Two university students have lost their lives in Ede, Osun State, following an attack blamed on rival cult factions.
The fatal incident has renewed intense concerns over security and student safety within the state’s tertiary education sector.
It was gathered that the students, numbering about six, were attacked in their off-campus apartment by suspected cultists.
A police source who did not want to be named because of the sensitive nature of the incident told our correspondent that the attack stemmed from an ongoing cult rivalry in the area.
“The attack occurred in the night. The students were in their room when some cultists who were on a revenge mission forced their way into the apartment and started attacking them with dangerous weapons.
“The students sustained varying degrees of injuries, and two later succumbed to their injuries,” the source disclosed.
The source added that the injured victims had been hospitalised and were currently receiving treatment.
Meanwhile, an anti-cultism advocacy platform, Naija Confra, also stated that two students had so far lost their lives in the attack.
The platform alleged that suspected members of the Aye confraternity tracked a Buccaneer member identified simply as Dara to the apartment before launching the attack.
“Aye, the hit squad tracked a Buccaneer named Dara to his house. Dara holds the position of first shipmate, and the first shipmate is always with the number one man (Big Eye). When they got there, both the first shipmate, the Big Eye, and other officeholders were in the house. They were seriously attacked.
“Two have been reported dead, including the first mate and another person described as the SJ. Other Buccaneers inside the house are in critical condition in the hospital, including the number one man,” the platform wrote.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the incident.
He, however, noted that one person was killed.
“Suspected cultists had a clash on Tuesday, and one person was killed. Investigation is ongoing,” Ojelabi stated.
