Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, issued a directive on Wednesday ordering the state’s security organizations to put an end to the violent attacks in Ilesa that claimed the lives of roughly five residents in less than a week.
Our correspondent’s research found that two competing cult organizations known as Ave and Eye had recently engaged in a brutal war for power in the area.
After a second incident in Ilesa’s Oke Omiru Area on Tuesday night, during which an unnamed resident was reportedly slain, the number of casualties increased to five.
Two suspected cultists were killed earlier on Sunday at Imo Junction, and two more were allegedly killed in retaliation on Tuesday afternoon near Sabo/Irojo Junction.
The latest killing which occurred around 7:49 pm on Tuesday at Oke Omiru area, was said to be a reprisal of the earlier attack.
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Reacting to the gradual descent to anarchy in Ilesa, Adeleke in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, obtained in Osogbo on Wednesday, described the killing spree as ‘shocking and reprehensible,’ calling on the police service and other security agencies to act decisively to stop the cult clashes.
Lamenting the loss of lives of innocent residents, the governor directed that special operations to be carried out by the security agents should include intelligence gathering to arrest masterminds of the attacks, warning that, “All perpetrators will face the harsh reality of the law.
“I have been duly briefed on the developments in some parts of Ijeshaland. We will no longer tolerate actions capable of disrupting the peaceful atmosphere in the state. We will not allow any group or individuals to use their internal wars to endanger public peace.
“This is a matter that threatens law and order. We must enforce the law and ensure peace without delay. This is one violence too many.
“I have directed the Commissioner of Police and other service chiefs to swing into action without delay. Violence and attacks must stop and perpetrators must be brought to book as urgently as possible,” he said.
