Four persons, comprising members of several cult groups, were feared dead during the celebration of August 8 (8/8) Cult activities in Olunlade Area, Ilorin.
SP Ajayi Okasanmi, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Kwara Command, made the announcement on Tuesday in Ilorin.
Okasanmi noted that the official statistic indicated only two deaths during the celebration, but residents in the neighborhood claimed that four people were killed in retaliation by various cult organizations.
However, the PPRO acknowledged that two people were murdered in the incident.
“Only two individuals were slain in the 8/8 celebration by Cult groups, not four people as some people claim,” Okasanmi remarked.
“One individual was believed to have died on the scene of the incident at Olunlade, while the other was claimed to have died later in the hospital.”
The PPRO stated that the likely source of the issue was the August 8 celebration, which was being observed by several cult groups in various locations throughout town.
“We don’t know what precipitated the crisis among the Cult members in Olunlade, but we learned that the problem was not unrelated to rivalry among the cult factions.”
“We learned from intelligence reports that a crisis had broken out, and competing cult members began firing intermittently to attack each other,” he explained.
Okasanmi stated that the situation was under control, and that tranquility had returned to the Area.
He did, however, say that a worker in a government establishment in the region, who requested anonymity, said the crisis began on the night of Aug. 8, at a local gin shop near the Bovas Petrol station in Olunlade.
“According to the worker, some members of a cult group followed a man to the joint location, and the target frequents the joint.”
“When he saw them, the victim ran to his heels to flee, but the cult members opened fire on him as he tried to flee.”
“A bullet fired by cult members struck two persons, including the son of a local gin vendor.”
“They pursued their target and eventually caught up with him and shot him in the head,” he explained.
Another Olunlade local, who identified himself just as Abdulmojeed, said the cult members killed two individuals and injured two more with bullets.
“I’m not sure if the kid of the local gin merchant who was wounded survived, but when they started shooting, the most of us ran for cover.”
“God protected us by preventing a bullet from striking several of us when they began shooting.”
“Police arrived in the area on Tuesday am to restore normalcy,” he said, adding that he was unsure if any arrests were made.
