The Ondo State Police Command has said vigilantes were killed in the communal crisis involving Kajola and Koseru communities in the Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.
The crisis broke out on Saturday as some hoodlums from Ilaje LGA allegedly invaded the communities, killing and destroying property.
A source said some residents of the affected communities and security agents were feared killed.
However, the state police command, in a statement on Sunday, denied the killing of policemen and other security agents in the clash.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, said the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Oyediran Oyeyemi, had ordered the arrest of the perpetrators of the act while normalcy had been restored in the warring areas.
The statement read, “Normalcy has returned to Kuseru village, a community where there was a communal clash. On December 9, 2022, a case of attempted murder was reported at Kajola division, that a woman, Julianah Alaba Abejoye, was shot by two masked men on her farm at Ogbontiba, via Kuseru, with a locally-made double-barrelled gun and escaped. She sustained injuries on the arm and thigh and was rushed to a hospital for treatment.
“On December 10, 2022, around 10am, in what seemed to be a reprisal attack, Aiyetoro boys, in their numbers, attacked Kuseru village, set ablaze the motorcycle parks, killed livestock, destroyed motorcycles and cut down plantain trees.
“Police contingents were quickly dispatched to the scene. While on a patrol of the villages, corpses of vigilantes were met at the palace of the Baale of Kuseru village. They were said to have been allegedly ambushed and killed.
“The Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyediran, visited the scene and urged all parties involved to sheath their sword and allow the police to carry out a thorough investigation on what really happened.
“He further ordered that the area commander and DPO of the area should ensure all culprits involved in the arson and murder are arrested and prosecuted accordingly.”
