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The Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has launched a scathing attack on Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, accusing his administration of evading accountability, neglecting citizens’ welfare and prioritising political optics over genuine governance.

In a press statement issued on Friday and signed by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Barrister Jolade Aladetan, the opposition party described the Aiyedatiwa administration as one that governs “by omission, revision and convenience,” alleging that two years of governance have produced more propaganda than tangible development.

The PDP claimed that governance in Ondo State under the current administration has been reduced to what it described as an “editorial exercise,” where abandoned or half-completed projects are hastily touched up, renamed and presented as new achievements.

According to the party, development in Akure and other parts of the state has been replaced with cosmetic adjustments, noting that “paint became progress and signboards became substance,” while core infrastructure projects remain unfinished.

The party also raised concerns over fiscal transparency, faulting Governor Aiyedatiwa for presenting and signing into law a new state budget without first providing a comprehensive performance report of the previous year’s budget.

The PDP alleged that the absence of a clear account of how public funds were spent reflects a broader culture of financial evasion, where budgets no longer follow performance but are instead sustained by press statements and political applause.

“Accountability has been officially declared a distraction,” the statement alleged, adding that scrutiny is treated as sabotage by the current administration.

On security and empathy, the opposition party criticised the governor’s response to the attack on Ipele community, where it claimed he failed to physically visit residents affected by the incident.

The PDP contrasted this with what it described as the governor’s willingness to travel outside the state to commiserate with political allies, accusing him of practising selective sympathy and placing political convenience above the welfare of Ondo citizens.

The party further accused the governor of abandoning civil servants after allegedly failing to fulfil his promise to pay a 13th-month salary bonus in 2025, despite similar payments being made in other states across the country.

The PDP also described the December 2025 “Thank You Tour” embarked upon by the governor as unpopular, claiming it turned into a silent protest by residents who, according to the party, were unconvinced by the administration’s record.

Describing the tour as a “public audit,” the party said the indifference of residents across communities reflected widespread dissatisfaction with the government’s performance.

The opposition further alleged that the administration has now shifted fully into election mode, accusing it of diverting public resources to sponsor political loyalists and defend what it called “two years of waste and detachment.”

While stating that it does not expect the governor to suddenly embrace transparency or empathy, the PDP said it was placing the issues before the public in the interest of truth and democratic accountability.

“Governance is not about edited projects, unexplained budgets or selective sympathy,” the statement read, adding that the people of Ondo State would ultimately “submit the final draft” through their collective memory and judgment.

The party urged residents to remain vigilant as 2026 unfolds, warning against what it described as attempts to rewrite history through propaganda and political theatrics.

The Ondo State Police Command has confirmed an attack on the Ipele Divisional Police Headquarters and has firmly dismissed reports circulating on social media suggesting that a church was invaded during the incident.

The Command, in a press statement referenced Ref. No. AZ:5280/ONS/PPRO/VOL.2/3, disclosed that the attack occurred at about 9.41 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31, 2025, when a group of between 20 and 30 armed men stormed the police facility.

According to the Police, the assailants arrived heavily armed, firing assault rifles and deploying explosives including dynamite before setting parts of the station ablaze. The attack resulted in the destruction of the station building and several exhibits, though no casualty was recorded as at the time of filing the report.

The Police Command stressed that contrary to claims making the rounds online, no church was attacked or invaded during the incident, describing such reports as false and misleading.

Upon receipt of the distress call, a joint security patrol comprising personnel of the Police, the Military, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other non state security actors was immediately mobilised to the scene. However, the attackers had completed the operation and fled before the arrival of the patrol team.

Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, CP Adebowale Lawal psc plus mnips, strongly condemned the attack and described it as a reprehensible assault on public peace and the authority of the state.

The Police Commissioner urged residents of Ipele and adjoining communities to remain calm and assured them that the situation was firmly under control with adequate security measures already put in place to forestall a recurrence.

Consequently, the Command has deployed additional operational assets to the area including Tactical Teams, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear units as well as personnel of the Police Mobile Force.

The Police further confirmed that a coordinated manhunt for the perpetrators is ongoing, while investigations have commenced to unravel the motive behind the attack and bring those responsible to justice.

Members of the public were encouraged to cooperate with security agencies by providing timely and credible information, as the Command assured that further updates would be communicated as developments unfold.

The National Association of Akungba Students (NAAS), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA) Chapter, has expressed deep appreciation to Hon. (Dr) Adegboyega Adeyemi Adefarati, Member of the House of Representatives representing Akoko South West/East Federal Constituency, over his donation of ten bags of rice to the association.

The appreciation was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday, December 25, 2025, by the leadership of the association. According to the students, the gesture is a clear demonstration of Hon. Adefarati’s unwavering support for the welfare of his constituents, particularly youths and students, noting that the donation came at a time of economic hardship when such support is most needed.

NAAS described the lawmaker as a committed and selfless leader whose consistent humanitarian interventions continue to uplift the community. The association said the donation would go a long way in supporting students and strengthening the overall well being of its members, while praying God to grant the federal lawmaker good health, wisdom and greater achievements in his service to humanity.

The statement was jointly signed by the NAAS President, Comrade Adedayo Yetunde S. also known as Joyfulheart, the Assistant General Secretary, Comrade Sunday Damilola R. Treasure, and the Public Relations Officer, Comrade Olarewaju Emiloluwa Emmylight, who collectively reaffirmed the association’s gratitude and pledged continued support for initiatives that promote student welfare and community development.

I have followed Ojo Ajisafe’s ordeal with the morbid curiosity one reserves for slow-moving tragedies, the kind where you already know the ending will offend both reason and conscience, but you stay anyway because turning away feels like complicity. Too many atrocities have clustered around this case for any citizen with a pulse to pretend it is ordinary. So when the matter came up in court on Thursday, 18 December 2025, I cleared my table, postponed every other engagement, and travelled to witness it firsthand. Experience has taught me that in this ministry, nothing ever happens straight, and whenever a date is fixed, new shenanigans queue politely to announce themselves.

Days before that Thursday, the office of the ministry’s all-powerful second-in-command had been unusually busy. Not busy with files or justice, but busy in the pilgrim sense. Lawyers, relatives of suspects, and assorted hangers-on streamed in and out, turning the office into a shrine where bargains are struck quietly and moral scruples are checked at the door. This newly anointed officer, already whispered about in hushed tones, had allegedly removed the original officers handling the case and replaced them with one of the establishment’s most notorious disasters, a man whose lifestyle mocks his salary and whose wealth answers no innocent questions. When we tried to hear the other side from the former officer in charge, she panicked, froze, and abruptly terminated the call the moment she realised who was calling, all without the courtesies expected of a well-cultured officer of the law. But then, that was all the motivation I needed to embark on the 148-kilometre journey.

When the Shina Olayele matter was called, the ministry’s representative, a man nicknamed “Parĩse” by his peers for reasons that became painfully obvious, rose and calmly announced that he was withdrawing the defence earlier filed by his colleagues on behalf of the applicant. The courtroom fell into a silence so heavy it could bruise skin. Even the air seemed offended. The Judge, a Bishop no less, must have sensed the stench of an unholy alignment between Parĩse and defence counsel, but he held his composure and focused on the business before him. Justice, after all, must sometimes pretend not to see what everyone else can smell.

The man beside me seethed. He whispered questions that were already burning on every tongue. Why withdraw a defence in a simple bail application? Why sabotage your own applicant in an attempted murder case? Why do Parĩse and defence counsel move like rehearsed dancers in a duet they are not even trying to disguise? Why has the ministry’s second-in-command arrogated to himself the powers of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Olubodun, a man widely regarded as gentle, upright, and professionally sound? One man could not contain his disgust. He hissed audibly and walked out.

Suddenly, the earlier drama at the ministry made sense. The dots connected themselves without effort.

The Judge, incorruptible and undaunted, did what the law allowed. He noted that the offence was bailable and granted bail on mild conditions. No blame attaches to him. Bail is a judicial discretion, not a popularity contest. But some schools of thought are of the considered opinion that accelerated hearing would have been best in an attempted murder case, if only to remind the violent elements among us that the law is not always this patient with evil minds. Still, discretion is discretion, and it lies only with the Judge.

Around Parĩse, however, nothing passed without theatre. The desperation was palpable. Everyone was scrambling to impress the family of the accused, to earn a place in their good books. Strange middlemen and his cohorts competed like contestants in a grotesque talent show. Ojo Ajisafe’s inheritance, it is now openly whispered, is being shared according to performance. This is no longer conspiracy theory. It is casual court-corridor conversation, generally anchored by the suspect’s wife, lawyer, and relatives. To justify their savagery, they now tell anyone willing to listen that Ojo poured chicken, or tolotolo, blood on his own head to stage-manage the attack that nearly killed him. One must admire the audacity. Not the intelligence, just the audacity.

Then came the comic relief of the day, which would have been hilarious if it were not tragic. While bail conditions were being discussed, the name of the Yangede of Epe surfaced. Instantly, Parĩse and defence counsel leapt up in unison, proclaiming with theatrical confidence that Yangede is a paramount ruler, a first-class king, a Grade A Oba, and a member of the Ondo State Council of Chiefs. The courtroom erupted in laughter. The lie was too lazy to survive daylight. It almost passed, as many lies have passed before, until Ojo’s counsel, Barrister Femi Akinbinu, a polished city lawyer with no appetite for nonsense, rose to rescue the dignity of the court. Calmly and respectfully, he stated the simple truth: My Lord, the Yangede of Epe, Oba Isaac Oyebade Adelusi, is a Category B Oba. It is the truth. Nothing more. Nothing less. Facts, when spoken plainly, have a way of puncturing balloons.

Even then, Parĩse was seen gesturing reassuringly to his allies, drawing his palm down his chest in his abysmal way of saying, relax, there is a Plan B in the offing. They reportedly boasted that the case would never reach substantive hearing because, in their words, the law is an ass. They would rather die than allow the truth to stand naked in open court. Their fear is understandable. Rumours may bend easily under smooth tongues, but forensic reports do not respect influence. Medical experts will tell us whether a skull was split by a machete or painted with poultry blood. Science does not recognise godfathers.

Let every mother who still believes in justice ask questions for Ojo Ajisafe. If he staged the attack, let him face the full wrath of the law. If the accused are innocent, let them be cleanly exonerated. That is how justice works in civilised spaces. What we are witnessing instead is a frantic attempt to smother truth before it starts breathing.

Boasting openly that the Attorney General is with them is merely an attempt at intimidation, and it is uncalled for. As this is being written, the earlier work by former officers is being dismantled, rewritten, and neutralised, and a no-case submission, or better still, another nolle prosequi, is now loading quietly in the background, according to the powerful.

As things stand, the Ministry of Justice appears fractured into the good, the bad, and the grotesque. With Parĩse steering this ship, I see no realistic path for this case to sail safely to trial. It is being sunk deliberately, right at the harbour.

If I were counsel to the impoverished bricklayer, I would speak plainly to him. God has spared your life. With the calibre of compromised hands now gripping the wheel, this case is dead on arrival. Withdraw, for now. Preserve your life. Write to sine die the proceedings. Fiat is not statute-barred. Political officers are not immortal. Truth has a longer lifespan than power.

That, sadly, is where we are. In a land where justice is promised loudly but practised selectively, the poor are advised to step aside and let God litigate on their behalf. That is fiat; even when sought, it can never be granted. Parĩse knows how to steer things and make even the deaf listen. He’s a comrade, and comrades don’t lie. He can even say he was at the scene of the crime that day and that he saw Ojo pour tolotolo blood on himself, anything to keep his master out of jail and fatten his purse. Anything at all under the sun goes with him. Ojo’s lawyer said he recently won another case against the ministry that Parĩse messed up, and that even the hefty award against them remains unpaid after several demands.

Shockingly, he will push anything, and his admirers will buy it. My counsel to Ojo and his lawyer may be bitter and brutal, but in Ondo today, it may be the most honest one. There is this saying: “Allah ‘tahrrago, Oluwa ni ‘gbeja òle…”

The gang-up is an irritant, and it stinks to high heaven, the heavens where only His merciful rain can install justice for the oppressed.

The Ilutitun Youth Development Forum has raised alarm over what it described as the indiscriminate arrest and harassment of residents, particularly youths, by security operatives in Ilutitun, Ondo State.

In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by the Forum’s Publicity Secretary, Similoluwa Akindusoye, the Forum expressed deep concern over reports that police officers have been arresting citizens for merely moving around at night, allegedly on the grounds that such movements could trigger unrest in the community.

The group’s Publicity Secretary, Similoluwa Akindusoye, cited a recent incident last week in which a youth from the community was allegedly embarrassed and harassed by a police officer identified as Abbey. The Forum described the incident as unjustified and provocative, warning that such actions could undermine the long-standing peace enjoyed by the town.

The youth body called on critical stakeholders in Ilutitun, including the Kabiyesi, community leaders and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), to urgently investigate the matter and put an immediate stop to what it termed “unwarranted intimidation” of law-abiding residents.

According to the statement, the ongoing festive season naturally comes with social activities such as parties, ceremonies and late-night movements, stressing that these should not be misconstrued as security threats.

“Ilutitun is a peaceful town and the youths are committed to maintaining that peace. However, the continued harassment of innocent residents by security operatives risks creating tension where none previously existed,” the Forum stated.

The Ilutitun Youth Development Forum urged the police to adopt community-friendly policing and respect the rights and dignity of residents, while reaffirming its commitment to peace, dialogue and lawful conduct within the community.