Okelele residents in the Ibagun ward of the Ilorin East local government area of Kwara State have made a decision to end criminal activity in the neighborhood.
The increase in cultist conflicts in the area last week, which took at least five lives, spurred the community’s resolve.
Between Monday and Wednesday of last week, suspected rival cultists turned the Okelele village into a battleground while carrying out retaliation killings.
Worried by the ugly and unacceptable development, the head of Ibagun community (Alangua), Malam Sakariyau Iyanda Ilufemiloye, in collaboration with the leadership of Ibagun Progressive Union (IPU) summoned an emergency meeting of all the family heads, religious leaders, elders and leaders of the community.
Those who spoke at yesterday’s meeting which was held at the Government Day Secondary School, Amule, Okelele, included the Alangua Ibagun, Malam Sakariyau Ilufemiloye, special adviser on Strategy, Alh Saadu Salahu, special assistant on Security, Alh Muyideen Aliyu and the president of IPU, Kuranga Omomeji Morogun.
Earlier, Malam Ilufemiloye, said, “Religious leaders in the area and in other parts of the state should routinely preach against all forms of criminality in their various worship centres and promptly supply the security agencies with useful information.”
For his part, the head of Community Policing Volunteers in the state, Alhaji Yusuf Abdullahi informed the gathering that the community policing officers had identified where some criminal elements hibernated in the area and would soon take necessary action.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in the state, Nurudeen AbdulRaheem, two DPOs and the head of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Okelele, also attend-ed the meeting.