Gunmen Set Police Station Ablaze In Ondo

A group of yet-to-be-identified gunmen on Wednesday set fire to the Divisional Police headquarters in Ipele community in Owo Local Government area of Ondo state.

Eyewitness accounts revealed that the assailants launched the attack at about 9:40 pm, destroying several exhibits.

Four vehicles and 15 motorcycles at the premises were also burnt down in the attack.

The Spokesperson of Ondo State Police Command, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on behalf of the command.

He stated that no life was lost in the attack, adding that contrary to reports circulating on social media, no church was attacked during the incident.

“According to preliminary reports, at about 9:41 p.m., a group of armed men numbering between 20 and 30 invaded the police station, firing assault rifles and deploying dynamite.”

“The attackers set the station ablaze, leading to the destruction of the building and several exhibits. However, no life was lost in the attack as of the time of this report,” Jimoh said.

According to the police spokesperson, the assailants had fled the scene before security operatives got there.

“Upon receipt of the report, a joint patrol comprising the Police, Military, Civil Defence, and other non-state actors promptly mobilized to the scene; however, the attackers had already carried out the act before their arrival.

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He noted that the state Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, has deployed more special forces to the community to forestall breakdown of law and order and equally fish out those who carried out the attack.

“Consequently, the CP has ordered the immediate deployment of additional operational assets, including Tactical Teams, Explosive Ordnance Disposal–Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) units, and Police Mobile Force personnel to the area while the situation is under control. A coordinated manhunt for the attackers is currently underway.”

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