A fresh graduate of the Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, simply identified as Taoreed, has been confirmed dead after he was struck by a stray bullet during a clash between rival cult groups in the community.

It was learnt that the incident occurred on Tuesday, September 23, shortly after he had collected his National Youth Service Corps call-up letter from the institution.

It was gathered that pandemonium first broke out around the school premises on Monday, September 22, when gunshots rang out while some final-year students were holding their signing-out celebrations.

A student of the school, who spoke with our correspondent on Thursday but preferred not to be mentioned, said a final-year student was killed in the process by suspected cultists.

He said, “We were signing out after our exams in the afternoon when we suddenly started hearing gunshots outside the school premises. Everyone ran for cover. It was later that we discovered that a final-year student had been killed by cultists. It was a terrible situation.”

In a video sighted by our correspondent on Thursday, students could be seen scampering for safety at the school gate.

The student recalled that a similar incident happened early last year, adding that gunshots were heard around the school premises during one of their sign-out celebrations.

A police source, however, disclosed that Taoreed’s death occurred the following day, during a reprisal along the Ilesa–Esa-Oke Road.

According to the source, Taoreed had visited the school on Tuesday to collect his NYSC call-up letter and was waiting at the roadside to board a bus home when gunmen suddenly opened fire.

“What happened was a reprisal after the final-year student was killed on Monday. 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. When he heard the gunshots, he ran for safety without realizing he had been hit. He was later found in a nearby bush, where he crawled to but was unresponsive.”

It was further gathered that his call-up letter was found inside a black cross bag he was carrying at the time of the incident.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the incident.

He described the incident as a cult clash while noting that two people were killed.

“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,” he disclosed.

Over the years, rivalry between confraternities has left several students dead, especially in communities where tertiary institutions are situated. The killings are often linked to supremacy battles, reprisals, or attempts to recruit undergraduates into their groups. (The PUNCH)