The conflict led to casualties on both sides leading to death of 2 persons (names and identities unknown), while the injured, are currently receiving treatment in the hospital.”
As usual, a police team, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP Ops), was immediately deployed to the area to restore peace and prevent further escalation.
Seemingly responding to the angst of the gods, another violent clash erupted barely a week after the Akoko incident amidst two communities in Gbalegi area which borders Idanre and Akure, putting an end to the lives of four persons.
Tensions were said to have been brewing in the community for many days before armed men went wild spilling blood, and inflicting injuries.
The Ondo State Police Command confirmed that the fight was over a disputed land at Gbalegi area. Although the security operatives responded to a distress call following the clashes, the damage to lives and property had been done.The police said they arrested Seven persons who were in possession of charms and seven single barrel guns with a cache of live ammunition and expended ones. Police Spokesperson, Funmilayo Odunlami, said the police further combed the nearby bush areas and found dead bodies riddled with bullets.
“The Commissioner of Police calls for caution in handling cases related to boundary issues and urge communities involved in land disputes to approach the law court for proper redress rather than resorting to self help or violence,” she said.
The peace only lasted for a few days when again gun attacks resurged in Owo sending another wave of terror across the town. This time the victim was a notorious cultist known as Isiaka Nasir, aged 40, whose end was said to have been contrived by a rival cult group.
The heightened fear was blamed on the feeling that the killing of Mr Nasir could snowball into another round of killings in Owo. Eyewitnesses report that two masked men attacked Nasir and killed him in Gbanasa area of Owo.
The police statement on the murder seems to have provided some relief to the security agency, as they reported that the murdered cultist was himself involved in killings and robberies.
According to the police, Mr Nasir was a cultist who participated in the End SARS Protest, attacked Uso division and and stole an AK 47 and bullet proof belonging to the Police.
“He also participated in the killing of one Adedeji Rafiu aka PA,” the agency said.
Ore Under Siege
In Ore, Osogbo Local Government Area, the combined calamity of armed robbery and kidnapping has made life a misery for its residents. Some concerned residents have come together to call on the government to come to the rescue of Ore in ensuring safety of lives and property. According to them, many businesses are closing down in the commercial town due to incessant kidnapping and ransom collection.
“Due to constant kidnapping, many filling station owners, the likes of K. K Komos, Farbas, Adebless, have sold their properties and left Ore to save their lives,” an SOS letter addressed to the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, stated.
They also identified the lack of justice as fueling the incidents in f kidnapping, as those who were arrested in the area years ago were yet to be prosecuted for the offenses.
“Many victims have not recuperated from the emotional trauma kidnappers, robbers and rapists have caused them till date,” they said.
“We don’t want further calamity to befall us in Ore community.
“Despite the arrest and arraignment of a suspect at the Ore High court sitting in Ondo, the case has been constantly adjourned, without any hearing on the matter in court, we are tired of going to court on every adjournment date without any action taken.
“We are calling on the State Government, through the Attorney General of the state to wade in and ensure justice prevailed on the matter, because we are no longer safe in Ore community.”
Politicians Culpable
Worried by the events of the recent weeks, stakeholders in Owo rose from a crucial security meeting pointing fingers at politicians for creating the insecurity that had plagued the town.
In a communique issued after the meeting, politicians were accused of arming and patronising cult groups to advance their political fortunes. This is weighed against the fact that the Owo attacks and other skirmishes in the state came in the build up to the local government elections which held on January 18.
“Politicians must desist forthwith from enabling and patronizing cultists and other criminal elements in Owo Kingdom,” the stakeholders insisted.
The position was reached after speakers at the forum noted that politicians indulged youths especially the idle ones, armed them as thugs for their political gains and later abandoned them.
“It is evident that politicians are the ones engaging the cultists,” Odunayo Folahanmi, an engineer, said while speaking at the forum.
“We invited them as well as others but you can even see by yourselves that the political leader are not here except the deputy governor, who is represented by Chief of Staff.
“We have to start getting it right from our political class and we have to start making sure that things are done right.”
Poor parenting and a poor community policing were also identified as playing roles in creating the horde of armed groups in the state.
Way Forward
Stakeholders agreed that most of the youths are on the loose and something has to be done to check their excesses. At the Owo forum, it was agreed that certain measures must be taken which might require enforcement through the help of security agencies. Although these measures might have legal implications, they believe it could temporarily curtail the activities of hoodlums and cultists.
They have recommended that “Informal street gatherings,” colloquially referred to as “junction-by-junction assemblies,” should be proscribed forthwith, as these assemblies are breeding grounds of delinquency.
Security agencies were urged to also prohibit the use of cross-body bags, which have been identified as mobile armories for cultists and criminal elements.
Parents were advised to adopt proactive measures to monitor and guide their wards, inculcating in them the perils of cultism and criminality.
Knowing that the enforcement might bring about abuses by security operatives, the forum called on the police to caution their officers to desist from harassing and extorting innocent young persons as that could prove counter productive.
Efforts By Security Agencies
The Police Commissioner for Ondo State, Wilfred Afolabi, had barely settled down in his new posting before receiving news of the killings in Owo. He was only a week in the saddle. He had however made efforts to assert his authority as the Chief law enforcer in the state by calling the warring parties to order. His prompt visits to the scenes of the carnage attested to his readiness to do his job.
The police said 19 persons have so far been arrested in connection with the Owo incident while a dusk to dawn curfew is still on force.
The Police Commissoner’s non-kinetic approach to peace building and security was also revealed in his recent town hall meeting with warring communities.
Mr Afolabi also paid a visit to the paramount ruler of Akure Kingdom, the Deji, Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo, to discuss the need to get the tradition institutions to collaborate with the police in ending feuds among the communities. He had also appealed to the traditional rulers to help the police in nipping crime in the bus.
During the meeting, the communities through their leaders brought forward their security challenges, charging the police to rose to the occasion. They however noted the inadequacy of security operatives in the communities resulting in poor response to distress calls. They harped on the need for deployment of more policemen and other security operatives in the communities.
Mr Afolabi later told newsmen that, “the essence of this meeting is for us to get acquainted with the security challenges they may be having and at the same time for them to give us an assessment of service delivery of the police in this community.”
Although Amotekun, the Ondo State Security Network, had not been much involved in the recent crisis, it had however been forward in resolving some of the cases of kidnapping in the state. Several kidnappers and cultists are currently in its custody undergoing trials and investigations. But the agency is grossly handicapped given the fact that it does not have automatic weapons in curtailing the activities of sophisticated criminal gangs who might be well armed with weapons and technology.
Corps Commander, Adetunji Adeleye, had restated the need to allow the agency to bear automatic weapons to enable it function optimally.
State Government Inputs
Besides issuing security orders in form of imposition of curfews, the state government is yet to come out with a clear programme of dealing with insecurity in the state. Although it was part of the promises made during the last campaign, the security interventions of government are usually shrouded in secrecy, making it difficult for the public to fully assess its inputs.
The deputy governor was represented at the recent security forum in Owo, by his Chief of Staff, Kola Falohun. He called on the communities and their leaders to aid the police on fishing out criminals on their various domain.
“Police and other security agencies are not spirits; you need to inform them. If we must move forward, all hands must be on deck,” he said.
“Youths should restrain themselves; we should not pull ourselves down. If we are moving forward, we should not hide the truth.”
Experts have reasoned that youth unemployment is the major factor in the breeding of criminal elements who are recruited to prosecute political and communal violence. The failure of parenting and effective security have been highlighted as contributing variables. The state government must rise beyond rhetorics to fix the problems given the huge financial resources at its disposal.