A recent 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 violent clash between rival cult groups in the community.
The tragic incident occurred on Tuesday, September 23, shortly after Taoreed had collected his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) call-up letter from the institution.
Eyewitnesses reported that the violence began a day earlier, on Monday, September 22, when suspected cultists engaged in a deadly confrontation near the school premises during the signing-out celebration of final-year students.
A student, who requested anonymity, recounted:
“We were signing out after our exams when gunshots suddenly rang out outside the school. Everyone ran for cover. Later, we learnt that a final-year student had been killed. It was a terrible situation.”
The student also noted that similar violence had marred sign-out celebrations in previous years, describing insecurity during such events as a recurring problem.
Videos from the scene showed students running in panic as gunshots echoed around the school gate.
According to a police source, Taoreed’s death was the result of a reprisal attack along the Ilesa–Esa-Oke Road on Tuesday.
“The cultists were targeting their rivals in the area where Taoreed was waiting to board a bus after collecting his call-up letter. When the shooting started, he tried to escape without realising he had been hit. He was later found in a nearby bush, unresponsive,” the source revealed.
His NYSC call-up letter was later recovered from a black cross bag he had with him at the time of the incident.
Confirming the development, 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 at the hospital. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators,” Ojelabi stated.
