A group of heavily armed gunmen attacked and set fire to the Divisional Police Headquarters in the Ipele community of Owo, Ondo State, on New Year’s Eve, causing widespread panic among residents
The assailants, numbering between 20 and 30, stormed the station around 9:40 p.m., firing assault rifles and using dynamite to destroy the building, exhibits, and several vehicles.
Eyewitnesses described the incident as a “commando style” attack that overwhelmed the on-duty officers and forced many residents to flee into nearby bushes for safety
The Ondo State Police Command confirmed the incident, stating that while the station was razed, no lives were lost, and denied initial reports that a church was also targeted.
A joint security force was mobilized, but the attackers had already fled the scene; a manhunt is now underway to apprehend the perpetrators.
