No fewer than four persons have been feared dead while five others were seriously injured following a violent clash between rival cult groups in Ondo town, headquarters of Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The bloody incident, which occurred on Tuesday evening, threw residents into panic as masked gunmen believed to be members of a rival cult group went on a shooting spree in different parts of the town.
Sources told Starnews NG that the deceased were gunned down at various locations including Ife Garage, Sabo, and Christ Land in the Oka area of the city. Eyewitnesses said the attackers stormed the scenes and opened fire on their targets.
One of the witnesses, who pleaded anonymity for fear of reprisal, disclosed that, “Three members of the Ẹiyẹ confraternity were killed in the Ife Garage area in the evening while another was shot dead in front of a shop at Sabo. It was like a war zone. The gunmen came with their faces covered and shot sporadically.”
Confirming the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Olayinka Ayanlade, described the killings as a fall-out of cult rivalry, adding that the deceased were notorious cultists who had been on the police command’s wanted list.
Ayanlade said, “The command can confirm the murder of four persons and five others injured. They all belong to rival cult groups. We are not taking this lightly. We have deployed our men to ensure normalcy returns to the affected areas.
“I want to appeal to residents to go about their lawful businesses without fear or panic. Security agencies are fully on ground to protect lives and property.”
On the police operation earlier in the day at New Garage in the Ayeyemi area of the town, the police spokesman explained that the move was part of efforts to clamp down on cultists following the killings.
He said, “Desperate times require desperate measures. Anyone arrested during the raid has one or two things to do with the clash. Our men have acted appropriately. If they are found wanting in any way, they will be subjected to disciplinary action. But if they have done the right thing, they deserve commendation.”
Starnews NG gathered that the police, in a dawn raid on Wednesday, stormed several houses in the New Garage area, forcibly gaining entrance and apprehending suspects linked to the clash. As at the time of filing this report, arrests were still ongoing.
A source revealed that the area, believed to be a stronghold of one of the rival cult groups, has been taken over by security operatives who are currently parading the neighbourhood in search of more suspects.
While the exact number of those arrested remains unclear, Ayanlade assured that efforts are ongoing to apprehend all those behind the brutal killings.
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