Kehinde Fajobi
Five people, including Fisayo Oladipupo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Owo, Ondo State, were killed during a violent cult clash that rocked the ancient town on Monday. Among the victims were a mother and her child.
Oladipupo, 56, a former youth leader and prominent figure in the APC, was reportedly shot at close range during the violence, which erupted around 2 a.m.
The clash, involving two rival cult groups engaged in a supremacy battle, resulted in multiple fatalities across the Eyinogbe, Ekusi, and Uselu areas.
According to a source, the attack on Oladipupo may have been a reprisal linked to a decade-old unresolved family feud, Vanguard reports.
“The assailants were those who knew him. It stemmed from a long-term family issue,” the source revealed.
In the aftermath, tensions escalated as youths allegedly set fire to the home of one of the attackers, prompting retaliation with the burning of the victim’s father’s house.
The violence also claimed the lives of a mother and her child, reportedly hit by stray bullets while attempting to flee the chaos in the Mobile area.
Two suspected cult members were killed during a shootout between the warring factions.
Oladipupo’s body has been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre morgue in Owo.
Ondo State Police spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, confirmed the incident and said investigations were ongoing.
“We can’t confirm if an APC chieftain is affected, but four people have been confirmed dead. Normalcy has returned through police intervention, and efforts are on to arrest the perpetrators,” Odunlami stated.
The clash has left the community in shock, with residents calling for heightened security to prevent further violence.