The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the death of four unidentified persons during a clash between members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and Fulani people in Ajase-Ipo, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The police, in a statement issued late Friday, August 12, and signed by the Command’s Spokesperson, Ajayi Okasanmi, said the clash was as a result of misunderstanding between members of the OPC and the cattle dealers in Kaara market, Ajase-Ipo, on Friday evening, Punch News reports.
“Scores of people from both the OPC and the Fulani cattle dealers as well as passersby were injured while some vehicles including commercial buses and cars had their windscreen shattered in the clash,” the statement reads.
“The crisis occurred on Friday evening at 6.30pm when one of the cattle being led across the Ilorin/Omu-Aran highway by a Fulani herdsman broke the side mirror of one of the vehicles in the OPC convoy, who were returning from Osun-Osogbo Festival in Osun State.
“The misunderstanding led into a serious argument which eventually escalated into exchange of gunfire on the side of both the OPC and the cattle dealers in the market.
“Four lifeless bodies of unidentified persons were recovered at the scene.
“The immediate deployment of detachments of policemen to the scene by the Commissioner of police, Tuesday Assayomo, prevented the escalation and killings of more people”, the police said in the statement, adding that the four unidentified dead bodies had been evacuated from the scene and deposited at the morgue of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital while the injured had been taken to a hospital in Ajase-Ipo for medical treatment.
Disclosing that normalcy had returned to the area while policemen were also stationed at the scene to prevent further break down of law and order, the police said the Ilorin-Omu-Aran highway was now free as the road had been cleared and every obstruction removed from the road.
