The Kwara State police command on Tuesday paraded 32 suspected hoodlums arrested in connection with the New Year eve attack on worshippers in Ilorin.
The police had on Monday announced the arrest of 10 persons in connection with the incident.
Some youths in Ibrahim Taiwo road area had during their annual carnival allegedly attacked worshippers performing their religious activities.
Three persons were injured in the attack. Vehicles and other properties worth millions of Naira were also destroyed.
Parading the suspect, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Lawan Ado, said the attack was not a premeditated religious attack as it was being speculated in some quarters.
The police commissioner said the command received a distress call at about 1:00 a.m. on New Year day that hoodlums, armed with dangerous weapons, were harassing and intimidating people and commercial motorcycle riders along Ibrahim Taiwo -Isale area of the Ilorin metropolis.
He said: “This group of unruly youth were said to be throwing fireworks, including knock out bangers of different calibres indiscriminately into premises of both the Catholic and Methodist churches and the United Secondary School, where members of the Quareeb Muslim Group and Christian worshippers were having their crossover programmes, causing a stampede in the premises of the school.
“This commotion gave the hoodlums an opportunity to gain entrance into the church premises and snatched handsets of some of the worshippers. They damaged five vehicles belonging to worshippers and three persons sustained varying degrees of injury.
“On the strength of the report, policemen drafted to the scene promptly brought the situation under control while 10 suspects were initially arrested, the injured victims were rushed to hospital where they were treated.”