No fewer than four persons have allegedly been killed in a clash involving some suspected rival cult groups in Owo, the headquarters of Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday.
It was gathered that the victims included a yet-to-be-identified woman and her baby who were reportedly hit by stray bullets of the suspected cultists. The other two victims were allegedly shot during the clash.
An eyewitness in the community narrated that when the two groups clashed on Monday morning, there were sporadic gunshots in some parts of the town for several hours, during which the deceased were killed.
The eyewitness said, “We thank God that students are not around because we have been hearing gunshots and after it was heard that some people have been killed early this morning.”
The remains of the deceased were said to have been deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre in Owo.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the incident but said men of the command had been deployed in the community to calm the situation.
“Four people have been confirmed dead, but normalcy has returned through the intervention of the police and efforts are on to arrest the perpetrators of the act,” the PPRO stated.
Meanwhile, the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa has ordered a total dawn-to-dusk curfew in Owo following the bloody clash.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, in a statement said the governor’s directive was aimed at addresing the unrest in the ancient community.
He said, “Due to the ongoing violent cult clashes and security disturbances in Owo which have led to loss of lives, the Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa has ordered a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the town, till further notice.
“All residents are required to remain indoors during the curfew. Only the essential services such as hospitals, emergency services and law enforcement will be exempt from the curfew.”
