Two people — a student and a motorcyclist — were killed in Ilesa, Osun State, following a suspected cult-related clash.
A source familiar with the incident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack occurred on Tuesday and was linked to an ongoing conflict between members of the Eiye and Aye confraternities.
According to the source, the student was riding with the motorcyclist when assailants struck and opened fire on them. Photos from the scene showed both victims lying lifeless with bloodstains.
The source explained,
“There was a cult clash yesterday in Ilesa that led to two people’s deaths. One of the victims was a student, as he was wearing a sign-out shirt, while the other person was a motorcyclist. I learnt that they were attacked, shot at, and left dead on the spot by the assailants. The clash was suspected to be a retaliatory attack for a previous cult fight.”
Anti-cultism advocacy group NaijaConfra also confirmed the incident in a post on X, identifying the student as Taiwo.
“The first victim was identified as Taiwo, a student killed yesterday after signing out. The second victim was confirmed to be the bike man who was carrying Taiwo before the attack. While Taiwo died on the spot, the bike man reportedly crawled into the bush and later died there,” the group wrote.
Spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the killings on Wednesday. He said officers rushed to the scene but the attackers fled before they arrived.
“Yes, the clash happened, and two people were killed. When the clash happened, on the arrival of the police, everybody took to their heels, but we are still investigating. Our intelligence personnel are on the ground, and the matter has been transferred to the anti-cultism section. I am sure that before this week ends, we will see what comes out of it,” Ojelabi said.