the Ijagun, Ijebu Ode area of Ogun State, during which they killed a
final-year student of the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun.
PUNCH Metro reports that the cult members, who were armed with cutlasses
and guns, at about 12pm invaded Abapawa – an area off the campus – and
chased students, during which the victim, Ganiyu Oloyede, was hacked to
death.
Oloyede was said to be a 400-level student of Social Studies in TASUED.
It was learnt that Oloyede was hacked to death by the cult members because his girlfriend, whose
name could not yet be ascertained, was beaten up by
one of the cult members, and the victim had reportedly challenged the
assault.
It was said that the cult members later mobilised to the hostel where
Oloyede, who was preparing for his teaching practice stayed and killed
him.
Punch adds that there was tension in Abapapawa, as students shut themselves in, while the cult attack persisted.
Policemen from the Obalende division later arrived at the scene to remove Oloyede’s corpse to a mortuary.
A female student and eyewitness, who gave her name only as Bisola, said
Oloyede, aka Agunrege, was killed as a result of the cult clash between
Aye and Aloera confraternities.
She said,
“The crisis started at about 12pm in Abapawa in Ijagun. The area has
several students’ hostels. I saw the boys running around with cutlasses.
They were later said to be Aye and Aloera cult members.
“They chased Ganiyu (Oloyede) to a corner and cut him with cutlasses
until he died. What started the fight was that Ganiyu had a girlfriend
who was beaten up few days ago by one of the cult members. The cult
member was said to be interested in the lady.
“Ganiyu had protested the beating of his girlfriend by the cult member
and the culprit went to invite his friends, who attacked Ganiyu.
Students are still in fear because the cult members are threatening to
unleash more mayhem.”
Another student, who did not want his name in print, said the cult
members came on a reprisal to attack a rival cult member, but Ganiyu was
the one they met in the hostel.
He said,
“On getting to Ganiyu’s hostel, the cult members did not meet the
person they came to attack. When they saw Ganiyu, one of them recalled
that he had had an issue with him (Ganiyu) over a girlfriend. So, they
vented their anger on him.
“Right now, Ijagun is hot and the soldiers who came to restore normalcy
are only arresting and harassing innocent students. The cult members
have all gone into hiding after the killing. We want the police to
intensify their patrol around the campus. We want our peace to be
restored.”
Punch gathered that Oloyede’s corpse had been deposited by the police in a morgue in Ijebu Ode for an autopsy.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the killing.
He said,
“There was a clash between members of the Aye and Aloera cults in an area around the university.
“When
the policemen got to the scene, the deceased, a 400-level student, was
found dead with machete cuts. The body has been deposited in a morgue
for an autopsy. Normalcy has been restored to the area now. Meanwhile,
effort is on to arrest the fleeing suspects.”
The Public Relations Officer, TASUED, Nureni Bakenne, said the deceased student was supposed to undergo a teaching practice.
“The school, through its chief security officer, has put in place several security measures to prevent a recurrence.
“Our school has not witnessed a cult clash in a long time,” he added.