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A fresh graduate of the Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Osun State, identified simply as Taoreed, has been confirmed dead after being hit by a stray bullet during a violent cult clash in the community.
The tragic incident occurred on Tuesday, September 23, a day after Taoreed had collected his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) call-up letter from the institution.
According to eyewitnesses, the violence first broke out on Monday, September 22, during the signing-out celebration of final-year students, when rival cult groups engaged in a deadly confrontation near the school premises.
Gunshots reportedly forced students to scamper for safety, leaving one final-year student dead on the spot.
A student, who pleaded anonymity, said: “We were signing out after our exams in the afternoon when we suddenly heard gunshots outside the campus. Everyone ran for cover. Later, we learnt that a student had been killed. It was a terrible situation.”
He added that similar clashes had marred previous sign-out celebrations, raising concerns over persistent insecurity during such gatherings.
Videos from the scene showed students running in panic near the school gate as gunfire rang out.
Police sources disclosed that Taoreed’s death was linked to a reprisal attack along the Ilesa–Esa-Oke Road the following day. He was reportedly waiting to board a bus home after picking up his call-up letter when gunmen opened fire on rival cult members in the area.
“It was a reprisal attack after Monday’s killing. The cultists targeted their rivals near where Taoreed was waiting. He was hit by a stray bullet. Though he managed to run, he collapsed in a nearby bush and was later found lifeless. His NYSC call-up letter was still inside the bag he was carrying,” a security source revealed.
Confirming the incident, the Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, described the incident as a cult-related clash that 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 tragic death of Taoreed has thrown the Esa-Oke community into mourning, with students and residents expressing fear over the rising wave of cult violence in the area.
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