Four suspected members of rival cult groups have been killed in the Olunlade area of Ilorin, Kwara State.
The suspected cultists were killed during the celebration of August 8 (8/8) cult activities in the state.
The spokesman of the state police command, Ajayi Okasanmi, who confirmed the incident, however, said only two people were killed during the event.
Residents of Olunlade, however, insisted that four people were killed by different cult groups in a reprisal attack.
“Only two people were killed in the 8/8 celebration by the cult groups and not four as being peddled around by some people. One person died on the spot at the scene of the crisis at Olunlade while the other was reported to have died later in the hospital,” he added.
On the likely cause of the crisis, Okasanmi said, “You know that yesterday (Monday) was August 8 and the different cult groups were celebrating the day in many places in the town. We don’t know what might have triggered the crisis among the cult members at Olunlade, but we gathered that the crisis might not be unconnected with rivalry among the cult groups.
“We gathered from an intelligence report that a crisis broke out and the rival cult members started shooting sporadically at one another,” he said.
Okasanmi said the situation had been brought under control while normalcy had returned to the area.