The Ondo State Deputy Governor, Dr Olayide Adelami, has called on the residents of the Owo community, where cult clashes occurred recently, to give valuable information to the security agencies to enable them to arrest the culprits.
No fewer than four people were killed during a fight between two rival cult groups penultimate Monday, while another man identified as Nasiru Isiaka was killed a few days later in the Owo community, the headquarters of the Owo Local Government Area of the state in the past few days.
To this end, the state police command said it had arrested 19 people in connection with the incident while the government had imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the community to forestall further breakdown of law and order in the ancient town.
Adelami, who spoke at the security summit organised by a group known as the Owo Youths Forum, held in the community on Sunday, decried the recent killings in the community, saying the development could bring the community into disrepute if drastic measures were not taken to checkmate it.
Represented by his chief of staff, Dr Kola Falohun, the deputy governor urged members of the public to offer viable information to the security agencies in addressing the situation and restoring peace to the community.
He said, “Police and other security agencies are not spirits; you need to inform them. If we must move forward, all hands must be on deck. Youths should retrain themselves; we should not pull ourselves down.
“We now know where we are going. Solutions have been suggested. We believe that by the time we do the main stakeholders’ meeting that will be organised by the office of the deputy governor soon, we will make headway.
“These boys are actually not bad; only we are not engaging them. They are our brothers and sisters. We will engage them and know if there are grievances and empower them because lack of a job is a major flashpoint.”
Speaking, a member of the forum, Odunayo Folahanmi, alleged that politicians caused a crisis in the town, saying they empowered the youths with dangerous weapons to work for them as political thugs.
“It is evident that politicians are the ones engaging the cultists. We invited them as well as others, but you could even see for yourselves that the political leaders are not here except the deputy governor, who is represented by the chief of staff.
“We have to start getting it right from our political class, and we have to start making sure that things are right. We even have privy information from the police that whenever these people are arrested, political leaders will come and rescue them,” he said.
Similarly, in his remarks, the police area commander in Owo, Mr. Adenike Peter, asked politicians and influential people to stop interfering in police procedures when suspects were being arrested, saying this was why the cultists were thriving in the community.
“Many a time, when we arrest these miscreants, politicians will start calling, saying he is my brother; we should release them. So, this is one of the major problems we have. Also, parents should checkmate their children and even report them to the police for action if found culpable of criminal tendencies.
“Members of the public should also give us useful information because we are not ghosts. We will work on the information given to us. These people live in our midst,” the police boss stated.
Also speaking at the forum, one of the organisers, Damilare Aina, explained that the forum was organised to bring up ideas that would address the challenges so that peace would be restored to the ancient town.
According to him, it was a known fact that politicians would indulge youths, especially the idle ones, for their political gains and abandon them.
Aina suggested that a continuous engagement of all stakeholders would go a long way in educating the youths and ensuring sustained peace in the area.
