Protests Erupt in Ondo, Oyo Over Kidnappings
By: Abudu Olalekan
Fury gripped towns across Ondo and Oyo as roads vanished under crowds refusing to move until violence ended. Highways shut down completely when people flooded them, fed up with one kidnapping after another. Lives torn apart by attacks made locals stand firm in the streets. Movement froze because anger ran too deep to ignore. Each new horror brought more bodies to the asphalt. No traffic got through while families demanded change.
Imagine it – a Tuesday dawn along the Akure to Owo highway. Movement has stopped dead. The reason sits firmly across the asphalt: furious locals from Ilu Abo, Kajola, even Owode, holding their ground. These aren’t scraps tossed in place. Not tree limbs or burnt rubber. Real bodies of children taken not long ago were put on display. A silence grabs hold when seeing it – raw, awful, impossible to shake.
Fight broke out late last night in Ondo State. Hours before dawn, armed men moved through the dark. One bullet found a man, then another took a woman. Three figures pulled away into thick trees. Less than a day earlier, strangers grabbed three farm workers right where they stood.
Furious faces filled the streets. Back came the police chief, hands raised, as shouts drowned his words. Not a whisper of peace reached them. Only one thing mattered – seeing their governor stand where blood stained the soil. Signs bobbed above heads like flags in a storm. One said it plain: farms now feel like graves. Farming’s hard work, truth be told. Anyone might think twice before giving their life to it.
A man spoke up, face tight with anger, telling Reportersroom how fed up people feel. Tiredness hangs heavy. Just yesterday, officials seized a local clerk. Now, death has come knocking again. Lawal urged drivers to move, offering more Amotekun patrols as if that helps. Still, the group stood firm, refusing every word.
Heat closes in on Governor Aiyedatiwa. Meetings called fast – stakeholders pulled in, MACBAN chiefs among them. Sharp words flew. Promises made: syndicates tracked down, backers exposed. Not even powerful protectors would escape, he said. Ninety arrests lately by security teams. Yet locals see little change – a mere splash where a flood should be. Folks who break laws aren’t born into one single group, said Ali Abubakar Maunde, head of MACBAN. Not every Fulani herder carries a crime record – wrongdoing spreads wider than that. When it comes to uncovering those acting poorly, he offered full support.
Over in Oyo State, the clock ticks forward – still the same moment. Heat rises just like before. Fury hasn’t cooled one bit.
Stuck. That’s how vehicles ended up near Jobele on the Ibadan/Oyo highway. Blame creeps back to abductions – yet again. Dolapo Awotunde, someone who lives nearby, spoke about it. His voice carried weight when he listed what’s happened lately. Seven times now, people have been snatched just within Afijio Local Government area. Not one less. A man spent Saturday night fighting for his life after masked people attacked him with heavy blades. Doctors tried everything, yet the damage forced surgeons to remove an entire hand during treatment.
That night took a sharp turn. A frightened group of neighbors formed their own patrol. Just after midnight Tuesday, they spotted someone moving quietly, carrying both a firearm and a machete. Since they followed rules, they delivered the man to officers at Jobele police station. Yet when those same people returned hours afterward? Out of nowhere, the suspect walked free – police saying nothing at all. Not a word came from any officer.
Fury erupted among residents. Highways shut down as shouts for truth grew louder. Right away, the State Police Command moved fast to contain chaos. After checking with the area’s DPO, they took the Inspector into custody.
Out there in Kwara State, officers from the police and the Intelligence Response Team rounded up 32 people believed to be bandits, holed up deep in forested countryside areas. Guns showed up during the sweep – AK-47s, handheld radios, bullets stacked tight. Among those caught, two weren’t local; they came across the border from Niger Republic. Though quiet on details, officials confirmed identities are being checked as work moves forward.
Afenifere, the broad Yoruba organization, has raised urgent concerns. Spokesman Jare Ajayi spoke out about deepening chaos in the South-West. Life there keeps slipping further into crisis mode. A call echoes now for local law enforcement units. Power misuse by regional leaders should not block this move, they argue. The danger grows too fast to wait. Fear keeps folks indoors these days. The setup we’ve got? It’s letting regular people down, flat.
