…Govt Declare Curfew
Not less than 19 suspects have been arrested by the men of the Ondo State Police Command for the cult-related clash that left five people dead in the Owo Local Government Area of the state.
New Telegraph had earlier reported that five persons, including a former youth leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Owo LGA, Fisayo Oladipupo, were killed by suspected cultists in the early hours of Monday.
A source in the community said the violence is believed to be linked to a long-standing feud that has claimed several lives over the past decade.
According to eyewitnesses, the latest incident began when 52-year-old Oladipupo was shot by unknown assailants, explaining that Oladipupo’s killer was likely someone he knew, as the two families had a history of conflict.
But the new Commissioner of Police, Mr Wilfred Olutokunbo Afolabi, who visited the community on Tuesday, said normalcy had been restored in the town. He said 19 persons have been arrested in connection with the killing. He said investigation has begun into the remote and immediate cause of the violent clash
Afolabi, however, blamed the killing in the town on the proliferation of firearms in the state. The Police Boss said he would work with his management team to dispossess unauthorized people of the illegal firearms in their hands.
The Commissioner of Police, who reeled out his agenda to the media, said he would give professionalism top priority during his stay in the state, saying he would ensure the training and retraining of officers and men of the command.
Afolabi said there would be an emphasis on community policing and finding a solution to the crime being committed in our society. According to him, crime is becoming more sophisticated and would deploy technology to confront criminality being committed in society.
Sequel to the ongoing violent cult clashes and security disturbances in Owo, which have led to the loss of lives, the state Governor, Hon Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the town till further notice.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the. Governor, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan said all residents are required to remain indoors during the curfew.
He said only essential services, such as hospitals, emergency services, and law enforcement, will be exempted from the curfew.
Adeniyan added that the Governor has also asked security agencies in the State to enforce the curfew, ensure the safety of lives and properties, arrest perpetrators of the violence, and restore peace to the community.
