A political rally organised by the Senator representative Ogun East Senatorial District, Senator Buruji Kashamu,on Sunday turned bloody as no fewer than six persons including an Inspector of Nigeria Police were shot dead.
It was gathered that two persons were gunned down on Sunday while four others, including a bricklayer and the police officer was killed on Monday.
The gun battle, which began around 5:30pm on Sunday at Oke – Sopen Road leading to Station bus stop, it was gathered, spilled into Oke – Agbo area and Ojowo, with gunshot booming intermittently all through the night and escalated in the early hours of Monday.
The attack, which led to many sustaining various degrees of injuries, it was gathered, started immediately after Senator Kashamu’s ‘thank you visit’ to Ijebu North Local Government Area of the state.
A police source, which spoke with our correspondent, revealed that the pandemonium started during a clash between men of Oodua People’s Congress, OPC and some member of a cult group, Eiye Confraternity.
The pandemonium, it was gathered led to the death of one OPC member and another member of the cult group.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident, said that the Area Commander of Ijebu Igbo was immediately directed by the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu to mobilize and bring the situation under control.
Oyeyemi explained that the team was on a routine patrol in the early hours of Monday when they were ambushed by the suspected cult members and opened fire on the, killing one on the spot while another officer was said to have sustained gunshot injury.
The situation, it was further gathered, thrown the whole community into confusion as residents and visitors scampered to safety in fear while some were caught in the crossfire.
A source in Ijebu-Igbo told journalists that three persons, believed to be members of the same family, were killed in front of their father’s house in Ojowo, another killed near the Amazing Graze Petroleum Station while two others were shot dead at Odo Balogun – all in Ijebu – Igbo town.
The PPRO said all the units of the state Police Command including Federal Special Anti – Robbery Squad (F-SARS), Anti-cult unit, Anti-Riot Policemen and regular armed policemen have all been deployed to the area to restore order.
Abimbola, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), added that the men had enforced normalcy and advised residents not to panic.
He further disclosed that an undisclosed number of suspects have been arrested in connection with the crisis, revealing that they were already assisting the police in investigation.
