A fresh graduate of the Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, also known as Taoreed, has been confirmed dead after being struck by a stray bullet during a dispute between rival cult groups in the village.
Chronicle NG gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday, September 23, shortly after he received his National Youth Service Corps call-up letter from the institution.
According to reports, pandemonium began on Monday, September 22, when gunshots rang out while some final-year students were celebrating their signing-out.
A student at the institution, who spoke with our correspondent on Thursday but asked not to be identified, said a final-year student was killed in the process by suspected cult members.
He said, “We were signing out after our exams in the afternoon when we suddenly started hearing gunshots outside the school premises. Everyone ran for cover. It was later that we discovered that a final-year student had been killed by cultists. It was a terrible situation.”
In a video obtained by our journalist on Thursday, youngsters can be seen scrambling for safety at the school gate.
The youngster recalled a similar event from early last year, when gunshots were heard throughout the school grounds during one of their sign-out parties.
According to a police source, Taoreed died the next day during a reprisal on the Ilesa-Esa-Oke Road.
According to the source, Taoreed went to the school on Tuesday to pick up his NYSC call-up letter and was waiting at the curbside to catch a bus home when gunmen opened fire.
“What happened was a reprisal after the final-year student was killed on Monday. The cultists had targeted their rivals in the area where Taoreed was trying to board a bus.
“They started shooting, and one of the stray bullets hit him. When he heard the gunshots, he ran for safety without realizing he had been hit. He was later found in a nearby bush, where he crawled to but was unresponsive.”
It was also discovered that his call-up letter was inside a black crossbody bag that he was carrying at the time of the occurrence.
When contacted, State Police Public Relations Officer DSP Abiodun Abiodun Ojelabi confirmed the occurrence.
He described the incident as a cult clash and stated that two persons were slain.
“It was a cult clash. Two students were killed. One died on the spot, and the other died in the hospital. Efforts are ongoing to arrest the perpetrators,” he disclosed.
Over the years, confraternity rivalry has killed countless students, particularly in areas with tertiary institutions.
The deaths are frequently tied to power struggles, retaliation, or attempts to attract undergraduates into their groups.
Multiple reputable sources among polytechnic students, speaking on the condition of anonymity, stated the altercation comprised members of the Eiye and Aye confraternities.
They also said that four other people were injured in the clash, which occurred just outside the institution’s main gate.
