Angry youths on Friday took to the streets of Ayede Ogbese in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State to protest against the “unending wave of kidnappings and killings” in the community.
The protest came less than 24 hours after suspected gunmen shot dead a local businessman, identified as Okudili Okoro, and abducted a female trader, Mrs. Orogun.
The demonstrators blocked the busy Ayede Ogbese highway for hours, forcing motorists to abandon the road and divert through bush paths. The action created gridlock and left travellers stranded.
One of the youth leaders, a woman who identified herself as Justina, accused both government and security agencies of neglecting the area, linking the rising abductions to the deplorable condition of the road and the inefficiency of security operatives stationed there.“We don’t have security in Ayede Ogbese anymore. The youths are the ones now providing security. This is sad and very shameful. Even those posted here to check the situation are not doing enough. Just yesterday, one of us was killed and another woman was taken away. What are the police doing here?” she asked.
Another protester lamented that residents were now forced to rely on community youths for protection, while accusing security agents of “looking the other way” as kidnappers continue to terrorise locals.
The protests, which turned the usually quiet highway into a tense scene, highlighted the growing anger of rural communities in Ondo State over worsening insecurity.
Addressing the aggrieved youths, the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, promised that the killers of Okoro and those behind Mrs. Orogun’s abduction would be tracked down.
Lawal assured the protesters that the kidnapped woman would be rescued unharmed and appealed for calm, vowing that the command would intensify operations in the area.
Despite these assurances, protesters said they remained sceptical, insisting that past promises by authorities had not stopped the steady rise in kidnappings and violent attacks in the state.
