Gunmen invade Ondo community, kill mother, daughter

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Thursday night invaded the Igushin community, Ala axis of Akure, in Akure North local government area of Ondo State, shooting a mother and her daughter to death.

Apart from killing the mother and her daughter, the gunmen who stormed the community in the night also abducted some residents of the community, shooting sporadically into the air.

According to a resident of the community, the woman shot dead was said to be the owner of poultry in the community and was allegedly shot along with her daughter in their residence.

Communities in the Akure North local government area of the state had, in the past months, been under gunmen attacks, with residents killed and abducted while the people had embarked on a series of protests to call the attention of the government to their plight.

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According to a source, who craved anonymity, the initial thought was that the woman and her daughter had been kidnapped when they arrived at her residence, but it was later discovered that they had been shot dead.

“The kidnappers were about five in number and fully armed. It was the sudden sound of gunshots that alerted everyone that there was trouble. I was discussing with my friend in front of his house, and we immediately scampered for safety.

“After a few minutes, we thought that the woman and her daughter had been kidnapped. Later we heard loud cries, and when we rushed there, the two of them were shot,” the source said.

Another witness explained that the assailants initially abducted three persons during the raid, creating panic within the area disclosing that the gunmen came into the community through the fence

The eyewitness said, “The attackers came in through the fence. They were about five in number and took three people away. Later, we found the woman who owns the poultry and her daughter dead.”

The people in the community alerted the state police command who responded swiftly. Through what authorities described as a coordinated rescue operation, two of the abducted victims were successfully freed from the captors.

Confirming the incident, the police spokesperson in the state, Abayomi Jimoh, stated that investigations had commenced towards apprehending the perpetrators.

Jimoh, who disclosed that two persons were rescued from the suspected kidnappers urged residents of the state to be vigilant and cooperate with security agencies by providing timely and actionable information.

He said, “The Ondo State Police Command strongly condemns the heinous violent incident at Igushin via Ala, Akure, which led to the tragic loss of two innocent lives.

“While two victims were successfully rescued through a swift and coordinated operation, the command expresses deep sorrow over the unfortunate deaths recorded.”