The sons, daughters, and residents of Irele and Ijowa communities in Ajoni Local Council Development Area, LCDA, have expressed appreciation to the Governor of Ekiti State, His Excellency Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, for his swift security intervention that restored calm to the area following recent bandit attacks.
In a letter signed by High Chief Kehinde Samuel Abejide, Akogun of Irele-Ekiti, High Chief Adebayo Gbenga, Oluaofin of Ijowa-Ekiti, Mr. Wale Ajetunmobi, and Mr. Olaiya Demokun, the communities said the deployment of military personnel, working alongside vigilante groups and local hunters, ended a siege that had disrupted farming and travel in the area.
“Your swift intervention, deploying military personnel alongside our brave vigilante groups and local hunters, broke the siege that had held our people hostage,” the statement read.
“The roads we once traveled with prayer are now passable without panic.”
The communities noted that two suspected bandits were apprehended following the operation and are currently in detention after identification by victims. They described the arrests as a restoration of faith in justice and government response.
However, the statement added that residents remain apprehensive. “The guns may be quiet today, but the ground still trembles. Our people still hear and feel the activities of bandits around our forests and farmsteads. The quiet is not peace it is a pause.”
Appeal for Sustained Action: To consolidate the gains and prevent reprisals, the communities appealed to the Ekiti State Government for the following:
Thorough Prosecution:That the two suspects in detention be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted, with efforts to unravel their sponsors, informants, and networks.
Forest Clearance Operations: A coordinated sweep of forests by security forces and local hunters to dislodge any remnant criminal cells before they regroup.
Support for Local Security Volunteers: Provision of logistics, allowances, and proper kitting for vigilantes and hunters who supported military operations.
“Irele and Ijowa are not just towns. We are food baskets. When our hoes do not touch the soil, Ekiti’s pot does not boil. Security for us is security for the state,” the statement said.
The communities pledged full cooperation with all lawful measures taken by the state government to restore total peace. “Let it be on record that banditry visited Ajoni LCDA under Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, and under Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, it died.”
