Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Abiodun Odude, has said that among the 11 persons so far arrested over the Sunday cult clash in Ibadan, were four leaders of the suspected cult groups.
He said the police was still gathering intelligence to ensure the real culprits were arrested and prosecuted.
Addressing reports of slow response by the police, Odude said its response to crime was usually timely.
Also, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, on Monday, gave the assurance that culprits and masterminds of Sunday’s arson in Idi-Arere, Asaka and Oja-Igbo parts of Ibadan will be reprimanded.
Ajimobi gave the assurance during an on-the-spot assessment of the scenes of the incident where no fewer than 28 shops and six houses were torched in the incident said to have been carried out by suspected cult groups in the area.
Ajimobi, who was represented by his deputy, Moses Adeyemo, especially described those behind the incident as enemies of peace that the Ajimobi government had worked to instal.
While assuring that no effort will be spared to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators, he said the government was committed to supporting the victims.
In the meantime, he warned against any form of reprisal by those affected.
“Before our administration came on board, this state was known for brigandage, killings and violence. Since we came on board, our administration is known for peace and security.
“Those who did this are enemies of government and peace loving people of this state. I assure you that those who did this will never know peace.
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“We won’t condone it and will ensure those responsible for the crime are apprehended and prosecuted,” Ajimobi said.
Furthermore, he harped on the need for parents to be keener on proper training of their children for them to grow into responsible members of the society.
Meanwhile, one of the victims, Mr Kolawole Sodeinde, fingered hoodlums in the area as being behind Sunday’s mayhem.
He decried the slow response of the police to emergency calls when the torching of structures by the hoodlums had just begun.
“We called the policemen at Mapo Police station who refused to answer us. We called the fire service who said they could only come if they had police protection.
“I later called the Commissioner of Police who sent a team of policemen to the scene within 15 minutes of my calling him,” he said.
At Asaka area, Basirat Ahmed and Adigun Mutiu described the perpetrators as known hoodlums who also engaged in the robbery in the area.
The duo said that the eight shops burgled at the area were also set ablaze by the suspected hoodlums.
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