Fear grips Ondo communities as they experience Herdsmen attacks – Amotekun plans counter-operations

Earlier on Saturday, March 8, 2025, the peaceful communities of Ademekun, Aba Pastor, Aba Sunday, and Alajido in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State were plunged into a nightmare.

What began as a typical night of rest for farmers and their families turned into a bloodbath as armed men, reported to be herdsmen, stormed the villages, unleashing terror and leaving at least 14 people dead.

The attack, which occurred around 2am, was swift and brutal. Houses were reduced to ashes, and the air was thick with grief and fear.

A voice in the video lamented in pidgin English, “This is what the Fulani did to our camp. The government is not doing anything to protect us. This happened at about 2am.”

The victims, mostly farmers from Taraba and Oyo states, had settled in the communities to cultivate crops and build a livelihood. But their dreams were cut short in the dead of night.

We learnt that nine people were killed in Aba Sunday, while the remaining victims were killed in other affected communities. Some residents claimed that more than 20 people were killed altogether, while several others sustained varying degrees of injury.

Our correspondents learnt that some members of the affected communities were still missing after the attack. The attack is believed to be a reprisal for the killing of over 100 cows belonging to herdsmen from neighboring Edo State.

It was  gathered that residents were jolted awake by the sound of sporadic gunfire and the agonising cries of neighbours. A survivor, Emmanuel Musa, said he escaped death by a whisker as he jumped out of his house through the window and ran into the bush after the attack started around 2am.

He appealed to the state government to send security men to the communities, saying the killer herdsmen could return to unleash terror again.

He stated, “It was the sound of sporadic gunshots that woke me up; I could hear people shouting. They were killing people house to house, burning down some houses. I had to jump through the window and flee into the bush to hide myself till dawn. It was when I returned to the camp the following morning that I saw dead bodies of our people who had been killed everywhere.”

A local group, the Ooye Development Initiatives, called on the state government to take urgent action to protect residents.

In a statement, the group’s president, Tokunbo Jegede, warned that the rising insecurity in Akure North and South could cripple the state’s economy.

“Our people are too vulnerable to these attacks. If this trend continues, the people may have to be their own government, and the implication is that we may land in a Hobbesian world where life is nasty, brutish, and short,” the statement read.

Gov demands arms for Amotekun

The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, called on President Bola Tinubu to authorise Amotekun to be equipped with weapons comparable to those used by armed herders and bandits, in order to combat the growing insecurity in the region.

The Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, who spoke for the governor, emphasised that the South-West Governors Forum, at its most recent meeting, showed commitment to enhancing security across the region.

“The governor firmly believes that our security forces at the local level need to be equipped with the same sophisticated weapons used by the bandits. This call remains consistent, and there has been no change in his stance,” Oyelade said.

The commissioner noted that the state government was prepared for the security challenges ahead.

Also, the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, stressed the need for a proactive approach to insecurity.

On its part, the Ogun State Government on Friday said that it had intensified engagement with stakeholders across the local governments in the state.

Mr Kayode Akinmade, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to Gov Dapo Abiodun, said, “Through these initiatives, Ogun State aims to forestall violence, protect lives, and ensure the safety of farmers and all residents.”

S’West Amotekun mobilise 

Speaking with our correspondent the Osun State Commandant of the Amotekun Corps, Adekunle Omoyele, said commanders of the security outfit across the South-West states met on Thursday in Ibadan to review the security situation in the region.

Omoyele said Amotekun deliberated on the plan to establish a central communication centre in the S’West for tracking criminals and reporting distress in any of the states.