- Safiu Kehinde
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has declared dawn-to-dusk curfew in Owo town following Monday cult clash that left four dead.
This was announced by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ebenezer Adeniran, who said the curfew is until further notice.
According to reports, the mayhem began around 2:00am on Monday when the gunmen suspected to be cultist stormed the house of a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Owo Local Government, Fisayo Oladipo, killing him and four others.
As disclosed in a post on X, a woman and her child were among the victims caught I’m exchange of gun fire during the clash suspected to be between Eiye fraternity members and Aye.
According to the post, the other dead victims of the clash were two Eiye members which included the said APC chieftain.
Meanwhile the Ondo state Police Command spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, confirmed the incident but could not ascertain the number of casualties.
“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,” she said.
The state Police Commissioner of Police, CP Wilfred Afolabi, has, however, visited the scene of the incident on Tuesday for an on the spot assessment of the situation at hand.
Meanwhile, the state governor in the statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Adeniyan, said all residents are required to remain indoors during the curfew.
“Only essential services, such as hospitals, emergency services, and law enforcement, will be exempted from the curfew,” he said.
“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.” He said.