No fewer than five persons including a Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress in Owo, in Ondo State, Fisayo Oladipupo, a mother and her child, have been shot dead during a violent clash between suspected cult groups in the ancient town.
Tension has therefore enveloped the ancient town following the casualties recorded within ten hours.
Oladipupo, 56 years old, was a former youth leader of the ruling party and a prominent member of the party in the owo local Government.
It was gathered that a cult war took place in the town at about 2 am on Monday.
Reports had it that two clash groups in a supremacy battle engaged themselves leaving five casualties.
Four of the victims were shot within the Eyinogbe, Ekusi, and Uselu axis of the community.
The Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, Oladipupo, was said to have been shot at close range by his assailants.
An unconfirmed source said that his killers were on a reprisal attack following an alleged unresolved dispute dated back over ten years.
According to the source” the killers of the Chieftain of the ruling party were those that knew him. It was as a result of a long-term family feud.
”We learnt that the house of one of the attackers was set ablaze by youths and in a retaliatory act, the victims father’s house was torched.
“It was the death of Oladipupo that heightened tension in Owo. We heard in the morning that he was killed around 2:00 am.
“As the community was still in shock over his killing, we had heard that other people had been attacked and killed in other parts of Owo.
“A woman and her child were killed in Mobile. They were killed after stray bullets hit them while they were trying to scamper for safety.”
The two other suspected cult members were shot during a shootout between the cult groups.
Oladipupo’s remains have been deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre in Owo.
It was gathered that tension has enveloped the ancient town following the violence that erupted with ten hours.
Confirming the killings, the state police spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami said that police detectives have commenced investigations.
Odunlami said that “We can’t confirm if an APC chieftain is affected, but four people have been confirmed dead. Normalcy has returned through the intervention of the police; efforts are on to arrest perpetrators of the act.”
