Stray Bullet Kills Osun Graduate After NYSC Call-Up

A recent graduate of the Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, identified as Taoreed, has been confirmed dead after being hit by a stray bullet during a clash between rival cult groups.

The tragic incident occurred on Tuesday, September 23, shortly after Taoreed had collected his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) call-up letter from the institution.

Eyewitnesses reported that the violence began a day earlier, on Monday, September 22, when suspected cultists clashed near the school premises during the signing-out ceremony for final-year students. A student, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said gunshots erupted during the event, forcing students to flee for safety.

“We were signing out after our exams when we suddenly heard gunshots outside the school premises. Everyone ran for cover. Later, we discovered that a final-year student had been killed by cultists. It was a terrible situation,” the student recalled.

A video circulating online showed students running frantically around the school gate as gunfire rang out. The student further noted that similar incidents had occurred during previous sign-out celebrations, highlighting a recurring security concern.

A police source revealed that Taoreed’s death occurred the following day along the Ilesa–Esa-Oke Road during a reprisal attack. According to the source, Taoreed had gone to the school to collect his NYSC call-up letter and was waiting to board a bus home when gunmen opened fire.

“What happened was a reprisal after the final-year student was killed on Monday. The cultists targeted their rivals in the area where Taoreed was trying to board a bus. One of the stray bullets hit him. He ran for safety without realizing he had been shot and was later found in a nearby bush, unresponsive,” the source explained.

Taoreed’s NYSC call-up letter was reportedly found inside a black cross bag he was carrying at the time of the attack.

Confirming the incident, Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, described it as a cult-related clash that claimed two lives.

“It was a cult clash. Two students were killed. One died on the spot, and the other died in the hospital. Efforts are ongoing to arrest the perpetrators,” Ojelabi stated.