After cult clashes that led to the deaths of several persons in Ondo State, the state police command on Thursday said it had arrested no fewer than 46 youths.
The clash occurred in Ondo town on Tuesday evening.
Speaking on the development on Thursday, the Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Olayinka Ayanlade, vowed that the police would not rest until all those implicated were apprehended.
Ayanlade stated, “Desperate times require desperate actions. Anyone arrested during the raid has one or two things to do with the clash. Forty-six suspects were arrested with firearms and ammunition in their hideouts in the town.”
“We want the people of Ondo town and Ondo State generally to remain law-abiding and cooperate with the police. We will not rest until we arrest the remaining people who are responsible for the crisis,” he said.
Newsmen earlier reported that amid escalating insecurity in Ondo State, five persons were reportedly killed in a renewed cult clash in Ondo City, within the Ondo West Local Government Area.
One person was said to have been killed around FFF Junction in the Oka area.
Another three others were reportedly shot dead near the Ife Garage area.
Reports attribute the violence to a clash between the Aye and Eiye cult groups.
Ondo State has increasingly become a hotspot of insecurity, with various groups blamed for the violence.
On Tuesday, Newsmen also reported that a group of suspected terrorists kidnapped three members of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry in the Akure North Local Government Area of the state.
The incident reportedly occurred on Monday evening as worshippers were returning from a Bible study session in the Kasemola area of the Ogbese community.
A message from the leadership of the church announced the incident, stating this: “Good morning, beloved. Kindly pray along with us. Three of our members were kidnapped yesterday after Bible study at Kasemola inside the Ogbese axis.”
This incident was also confirmed by the Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, Olushola Ayanlade.
The police spokesman added that a combined team of detectives from the command, the Nigerian Army, and the Amotekun Corps is already combing the bush around the affected community in a bid to rescue the victims.Travel guides
Meanwhile, tension is mounting in Owo town, Ondo State, following a chilling threat by yet-to-be-identified terrorists to launch another deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church.
The church was the site of a horrific massacre on June 5, 2022, when 41 worshippers were slaughtered in broad daylight during a Pentecost Sunday mass.
It was gathered that the new threat was delivered via an anonymous letter sent to church authorities. The message vowed that more violence would erupt “soon,” though no specific date was mentioned.
The disturbing message has resurfaced painful memories of the 2022 carnage, one of the deadliest attacks on a place of worship in Nigeria’s recent history. Travel guides
That incident left 69 others seriously injured, many of whom are still grappling with both physical and emotional trauma.
