There is heightened alarm and confusion among the people of some communities, towns and cities in Ondo State following speculations that bandits were preparing to attack the Ifedore Local Government Area of the state.
The apprehension among residents of Ilara-Mokin community was hinged on a letter allegedly sent to Adaba FM, a popular radio station in the state.
In the same development, a private university in Ondo state which is situated in the neighbourhood has doused tension by calling on students and parents to ignore the supposed threat flying around.
The institution claimed that the supposed rumour had been debunked by the appropriate authorities, therefore the university community should disregard the threat.
According to a statement released by Elizade University’s registrar Omololu Adegbenro and shared on various social media platforms, the University deny the authenticity of the letter.
The post reads in part “The attention of the university management has been attracted to the material being shared on social media,” stated Omololu Adegbenro, the registrar of Elizade University, in a statement.
“The originators of the information claimed that the purported letter was submitted to Adaba FM, Ilara-Mokin. They also claimed that His Royal Majesty, the Alara of Ilara-Mokin, Oba Aderemi Adefehinti was fully aware of the letter, adding that the royal father had disseminated the information to members of the community through his Town Crier.
“As management, it is important to clarify that no threat was issued by Bandits/Fulani Herdsmen to attack the community.
“This information has been strongly refuted by the management of Adaba FM, which has continued to inform members of the public through its news bulletins that no letter of threat was dispatched to the station.
SP Funmilayo Odulami, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, also dismissed the letter as a hoax and said that police operatives as well as undercover agents had been dispatched to the community and around the state.
Similarly, Adaba FM had dismissed the rumour saying no such letter was received by them.