A graduate of Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, identified only as Taoreed, has been killed by a stray bullet during a violent clash between rival cult groups in the community.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, September 23 just one day after Taoreed received his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) call-up letter.
Sources told PUNCH Metro that trouble began the previous day, during a signing-out celebration for final-year students. Gunshots reportedly rang out near the school as suspected cult members attacked and fatally shot a student.
“We were signing out after our exams when gunshots suddenly erupted. Everyone fled. Later, we learned that a student had been killed,” a student witness said, requesting anonymity.
A video obtained by PUNCH Metro shows students fleeing in panic at the campus gate.
Another student recalled a similar incident during last year’s sign-out, raising concerns about recurring cult-related violence around graduation periods.
According to a police source, the fatal shot that killed Taoreed was fired during a reprisal attack the next day. He had returned to campus to collect his NYSC documents and was waiting by the roadside along the Ilesa–Esa-Oke Road when gunmen opened fire.
“The cultists were targeting rivals near where Taoreed stood. He tried to escape when the shooting started but didn’t realize he’d been hit. His body was later found in a nearby bush,” the source said.
His NYSC call-up letter was recovered from a black cross-body bag found with him.
Confirming the incident, Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, described it as a cult clash.
“Two students lost their lives one died at the scene, the other at the hospital. Investigations are ongoing, and efforts to arrest the culprits are underway,” he said.
Cult-related violence continues to plague campuses across Nigeria, often driven by power struggles, recruitment disputes, and revenge attacks.
In June, PUNCH Metro reported a similar confrontation between suspected Eiye and Aye cult members at Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, which left one person feared dead and four others injured.
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