FOUR persons suspected to be members of rival cults in Ondo, headquarters of Ondo West Local Government Area of Ondo State, were killed while several others sustained injuries during a fracas on Friday night.
Apart from being members of cult groups, the deceased were also said to be members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the town.
According to a source, trouble started when some members of the party, who left the party at the wake of the November 2016 governorship election for the Alliance for Democracy (AD), joined the APC followers to celebrate the inauguration of the new governor, Rotimi Akeredolu. This, however, led to an argument, which later degenerated into a free-for all among the rival groups .
The clash started at the APC secretariat at Yaba Street in Ondo and later spread to different locations, while the corpses of the deceased were found at Odojomu Street.
One of the deceased, who reportedly wore cloth, bearing APC used at the inauguration of Akeredolu, was found in his pool of blood.
It was also learnt that three of the corpses were found at Odojomu Street, while one was found at Enuowa.
Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, Mr Femi Joseph said the command had commenced investigation into the killings.
He however noted that the clash had nothing to do with the reception organised for the immediate former governor of the state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, in Ondo town.
He said: “It was a clear cult clash. The deceased were members of the cult groups. We have begun investigation on the incident.”
Joseph also disclosed that two people arrested in connection with the incident, were under interrogation.