Panic in Ondo capital as armed men invade government health centre around 2am, whisking staff away and exposing fresh security failure
Akure was shaken to its core in the early hours of Saturday as gunmen reportedly stormed a government primary health centre in the Oke Ijebu area and abducted at least six health workers.
The attack came at about 2am.
The gang was said to have arrived in a bus, forced their way into the facility and moved quickly through the premises before whisking away staff on duty, including interns.
Patients and workers were left terrified.
One patient at the centre said the raid happened so fast that there was little time to react. The gunmen reportedly overpowered those inside and took the victims to an unknown destination.
The assault has added fresh fear to a state already battling a worsening kidnapping crisis.
Residents of Akure say the latest incident has deepened anxiety across the capital, where armed attacks and abductions have become distressingly familiar in recent months.
In February, gunmen abducted a couple in Ilu-Abo in Akure North Local Government Area.
In March, another council official and a separate victim were seized in what was also reported as a ransom-driven kidnapping.
The violence has not spared health workers.
In one previous case, a health worker was reportedly shot dead in Akure while his young son was abducted.
That case, like the latest raid, reinforced fears that medical staff and civilians are now being treated as soft targets.
The state has also seen similar attacks in 2025.
A staff member of the Federal Medical Centre in Owo was reportedly abducted from his residence, showing that the threat has spread beyond one town or one route.
Security authorities in Ondo State had not issued an official statement at the time of filing this report.
Efforts to reach the police also failed.
The spokesperson of the Ondo State Police Command, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, did not respond to calls placed to his line.
The silence has only intensified public concern.
For many residents, the Akure raid is not just another kidnapping story.
It is a warning that armed gangs are growing bolder, more mobile and more confident in their ability to strike even at medical facilities in the heart of the state capital.
The attack raises hard questions about intelligence, patrol coverage and the protection of frontline health facilities.
It also puts pressure on the Ondo State Government to show that it can respond decisively before fear completely overwhelms daily life.
For now, families, patients and health workers are left waiting for answers.
And in Akure, the midnight raid has left one message hanging heavily in the air.
Nowhere feels safe anymore.
