Five killed in Ondo cult clash

AT least five people including a police officer were killed in Ondo, headquarters of Ondo West local government area of the state in a reprisal attack by rival cults group in the town.

The killings of the four men followed the death of four members of a rival group killed on Friday while several others sustained serious injury during a fracas between two rival groups on Friday night.

It was gathered that the supremacy battle was between two leading cult groups known as Afee Cult and Eiye confraternity.

According to a source in the town, four members of Afee cult group were hacked down on Friday while several others were seriously injured.
Irked by the development, members of the group regrouped themselves on Sunday night apparently for a reprisal attack, killing at least four members of the Eiye confraternity group and a police officer.

The source said the Afee group moved from one street to the other across the ancient town, identifying members of the Eiye and killing at least four people in the process.
The clash was said to have started at Yaba and spread to other area of the town which include; Odojomu, Enuowa, Idi Ishin and Surulere where there were sporadic shooting.

Speaking on the genesis of the killing, the source said trouble started on Friday, when some members of the party who left the party at the wake of the November 2016 governorship election for Alliance for Democracy (AD) joined the APC faithful so to celebrate the installation and inauguration of the new governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, Mr Femi Joseph said about 10 people have been arrested over the development.

The Police image maker however could not confirm the death of any of his men during the fracas but said the command has commenced investigation into the killings.
He said, “It was a clear cult clash and we have begun investigation on the incident but said normalcy has returned into the town while his men were deployed to strategic places within the town.