No fewer than 15 persons have been arrested by the Kogi State Police Command following cult clashes that claimed the lives of four persons on Monday night in the Kabawa area of Lokoja, the state capital.
It was reliably gathered that the crisis started on Monday night as two rival groups between the ages of 13, 14, and 15 years old engaged themselves in free for all fights which led to the killing and burning of houses in the area.
The crisis saw residents moving their families from the area to better-secured places to avoid being engulfed in the crisis.
An insider disclosed that the crisis is a result of a reprisal attack by another group following the killing of one of their member few months ago and fled but returned last week.
The rival group were said to have immediately mobilised for a reprisal attack.
The sources added that the cultists who were armed with guns and other dangerous weapons invaded some houses, attacked people, and burned houses they believe belong to members of rival groups.
However, when the police stormed the area on Tuesday to calm down the situation, some of the cultists engaged the security agent in a gun battle which lasted for several hours before they were overpowered.
Some members of the cultists jumped into the river Niger to avoid being arrested and then swim to the other side of the river bank.
Meanwhile, the command’s Public Relations Officers, SP William Aya, while confirming the incident said 15 suspects have been arrested by the command.
He added that only one person can have been confirmed dead, adding that the police are still investigating what led to the incident.
