Victims of the recent attack in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State have shared chilling details of their ordeal after suspected armed herdsmen invaded and unleashed terror on four communities.
The assailants stormed Aba Pastor, Aba Sunday, Ademekun Camp, and Aba Alajido Camp in Ala Elefosan, killing at least 20 people.
Survivors, who described the attackers as heavily armed, said the assault took place in the middle of the night without any provocation.
Many residents suffered injuries and are currently receiving treatment in various hospitals, while those who escaped have fled into the forests, leaving the communities deserted.
Among the injured are siblings John and Solomon Simon, who were shot during the attack at Sunday Camp. Speaking from their hospital beds, they recounted how they narrowly survived the onslaught.
John Simon, who sustained a gunshot wound to his hand, described the horror: “I was asleep when I suddenly heard gunshots. The person sleeping beside me was already hit before I even realized what was happening. As I tried to escape, I was shot in the hand, but I managed to run into the bush and hide in a cocoa plantation until morning. When I returned, I saw at least nine people dead in our camp.”
He insisted that the attackers were Fulani herdsmen, stating, “This is my fourth year in Sunday Camp, and we have never had any issues with them. We’ve never harmed their cattle, so we don’t understand why they attacked us.”
Solomon, his brother, also shared his experience: “It happened around 2 a.m. I wasn’t fully asleep when I heard a loud call, and suddenly, gunfire erupted throughout the camp. I managed to escape before they reached my house, but two of my friends weren’t so lucky—they were killed.”
In response to the attack, Ondo State Police Commissioner, Wilfred Afolabi, visited the affected communities and the injured victims.
He has directed the homicide department to launch an immediate investigation into the incident.