A tragic cloud has fallen over the Shagari area of Akure, the Ondo State capital, following the brutal murder of a 47-year-old refrigeration and air conditioning technician, Idris Abiodun Clement, during a violent home invasion.
Clement, a father of five, was shot and hacked to death by a gang of suspected armed robbers in the early hours of Monday, July 6, 2026, while bravely attempting to shield his wife and children from the marauding gunmen.
How the tragic home invasion unfolded
According to accounts provided by the victim’s son, Abdulfatai Clement, the armed gang had successfully raided two other residential buildings within the neighbourhood before breaching their family compound.
Awakened by the intrusion and determined to protect his household, Clement confronted one of the intruders at the entrance. Unbeknownst to the technician, several other heavily armed gang members were lurking in the shadows of the compound.
Upon realising their accomplice was being resisted, the other gang members swarmed Clement, attacking him severely with axes and cutlasses.
As the technician lay incapacitated from the physical assault, one of the assailants produced a concealed firearm and shot him at close range.
Family members rushed the heavily bleeding technician to a nearby hospital, where attending medical personnel confirmed him dead on arrival.
Community mourns a generous artisan
The brutal killing has sparked outrage and profound grief within the Akure artisan community. Neighbours and colleagues described Clement as a remarkably hardworking, peaceful, and generous individual who consistently supported young people trying to establish legitimate trades.
Grief-stricken by the sudden loss, his widow, Mrs Taibat Clement, made an emotional appeal to the Ondo State Government and federal security apparatus, begging authorities not to let her husband’s death become another unsolved case file.
Police launch manhunt, arrest one gang member
Confirming the incident to journalists, the Ondo State Police Command disclosed that a swift response by tactical teams led to the immediate arrest of one prime suspect connected to the coordinated robberies.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the command, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, stated that the arrested suspect is currently undergoing rigorous interrogation at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
The police command has also ordered increased night patrols around the Shagari axis to restore public confidence and deter further criminal incursions.
