2 people killed in a fierce rival cult group clash in Osogbo, Nigeria

Two people were killed and four others injured on Friday in a clash involving suspected members of rival cult groups in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, Nigeria.

The violence broke out around 5 p.m. at a lounge in the Owoeba community along the Osogbo/Ilesa Road. According to residents, gunshots and noise were heard in the afternoon as assailants attacked people who were drinking at the lounge.

One of the victims, identified only as “Small Rugged,” died on the spot after being struck on the head. Another man was shot and also killed. Pictures from the scene showed one of the deceased lying in a pool of blood with an open head wound.

A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “We heard gunshots and noise in the afternoon. The deceased was with some people drinking when the assailants arrived. They engaged in a fight before the two men were eventually subdued and killed.”

Police later arrived and removed the two bodies. A police van was seen conveying the corpses along Station Road in Osogbo later that evening.

Osun State Police Command spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi confirmed the incident. He said it was a shooting suspected to have been carried out by cult groups around the Oke Baale area of Osogbo.

“Two persons died at the spot. One of them is identified as ‘Small Rugged’. His other names are not known yet. Four other people sustained gunshot injury and have been rushed by the police to a nearby hospital for treatment,” Ojelabi stated.

He added that the State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, had directed tactical teams to move into the area and arrest those responsible.

The attack has left residents of the community frightened.