At least a student of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, has been confirmed dead during the shootout between suspected cultists and police officers in the early morning of Saturday at Lajolo village in the Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State.
InsightMedia gathered in ilorin on Saturday that the victim simply identified as Jamiu, is a final-year student of the institution. He was allegedly shot with two others while two policemen were also confirmed to have suffered gunshot wounds during the blood clash.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Ajayi Okasanmi, who confirmed the incident in a statement, said the clash was between police detectives from the Special Tactical Squad, Abuja, and some cult groups who were meeting around the village.
The statement partly read, “The Kwara State Police Command wishes to allay the fears agitating the minds of the general public, especially residents around Kwara State Polytechnic area, that the pandemonium experienced today within the area arose as a result of the attack unleashed on a team of Police detectives from the Special Tactical Squad FIB, Abuja, who came on the trail of some cultists in the area.
“Recall that cultists attacked and killed a student of Kwara State University, Malete yesterday 28/1/2022.
“Four of the cultists were arrested and dangerous weapons were recovered from the suspects.
“Information available to the STS team indicated that some of the cultists were hiding at Lajolo area of Kwara Polytechnic Ilorin, where similar attack was unleashed on one student named Idris Aderemi by same cultists at about 0600hrs today 29/1/22, in the same area. This prompted the visit to the area by the STS team.
“Surprisingly, the cultists who were already in ambush, attacked the police team damaging the police Hummer bus and inflicting a gunshot injury on the head of one police Sergeant, Adebayo Abdulahi, attached to the STS team.
“In the ensuing imbroglio, students in their numbers came out to block the road and prevented free flow of traffic and burning tyres on the road.
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“The Commissioner of Police Kwara State, Tuesday Assayomo, immediately dispatched teams of policemen to the area to restore peace.
“However, two cultists, one Ahmed ‘m’ surname unknown and one Musibau ‘m’ A.K.A Shaban was arrested with one fabricated English pistol with three live ammunition, 2 live cartridges and one pistol magazine.
“The injured policeman and the suspects have been taken to the hospital for treatment.”
Meanwhile, the polytechnic management said that the incident did not happen on its campus but occurred at Lajolo village, an adjoining community where some of its students are resident.
A statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Yunus Abdulkadir, said that “the incident occurred early this morning between the police and Lajolo community and has nothing to do with the polytechnic students or the campus, as first semester CBT examinations are going on right now in the campus without any disturbance.”
