The Ondo State Police Command has condemned Wednesday night’s attack on the Ipele Divisional Police Headquarters in Owo Local Government Area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abayomi Jimoh, said in a statement that contrary to reports circulating on social media, no church was attacked during the incident.
According to Jimoh, preliminary investigations revealed that at about 9:41 p.m., a group of armed men, estimated to be between 20 and 30, stormed the police station, firing assault rifles and deploying explosives.
He said the attackers set parts of the police facility ablaze, resulting in the destruction of the building and some exhibits. However, no casualty was recorded during the attack.
“Upon receiving information about the incident, a joint patrol team comprising personnel of the police, the military, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and other non-state actors was immediately mobilised to the scene. Unfortunately, the assailants had fled before the arrival of security operatives,” Jimoh said.
Reacting, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Adebowale Lawal, who visited the scene alongside the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Ajani Omolabi, described the attack as a tragic and reprehensible act against the peace and security of the state.
Lawal assured residents that the perpetrators would be arrested, urging them to remain calm as the situation was under control. He also ordered the deployment of additional operational assets to the area, including tactical teams, Explosive Ordnance Disposal–Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (EOD-CBRN) units, and personnel of the Police Mobile Force.
The command disclosed that a coordinated manhunt for the attackers is ongoing.
Meanwhile, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has ordered all security formations across the state to be placed on red alert following the attack.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Allen Sowore, the governor said security agencies responded swiftly, forcing the attackers to flee and restoring calm to the area.
After assessing the situation, the governor confirmed that only the police facility was affected, reiterating that no church was attacked and no life was lost.
Governor Aiyedatiwa noted that calm has returned to the Ipele community, adding that security agencies are fully in control and on the trail of the fleeing attackers.
