Five people have been killed and two others injured in separate shootings in Ilesa, Osun State, within about 12 hours, following a suspected clash between rival cult groups and a subsequent reprisal attack.
The violence began around 8 p.m. on Monday in the Imo area of Ilesa, where suspected members of the Aiye and Eiye confraternities reportedly engaged in a gun battle that left three people dead.
The Osun State Police Command confirmed the deaths. It said the identities of the victims had yet to be established. Four expended cartridges and two Android mobile phones were recovered from the scene.
The command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the Commissioner of Police overseeing security for the 2026 Osun governorship election, Samuel Erale Etaifo, ordered the deployment of operatives from the Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU) and other tactical teams after receiving a distress call about the incident.
The violence, however, appeared to spread the following morning.
Around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, suspected members of a rival cult group reportedly opened fire in the Igbogi/Ikoti area of Ilesa, which left two men killed and a man and a woman injured.
Ojelabi said the police were treating the second attack as a reprisal linked to the previous night’s clash.
He said, “We just got the information that they were shooting sporadically at that place, and police operatives moved in, where two lifeless bodies were seen, and others were severely injured and were taken to a hospital for treatment.”
The police spokesperson identified the injured victims as Gbenga Adedigba and Victoria Adediji, saying both were receiving treatment. The identities of the two men who died in the second attack had not been established.
“No arrests yet, but the CP election went there today, and he has directed the DPO and the Area Commander to make sure they do the needful,” Ojelabi added.
The Commissioner of Police subsequently visited both crime scenes and directed divisional police officers and the area commander to identify and arrest those responsible.
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The killings have heightened security concerns in the state three days before Saturday’s governorship election, with the police warning against any attempt to exploit the violence for further attacks.
In a related security operation, a joint convoy of the military, police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS), and other security agencies conducted a show of strength across parts of Osun on Tuesday.
The operation, led by Etaifo, moved from Osogbo through Ilesa, Ile-Ife, Modakeke, and Ede.
Ojelabi said the exercise was intended to reassure residents and deter anyone planning to disrupt the election, rather than frighten voters.
“The show of strength was not to scare people away from coming out to vote. It is to make them have confidence that we are here to protect them,” he said.
He added that the security personnel would protect voters on election day and urged residents to come out without fear.
The police chief also visited families of victims of the Ilesa violence, where he assured them that those responsible for the killings would be pursued.
Ojelabi said, “We moved directly to Ilesa, and on entering Ilesa, we went to Imo, where the first incident happened. The CP met with some family of the victims, pacified them and assured them that those behind this would be apprehended.”
The police said tactical patrols, surveillance, and intelligence-led operations had been intensified around Ilesa and other identified flashpoints to prevent further reprisals. Residents were also urged to remain calm, avoid spreading unverified information, and report suspicious movements to the authorities.
