Residents of Ilu Abo and other communities in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Tuesday, took to the streets to protest what they described as incessant cases of kidnapping in the area.
The protest followed two incidents that occurred in less than 24 hours.
The residents, who began the protest early in the morning, barricaded the Akure-Owo expressway, disrupting flow of traffic for several hours.
On Monday morning, a local government official and a woman were violently abducted, creating panic in the communities and forcing schools to shut down.
Later in the night, three persons were reportedly abducted while one person was killed by the kidnappers.
The residents narrated that the night attack was carried out by heavily armed men who invaded the Ilu-Abo area, shooting sporadically and causing panic among villagers before abducting the three persons.
During the protest, the angry residents used logs of wood, motor tyres, and other objects to block the road, bringing vehicular movement to a standstill.
The protesters also brought the lifeless body of the victim while chanting protest songs and demanding urgent government intervention to address the persistent insecurity around the airport road and adjoining communities.
One of them, who spoke with journalists during the protest, lamented that kidnapping incidents had become frequent in the area, accusing the government of failing to take decisive action to protect lives and property.
He called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to come personally to address them on the rising insecurity.
“We are tired of this situation. Almost every day now, we hear about kidnapping around the airport road. Yesterday, a council secretary was kidnapped, and today, again, one person has been killed while three others have been taken away by gunmen,” the protester lamented.
“The government is not doing anything to protect us. People are living in fear, and many farmers can no longer go to their farms.”
Another resident said the protest became necessary to draw the attention of authorities to the plight of the people.
“We cannot continue like this. Kidnappers operate freely here, and nobody is safe again. We have reported several times, but nothing has changed. That is why we blocked the road so the government will hear us,” he said.
Motorists traveling along the busy Akure–Owo expressway were forced to stop for hours as the protest caused heavy traffic on the route, with many passengers stranded.
The protesting residents insisted that Mr Aiyedatiwa should address their concerns, as they could no longer go to the farms due to insecurity.
The state Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, arrived the scene early to persuade the protesters to remove the blockades but they refused.
The police boss later visited the traditional ruler of Ilu-Abo, Olu Falae, a former Secretary to the Federal Government, to acquaint him of efforts made by the police to arrest the situation.
Mr Lawal said efforts were being made by security agencies to curb insecurity in the town. He said he would deploy additional policemen and tactical units to check the insecurity.
Despite the increasing wave of kidnappings and ransom taking by the bandits, the police and Amotekun have continued to announce raids and arrest of suspected criminal across the state, including suspected kidnappers.
Asked why the police have not been prosecuting suspects, its spokesperson, Abayomi Jimoh, said the Force charged a number of the cases to court.
He however did not give details of the cases and the progress made on them at the courts.
Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political group on Monday raised the alarm over the state of kidnappings and blood letting in the South West region, calling on the governors of the states in the region to scale up their responses to the state of insecurity.
An Ondo traditional ruler was in February attacked in his palace and killed by gunmen in a failed bid to abduct him.
Several persons, who were abducted in a church at Uso in Owo Local Government Area last week were fired after parting with N9million as ransom.
Another woman was kidnapped along Pelebe Road in Oda community in front of her house. Her husband was shot before she was taken away, leaving her young children to scamper for safety.
None of the kidnap incidents has been resolved while no victims have been rescued.
