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.
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