Residents of Ondo town have blamed the lingering supremacy battle, attacks, killings, and violent clashes among cult groups in the community on politicians.

The residents spoke on Wednesday at a stakeholders meeting coveyed by the sate Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, in Ondo town.

Lamenting activities of the outlawed cult groups, they explained that innocent victims had been killed and family members nursed their wounds over cult-related clashes in the town.

According to them, cult activities and killings increased in the city in the last three weeks, leading to the killing of many youths.

Speaking at the stakeholders meeting, the residents alleged that politicians were always arming the youth to torment trouble in the town.

A youth leader in the town, Akintomide Akinkuolie, accused the police of indiscriminate arrests of innocent people, especially at car parks during violent cult clashes.

Mr Akinkuolie also accused the cops of always demanding money from families of the victims before being released.

He said, “These politicians armed the youth in pursuit of their political ambitions. They are responsible for the crime while the police will be arresting innocent people after the crime must have been perpetrated,” he said.

The chairman of Police Community Relations Committee in the town, Akintayo Richard, pleaded with the CP to urge state and federal lawmakers from the city to assist with security equipment, such as vehicles, and motorcycles to tackle the menace headlong.

Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers at the meeting noted that hard drug peddlers in motor parks were contributing to deadly clashes in the city.

They demanded the installation of CCTV cameras in motor parks, hotels, and other strategic locations in the city to check criminal activities, particularly cultism activities.

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Rarking, Mr Afolabi gave a marching order to officers in the town to clamp down on the activities of cult groups and wage war against hard drugs peddling in motor parks.

He pledged to tackle drug-peddling in the identified flash points areas of Ondo East, Ondo West, and Ile-Oluji/Oke Igbo local government areas.

Asuring that the police would work closely with other security agencies, including the hunters, vigilantes to stem cultism and other crimes in the communities, Mr Afolabi asked the residents to report any suspicious movement in their neighborhood for immediate action.

“We are going back to the drawing board and try to see how these issues raised can be addressed, most especially the one of cult activities and the activities of people peddling drugs. I can give you this assurance that it will be holistically addressed.”

Chairman, Ondo West Local Government, Ayotunde Akinfolaranmi, described the initiative as fantastic, saying that it would go a long way in tackling security challenges being currently faced in the local government area.