Ondo Returns to Normal After Gunfire Disrupts APC Senate Primary

Normalcy has returned to Akure, the capital of Ondo State, after gunfire disrupted the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary for the Ondo Central district on Monday, causing widespread panic across parts of the city.

The incident occurred at Ward 5, Ebenezer African Church Primary School, Amudipe Street, during the party’s primary election. Residents, motorists and traders fled the area in fear that armed robbers had entered the neighbourhood.

Witnesses said the sporadic gunshots initially created confusion, with many people assuming the city was under a robbery attack.

The false alarm spread quickly throughout Akure, forcing several business owners to close their shops while commuters hurriedly left the area.

“I was inside my shop when people started running and shouting that robbers had entered Akure. Everyone immediately locked up and fled because nobody knew exactly what was happening,” a trader at Okelisa market recounted.

Later in the day, visits to major parts of the state capital showed that calm had been restored, with residents resuming normal activities and commercial transport operators back on the roads.

Security personnel were also seen stationed around the Ondo Central collation centre at St. Peter’s Unity Secondary School, Akure, as party officials continued collation under close surveillance.

Following the restoration of calm, the Ondo State Police Command clarified that widespread reports of an alleged armed robbery attack in the state capital were unfounded.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Jimoh Abayomi, said preliminary investigations indicated that the gunshots were linked to activities of suspected political thugs, not armed robbers as earlier speculated.

“The Ondo State Police Command wishes to debunk reports making the rounds regarding an alleged armed robbery incident in Akure,” PPRO Abayomi said. “Preliminary findings and credible intelligence available to the Command indicate that the incident was not a robbery attack as speculated, but rather activities involving suspected thugs, which resulted in sporadic gunshots within the area.”