Esa-Oke, Osun State — A fresh graduate of the Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, identified simply as Taoreed, has been confirmed dead after being struck by a stray bullet during a clash between rival cult groups in the community.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, September 23, shortly after Taoreed had collected his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) call-up letter from the institution.
According to reports, chaos initially broke out around the school premises on Monday, September 22, when gunshots rang out during the final-year students’ sign-out celebrations. A student, said one final-year student was killed in the first attack by suspected cultists.
“We were signing out after our exams in the afternoon when gunshots suddenly rang out outside the school. Everyone ran for cover. Later, we discovered that a final-year student had been killed by cultists. It was a terrible scene,” the student recalled.
Some students also noted that a similar incident had occurred early last year during a sign-out celebration.
A police source confirmed that Taoreed’s death happened the following day during a reprisal along the Ilesa–Esa-Oke Road. Taoreed had been waiting by the roadside to board a bus home when gunmen opened fire.
“What happened was a reprisal after Monday’s killing. Cultists targeted their rivals near where Taoreed was waiting. One of the stray bullets hit him. He tried to run for safety but didn’t realize he had been shot. He was later found in a nearby bush, unresponsive,” the source said.
It was reported that Taoreed’s NYSC call-up letter was found in a black cross bag he was carrying at the time of the shooting.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the incident, describing it as a cult clash in which two people were killed—one on the spot and the other in hospital. He said efforts are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators.
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Rivalries between confraternities have long resulted in fatalities among students, often tied to supremacy battles, reprisals, or attempts to recruit undergraduates.
