By Ahmed Ajikobi
No fewer than two persons were murdered as group of cultists clash in Olunlade area of Ilorin, kwara state on Monday.
It was also gathered that the son of a Gin seller and one other person also sustained gun injuries at the spot on during the clash.
The cultists were reportedly doing their 8/8 celebration which took place on that fateful day.
As at the time of filing up this report, this medium is yet to confirm whether those who sustained gun injuries died or not
The kwara state police command spokesperson SP Ajayi Okasanmi in his press statement reported only two deaths in the clash. This was however disputed by the people in the area who put the casualty at four.
According to Okasanmi, “Only two people were killed in the 8/8 celebration by the Cult groups and not four people as being peddled around by some people.
“One person died on the spot of the crisis at Olunlade while the other was reported to have died later in the hospital”.
According to him, the likely cause of crisis was the celebration of Aug. 8 and different cult groups were celebrating the day in many places in town.
“We don’t know what might have triggered the crisis among the Cult members at Olunlade, but we gathered that the crisis might not be unconnected with rivalry among the cult groups.
“We gathered from an intelligence report that a crisis broke out, and the rival cult members started shooting sporadically to attack each other.
Okasanmi assured that the situation had been brought under control, adding that calmness had returned to the Area.
Narrating how the cultists struck in the area, Okasanmi said that a worker in a government establishment in the area, who pleaded anonymity, said that the crisis started on the night of Aug. 8, at a drinking joint near Bovas Petrol station, Olunlade.
“According to the worker, some members of a cult group trailed a man to the joint spot, adding that the target regularly patronizes the joint.
“The victim took to his heels to escape on sighting them, but the cult group opened fire on him as he was trying to leave the joint.
“The bullet fired by the cult members hit two people, including the son of the local gin seller.
“They continued to chase their target and later got him and shot him in the head,” he said.
Also, a resident in that crime scene area, who identified himself as Abdulmajeed said, two people were killed by the cult members, while two others sustained bullet wounds.
“I don’t know if the son of the local gin seller who was shot survived, but the majority of us scampered for safety when they started shooting.
“God saved us that the bullet did not hit some of us when they started shooting.
“Police came to the area on Tuesday morning to restore normalcy”, adding that he was not sure if any arrest was made.
