Hundreds of youths from the Ilu-Abo community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State barricaded the Akure-Owo Expressway on Tuesday to protest rising insecurity in the area.
A viral video captured protesters using the corpse of a man, reportedly killed by suspected bandits on Monday night, to block the expressway. The identity of the deceased had not been disclosed at the time of reporting.
The youths disrupted traffic for several hours, insisting that vehicular movement would not resume until the government addressed the insecurity in Akure North Local Government Area. They carried placards with messages 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”.
Protesters also highlighted that farmers could no longer attend their farms or sleep peacefully due to frequent kidnappings, appealing to authorities to tackle the violence.
The demonstrators prevented the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Adebowale Lawal, from passing through, vowing to continue the protest until Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa intervened.
Reacting, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said a tactical team had been deployed to restore security and apprehend the bandits.
“The command has ordered the immediate deployment and establishment of a Tactical Team Base to be stationed at Ilu-Abo. Joint security operations, stop-and-search exercises, forest combing, and intelligence-led raids targeting criminal hideouts and suspected kidnapping networks are ongoing. These measures aim to dismantle criminal syndicates and prevent criminals from using the terrain as safe havens,” Jimoh explained.
This incident comes barely 24 hours after the Secretary of Okeluju Local Council Development Area, Mr Joseph Aladesuyi, and another victim, Esther, were abducted in Akoko North-West of Ondo State. Last week, youths had also blocked the road to protest the abduction of a couple in the same area.
