ONE DEAD AS SUSPECTED CULTISTS ESCORTING MASQUERADE CLASH IN OSUN

Osogbo — A man identified as Kazeem was reportedly killed in Osogbo during a violent clash between suspected cult groups escorting a masquerade.

According to reports, members of the Eiye confraternity from the Oke-Baale area, allegedly led by one Tajudeen, accompanied the masquerade to Oke-Ola, a different part of the state capital. There, they encountered a rival cult group, sparking tensions.

An eyewitness, Ismail Bakare, told Vanguard that the violence broke out around 7 p.m. on Sunday when the masquerade procession reached Oke-Ola Street, and the two groups began hurling stones at each other.

"Suddenly, we heard gunshots and everyone scattered. When things calmed down, Kazeem was found lying in a pool of blood, and the crowd had dispersed," Bakare recounted.

Confirming the incident, Osun Police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi stated that the command's anti-cultism unit was swiftly deployed to the scene to prevent further violence. He added that the armed suspects fled upon sighting the police operatives.