Two college students have been killed in a conflict that broke out between two rival cult teams in Esa-Oke city in Osun State.
One of many casualties was a recent graduate of the Osun State Faculty of Know-how, Esa-Oke, recognized solely as Taoreed.
One other was mentioned to be an undergraduate of the state-owned polytechnic.
Taoreed was hit by a stray bullet throughout a conflict between rival cult teams in the neighborhood.
The tragic incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday, 23 September, shortly after Taoreed had collected his Nationwide Youth Service Corps call-up letter from the establishment.
In line with eyewitnesses, the violence started a day earlier, on Monday, 22 September, when suspected cultists clashed close to the college premises through the signing-out celebration of final-year college students.
A pupil of the establishment, who spoke on situation of anonymity, revealed that gunshots had been heard through the occasion, forcing college students to flee for security.
He mentioned, “We had been signing out after our exams within the afternoon once we instantly began listening to gunshots outdoors the college premises.
“Everybody ran for canopy. It was later that we found {that a} final-year pupil had been killed by cultists. It was a horrible scenario.”
The scholar recalled {that a} comparable incident had occurred the earlier 12 months throughout one other sign-out celebration, noting that insecurity had grow to be a recurring downside throughout such gatherings.
A video confirmed college students operating helter-skelter across the college gate as gunfire erupted.
A police supply revealed that Taoreed’s dying occurred the next day throughout a reprisal assault alongside the Ilesa–Esa-Oke Highway.
The supply defined that the deceased had gone to the college to gather his NYSC call-up letter and was ready to board a bus residence when gunmen instantly opened hearth.
“What occurred was a reprisal after the final-year pupil was killed on Monday. The cultists had focused their rivals within the space the place Taoreed was making an attempt to board a bus.
“They began taking pictures, and one of many stray bullets hit him. When he heard the gunshots, he ran for security with out realising he had been hit. He was later present in a close-by bush, the place he crawled to however was unresponsive,” the supply mentioned.
It was gathered that Taoreed’s NYSC call-up letter was discovered inside a black cross bag he was carrying on the time of the incident.
When contacted, the Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the event.
Ojelabi described it as a cult-related conflict that claimed two lives.
“It was a cult conflict. Two college students had been killed. One died on the spot, and the opposite died within the hospital.
“Efforts are ongoing to arrest the perpetrators,” Ojelabi acknowledged.
