Suspected cultists in Ota town in the Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State on Wednesday reportedly matcheted two persons to death.
An anonymous source told Journalists that the two persons lost their lives following a cult clash in the area.
The eyewitness said, “The incident happened about 12:20 p.m. Residents were running for safety. Some people said it was a clash between two rival cult groups. Two people died.
“But some residents claimed they could have been members of one of the cult groups, considering the way they were killed.”
It was gathered that some residents drew the attention of the men of the police at the Sango-Ota Division to the unrest, leading to the arrest of a suspect.
When contacted for confirmation, the Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, told PUNCH Metro through a WhatsApp message that the hands of the victims were entirely cut off.
While sighting the policemen deployed to the area to enforce peace, Odutola said the suspects fled into a nearby bush along with the hands of the two mutilated bodies.
However, when the policemen gave them a hot chase, one of the suspects, Damilare Odeshola, was said to have abandoned one of the corpses’ hands before he was subsequently apprehended
The police said the two corpses had been deposited at the Ifo General Hospital for autopsy.
“The corpses were discovered in the Titidada and Ilata areas of Ota. Their right hands were entirely cut off. The two corpses have not been identified yet.
“When our men were combing the area, one of the suspects was seen and given a hot chase. He dropped one of the hands of the corpse when it became clear to him that he would be arrested.
“He was eventually arrested. He is under investigation. There is an ongoing effort to apprehend other fleeing suspects,” Odutola stated on Thursday.
She added that another suspected cultist was arrested during a routine patrol in Sagamu town, where 24-year-old Sodiq Okeowo confessed to being a member of the Eiye Confraternity.
“The police in Sagamu Division arrested Okeowo on January 16. He confessed that some members of the group in the Ikeja area of Lagos tattooed a big bird on his back as a symbol. He will be moved to Abeokuta for further investigation,” Odutola explained
Cult clashes were widely reported last year in the state. One of the incidents reportedly left three people dead and three others arrested in the Sagamu area.
The police said the victims died after rival cults clashed in the Agbowa area of Sagamu.