Two undergraduates of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State have been shot dead in a cult-related reprisal attack.
It was gathered yesterday that one of the victims was a member of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) and a 400-level student in the Faculty of Agriculture.
The incident occurred on Poultry Road Extension in Ekpoma after the death of a person named Eddy, who was reportedly beaten to death for allegedly using fake bank alerts to make purchases.
However, the circumstances surrounding Eddy’s death were misinterpreted as an attack by rival cult members, leading to a retaliatory attack by a rival cult group and resulting in the deaths of the two students.
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The Edo Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police (SP) Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the cult-related killings and stated that some suspects had been apprehended, with investigations ongoing.
In a related development, one person has been killed and several properties were destroyed on Tuesday in a deadly clash between cult groups in Kwara State.
The incident occurred at Eyenkorin, Asa Local Government Area.
The Commissioner of Police, Victor Olaiya, confirmed the incident, saying “Mobile men and tactical teams have been deployed and are presently on the ground.”
The Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, said firefighters were called to the scene around 4:50 hours only to find two buildings engulfed in flames.
“Investigations revealed a sinister plot as the inferno was deliberately set by rival groups clashing in a deadly confrontation. One life was lost and the bereaved group avenged it by targeting the home of the rival group’s leader, leaving two houses in ruins,” Adekunle said.
Daily Trust reports that five persons had been killed in recent clashes between Eiye and Aiye rival cult groups in the state.