At least two people were killed on Monday during a celebration by suspected cult members in the Olunlade area, Ilorin, Kwara State.
Every August 8, cult members in the area celebrate what they term 8/8, usually marked with attacks on rivals.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ajayi Okasanmi, said two people were killed.
He said, “You know that yesterday (Monday) was August 8 and the different cult groups were celebrating the day in many places in the town; we don’t know what might have triggered the crisis among them at Olunlade, but we gathered that the crisis was not unconnected to the rivalry among them. We gathered from an intelligence report that the crisis broke out and the rival cult members started shooting sporadically to attack each other.
“Two people were killed in the 8/8 celebration and not four 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 a hospital.”
Okasanmi noted that the situation had been brought under control.
However, a worker in a government establishment in the area, who did not want his name in print for security reasons, claimed that four people died.
He said the crisis started on Monday at a local pub in the community.
According to the worker, some members of a cult trailed a man to the joint, adding that the target, who regularly patronised the pub, suddenly took to his heels as the hoodlums opened fire on him.
“The bullets 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 added.
Another resident, who identified himself simply as Abdulmojeed for security reasons, said two people were killed by the cultists, while two others sustained bullet wounds.
He said, “I don’t know if the son of the local gin seller who was shot survived but majority of us scampered for safety when they started shooting. God saved us that the bullets did not hit some of us when they started shooting.”
Abdulmojeed said the police came to the area on Tuesday to restore normalcy, adding that he was not sure if any arrest was made.
