2026-01-01 06:20:00
According to Punch, suspected bandits attacked Ipele in Ondo State and set a police station ablaze, sparking panic in the community.
Reporting by the outlet indicates the attack involved heavy gunfire, with residents fleeing for safety as security personnel were overwhelmed.
The incident adds to broader concerns about violence targeting law enforcement infrastructure and rural communities.
Premium Times also reported the attack and quoted residents describing how people hid in nearby bushes during the assault.
TheCable similarly covered the incident and quoted eyewitness accounts describing the fear triggered by sustained gunfire.
Echotitbits take:
The follow-up matters: response time, reinforcements, and whether there is credible pursuit. Watch for a formal incident report (casualties, recovered exhibits, and arrests) rather than only reassurances.
Source: The Punch — January 1, 2026 (https://punchng.com/panic-as-bandits-attack-police-station-in-ondo/)
Reporting by PUNCH indicates the Ondo State Amotekun Corps arrested 39 suspects it says fled Sokoto State and moved into forest reserves in Ondo following recent airstrikes targeting extremist hideouts in the North‑West.
The corps said the arrests were made near the Elegbeka axis in Ose LGA during an operation that also netted other suspects linked to kidnapping and armed robbery, as the state tightens security around forest corridors.
Officials said profiling is ongoing, including possible prosecution or handover to relevant authorities depending on the outcome of investigations.
Channels Television reported that the suspects “confessed that they are fleeing from the northern part of the country due to the recent attacks launched against them,” while TheCable wrote Amotekun “has arrested 39 suspected terrorists who allegedly fled Sokoto and relocated to forest reserves in the state.”
Echotitbits take: This is the ‘balloon effect’ of counter‑terror pressure—fighters scatter into softer targets and forest belts. Expect more inter‑state coordination in the South‑West and tighter controls on forest reserves; watch how prosecution is handled to avoid recycling suspects.
Source: The Punch — December 31, 2025 (https://punchng.com/us-strike-39-fleeing-sokoto-suspects-arrested-in-ondo/)
Amotekun, the alternative security architecture established by Governors in the South West of Nigeria as a result rising insecurity in the region has now gone operational in Ogun State.
The Chief of Staff to the State Governor, Alhaji Shuaib Salisu disclosed this while featuring on a live television programe in Abeokuta, adding that the commencement of the outfit in the State was expected to fortify the existing security architecture, towards addressing the challenges headlong.
Alhaji Salisu maintained that the State Government would not fold its arms and allow criminals have free rein, saying ‘’the days of criminals are numbered with the appointment of former Commissioner of Police, David Ajibola Akinremi, as the Commandant of the security outfit.
Speaking further, the Chief of Staff said Government had procured 100 Patrol vehicles, 200 motorcycles and communication gadgets, to enhance its operations, adding that Amotekun would have formations in all the 20 Local Government Areas of the State.
He said part of strategies of the State Government to curb criminality was to devise means, noting that over 20,000 youths have been employed through Ogun Jobs Portal, while disclosing that companies in the State were also mandated to source for qualified applicants on it for recruitment.
The Chief of Staff added that many infrastructural projects inherited from past administrations would be completed by the end of Q1 2021, while the newly initiated projects would not be neglected, saying that the Owode-Ilaro, and Odo-Afa roads in Yewa axis; the Epe-Ijebu Ode, and Molusi College roads in Ijebu division; and the Sagamu Interchange-Siun-Abeokuta, and Lafenwa-Rounda roads are all receiving robust attention of government.
Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has inaugurated the pioneer officers of Ondo State Security network Agency Amotekun Corps.
During the inauguration ceremony in Akure, the state capital , Governor Akeredolu expressed delight with the performance of the pioneer Amotekun corps officers, who recently completed their training.
In his remark, the Governor urged the corps officers to put to good use the knowledge gained from the training to ensure security of life and property in the state.
Akeredolu who pleaded with the Federal Government to allocate more fund for equiping the police, explained that the Amotekun Corps is designed to support the existing security framework in the state.
Stressing that with a workable synergy among the leadership of the security agencies and that of Amotekun, the Governor expressed confidence that a water-tight strategy capable of arresting crimes even before they occur could be achieved.
At the ceremony, the Governor commissioned some equipment that will aid the effective operation of the corps officers, including vehicles, motorcycles, and other communication gadgets.
In his remarks, the Commander of Ondo State Amotekun Corps, Ade Adeleye commended Governor Akeredolu for making the dream of the security outfit come alive.
Commander of the Ondo State Amotekum Corps, Ade Adeleye, addresses guests and men of the security outfit at the inauguration ceremony.
Adeleye said that the Amotekun Corps was a child of necessity born out of the need to explore other means of securing communities across Ondo State.
The Ondo Amotekun Corps inauguration was well attended by government officials, traditional and religious leaders, including representatives of the Nigerian Police Force, Ondo Command.
Ondo is the latest Southwest state in Nigeria to inaugurate its own command of the Amotekun Corps, which came to light by the determination of Governors in the region to tackle growing insecurity.
The governors of the Southwest met and agreed to establish a security outfit that will support the security framework of the region.
At the early stage, the plan to own a regional security outfit was greeted with mixed reactions, while some persons said it was a good idea, others believed Amotekun is a ploy to decentralize the police through the back door.
One of the worries of those against the security outfit was that Amotekun will be a tool in the hands of politicians to fan their self-interest.
On the ground of a number of concerns, the Federal Government frowned at the Soutwest governors and even went ahead to declare illegal, the establishment of the security outfit.
In a communique in January 2020, Special Assistant, Media and Public Relations (Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice), Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu declared on behalf of government that “The setting up of the paramilitary organization called “Amotekun” is illegal and runs contrary to the provisions of the Nigerian law”.
The Federal Government maintained that “the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) has established the Army, Navy, and Airforce, including the Police and other numerous paramilitary organisations for the purpose of the defence of Nigeria”.
The Federal Goverent’s initial resistance to the regional security outfit led the Southwest governors to meet the President, which resulted in unanimous resolutions that allowed states in the region to proceed with Amotekun.
The resolutions include: That the structure of Amotekun should align with the Federal Government’s community policing strategy; thatnecessary legal instruments be put in place by each state to give legal backing and regulatory measures to Amotekun.
More photos:
In this photo, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu is seated next to the Commander of the Amotekun Corps in Ondo State, at the inauguration of the security outfit.Members of the Amotekun Corps mount a guard of honour at the inauguration of the Ondo State arm of the security outfit
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