A suspected cult clash in the Ilese area of Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, has left a police officer and one unidentified man dead.
The Telegraph gathered on Sunday from a community source who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter that the violence broke out late Saturday night after suspected cultists stormed the area and began firing indiscriminately.
According to the source, the attackers killed a police officer and another man whose identity had not yet been confirmed. He added that the incident was believed to be a confrontation between members of the Aiye and Eiye confraternities.
“Tragedy struck around 10 p.m. at Ilese via Ijebu-Ode, as two individuals were killed in a suspected cult clash between Aiye and Eiye confraternities.
“One of the victims is a police officer serving at the Obalende Division in Ijebu-Ode. He is known as Olamilekan, while the second person remains unidentified. The assailants were shooting sporadically when they stormed the area, throwing residents into panic,” the source said.
When contacted on Sunday, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, confirmed the incident but said he had yet to receive a full briefing on the circumstances.
“I can confirm that a police officer was a victim in the incident. I am still waiting for the details of what really happened,” he said.
The killing adds to a series of recent attacks on police personnel.
Last Tuesday, The Telegraph reported that five police officers were killed and two others injured in what the Nigeria Police described as an ambush by suspected gunmen in Sabon Sara village, Darazo Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
The attack occurred less than three days after another police officer was confirmed dead in the Federal Capital Territory while repelling gunmen attempting to abduct residents.
