Police arrest alleged masterminds of Ilaje communal unrest

Officers from the Ondo State Police Command detained two people over the weekend on suspicion of orchestrating a violent intercommunal conflict in the state’s Ilaje Local Government Area’s Eki/Oboto community.

Police claim that after losing a case against Oba Oyetayo Ofoaye, the monarch of the Aboto village, the accused, Gbadebo and Michael Ogunsemore, enlisted armed thugs to commit acts of violence in the community.

According to Olayinka Ayanlade, the state’s police public relations officer, the disturbances caused inhabitants to be displaced, huts to be destroyed and set on fire, and one Jeremiah Okuntimehin to be macheted.

Ayanlade, who disclosed that efforts are ongoing to track and apprehend others involved in the unrest, maintained that the command will not tolerate any form of lawlessness or communal conflict capable of threatening peace and public safety in the state.

He said: “In a coordinated operation, operatives of the Command arrested Ogunsemore Gbadebo and Michael Ogunsemore, who have since been arraigned in court.

“The arrests mark a significant step in restoring normalcy to the affected community and sending a clear message that communal violence will not be condoned under any guise.

“The Commissioner of Police strongly warns individuals and groups that any attempt to undermine judicial decisions or take the law into their own hands will attract the full weight of the law, as the police remain resolute in safeguarding lives, property, and public order across the state.”