Tragedy struck the Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, on Tuesday, September 23, when a fresh graduate of the institution, identified simply as Taoreed, was hit by a stray bullet during a violent cult clash.
The incident occurred barely hours after Taoreed had collected his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) call-up letter, leaving the school community and his family in deep mourning.
Daily Post quoted eyewitnesses as having disclosed that the crisis began on Monday, September 22, when suspected rival cult groups clashed near the school premises during the signing-out celebrations of final-year students.
A student, who witnessed the chaos but asked not to be named, recalled how the joyous atmosphere quickly turned to panic.
“We were signing out after our exams when we suddenly started hearing gunshots outside the school premises. Everyone ran for cover. Later, we heard that a final-year student had been killed by cultists. It was a terrible situation,” the student said.
Video footage obtained by the media reportedly showed students scampering in different directions around the school gate as gunshots rang out.
Police sources also confirmed the development, explaining that Taoreed’s death came the following day during a reprisal attack along the Ilesa–Esa-Oke Road.
He was said to have just collected his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) call-up letter and was waiting to board a bus home when gunmen opened fire in a renewed attack.
“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. He ran for safety but didn’t realise he had been shot. He was later found in a nearby bush, where he had crawled to, but he was already unresponsive,” the police source revealed.
His NYSC call-up letter was later found inside a black cross bag he was carrying at the time of the incident.
Confirming the incident, the Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, said the violence claimed two lives.
“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,” Ojelabi said.
The police mouthpiece noted that insecurity during final-year celebrations had become a recurring problem, recalling that a similar cult-related clash had disrupted the event last year.
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