New Year Eve attack: Kwara police arrest 32 suspects

An additional 22 suspected hoodlums have been arrested by the Kwara state police command in connection with the new eve attack on worshippers in the Ilorin metropolis, making a total number of 32 arrests.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Tuesday, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Lawan Ado, said that the attack was not a premeditated religious attack as it was being speculated in some quarters.

The police commissioner said that the command received a distress call at about 1:00am on the new year day to the effect that hoodlums, armed with dangerous weapons, were harassing and intimidating people and commercial motorcycle riders along Ibrahim Taiwo Isale area of the Ilorin metropolis.

“This group of unruly youth were said to be throwing fireworks, including knock out bangers of different calibres indiscriminately into premises of both the Catholic and Methodist churches and the United Secondary School, where members of the Quareeb Muslim Group and Christian worshippers were having their crossover programmes, causing a stampede in the premises of the school.

“This commotion gave the hoodlums an opportunity to gain entrance into the church premises, snatching handsets of some of the worshippers, they damaged five vehicles belonging to worshippers and three persons sustained varying degrees of injury.

“On the strength of the report, police men drafted to the scene promptly brought the situation under control while 10 suspects were initially arrested, the injured victims were rushed to hospital where they were treated”, he said.

The commissioner of police also said that investigation into the cause/causes of the incident had commenced, adding that additional 22 suspects had been picked up.

He said that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation was completed.