Ondo Polytechnic Student Shot Dead By Cultists Three Weeks After His Mother’s Death

A student of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, identified only as Peter, has been shot dead by suspected cult members in the Opomulero area of Ondo State.

It was gathered that the incident happened on Sunday evening when the attackers arrived in the area while looking for members of a rival cult group.

A community source who spoke anonymously for security reasons, said the assailants traced Peter to his home, pretended to be visitors, and called him outside before shooting him at close range.

The source said Peter was still alive when he was rushed to the hospital but later died from his injuries.

“We received a call yesterday evening that Peter was shot by some guys believed to be cultists. We were told that they pretended to be visitors, called him out of his apartment and shot him at point-blank range. He struggled to stay alive before he was rushed to the hospital,” the source explained.

The source said Peter was still alive when he was rushed to the hospital but later died from his injuries.

Another resident disclosed that the victim, also known as Don P, had recently lost his mother and was still grieving her death, which occurred about three weeks before the attack.

“Peter was still mourning the loss of his mother, who died three weeks ago before this unfortunate incident,” the source disclosed.

An anti-cultism group, Naija Confra, claimed the violence was linked to a clash between rival cult groups that started last Thursday during a birthday celebration inside the polytechnic.

The group alleged that members of the Eiye cult were celebrating when a dispute broke out after a female student was assaulted on the order of a cult leader.

This reportedly led to a confrontation with members of the Buccaneers cult who were present.

The group said tensions later escalated into attacks and counterattacks between both sides.

“The incident began last Thursday inside RUGIPO, when Eiye cultists were playing their cult songs loudly to celebrate their member’s birthday. The Buccaneers were at the location.

“During the gathering, the Eiye leader (Ibaka) called a female student, who refused to come. He then instructed another Eiye cultist named Smally to slap her, which he did.

“After this incident, the Buccaneers left the area, but one remained. An Eiye cultist later told the Buccaneer to go and greet the Eiye leader, but the Buccaneer refused. He was then attacked, and his phone was destroyed.

“Buccaneers later retaliated by attacking some Eiye cultists, destroying and seizing their phones. Eiye then retaliated by killing Peter last night.”

Efforts to reach the management of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic were unsuccessful, as calls to the contact number on the school’s website went unanswered.

The Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, Olushola Alayande, also did not respond to calls or text messages sent for confirmation at the time of filing this report.

KanyiDaily recalls that Rivers State Police Command recently arrested two men linked to suspected cult activities at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).