It was serious tension that took over in Ilesa on Saturday following violent clashes between rival groups of hoodlums in Ilesa, Osun State.

Unofficial sources said five persons were killed as rival groups of hoodlums clashed in different areas in the town.

According to a reliable security source, who would not want to be named, the crisis started Okutu Ope area of Ilesa.

It was further learnt that two different groups of hoodlums had approached a construction site for settlement before work could go on.

He said, “After getting the money, members of the two groups disagreed on the sharing formula and a member identified as ‘China’ was killed.

“It happened in Okutu Ope area on Friday. Police operatives later arrived and went away with the corpse. But on Saturday, another member of one of the groups was killed.

“But from report available to me, three innocent residents, including a woman coming back from church, were caught in the crossfire and got killed. The clash is causing tension in the town.”

But when asked for official casualty figure, the spokesperson of Osun Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, said the state Police Commissioner, Wale Olokode, would be visiting Ilesa for an on-the-spot assessment