A yet-to-be-identified person was reportedly killed in a suspected cult clash that occurred in the Bode Olude area of Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State on Sunday.
PUNCH Online findings from a resident who pleaded anonymity that some group of young men were seen chasing themselves in the area at about noon on the said date, which prompted residents of the area to panic over suspicion of a brewing crisis.
The source disclosed further that after a while, the residents realized that the group of boys were suspected cultists who had allegedly killed the young man they were chasing by smashing his head with a stone.
The source said, “We just saw some group of boys running after a young guy. We thought it was just a mere misunderstanding that often happened among street urchins in the area.
“It was afterwards that we heard that they had killed the person they were pursuing in what was suspected to be a cult clash. When I got to the scene, I saw the lifeless body of the man who had been smashed with a stone on the head.
“Some people said they shot at him, but he was not affected by the gunshot, which was why they resorted to smashing his head with a stone.”
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident to our correspondent, adding that the body of the victim was deposited at the State Hospital’s morgue in the Ijaiye area of the state.
She said, “At about 1300hrs, the DPO received information from members of the public that an unknown man was being chased by a group of thugs who were suspected to be cultists. He was chased to the Dopamu backstreet via Bode Olude to Miliki intersection down to Elega.
“A police team led by DPO Adatan and DPO Elega visited the scene and encountered the lifeless body of a young man in a pool of his blood, his head broken with a stone. Police intervened immediately and evacuated his body to the Ijaiye Hospital mortuary.”
She added that the state’s Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alamutu, had ordered a probe into the incident while a manhunt has been launched for the perpetrators of the act.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alamutu, has ordered that a discreet investigation be carried out on the incident and the perpetrators be brought to book.
“The CP is assuring residents of the state that the Command will continue to work tirelessly to bring those who are bent on disrupting the peace of the state to book,” Odutola stated.
Meanwhile, some residents of the state have raised concerns over the incessant cult clash within the state capital in recent times.
A resident identified simply as Fatai lamented the spate of cult killings in some parts of the state.
He said, “The rate at which these cult guys are killing themselves is becoming worrisome and should be addressed so that innocent citizens will not bear the brunt.
“Governor Dapo Abiodun should take decisive steps to address the issue of cult clashes in the state.”
Another resident, Taiwo Ade, said, “It is important for the government to address this menace before it gets out of hand. When these guys go on a rampage, they cause residents of the state psychological stress because of the tension their actions often cause. The government should take necessary action over this menace.”
PUNCH Online notes that no fewer than nine persons were killed in different cult clashes that occurred in different parts of the state between January and April 2024.
On January 19, it was reported that two yet-to-be-identified persons were allegedly butchered by suspected cultists in Ota town in the Ado-Odo Ota Local Government Area of the state.
Similarly, on February 6, the Ogun State Police Command confirmed the arrest of 11 suspects over cult clashes in different parts of Abeokuta, which claimed four lives.
In March, it was reported that two persons identified as Sanni Ibrahim and Azeez Bada were brutally murdered in a clash between rival cult groups in the Igbesa area of Ogun State.
Meanwhile, in April, a suspected cult clash that occurred in the Ijeun Titun area of Abeokuta left one person, identified as Tescom, dead.