No fewer than five people have been killed within 12 hours in Ilesa, Osun State, following suspected clashes and reprisal attacks involving rival cult groups, raising fresh security concerns just days before Saturday’s governorship election.

According to the Osun State Police Command, the first attack occurred around the Imo area of Ilesa at about 8:00 p.m. on Monday, where suspected members of rival confraternities reportedly clashed, leaving three people dead.

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The Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, said a second attack occurred about 12 hours later at the Igbogi/Ikoti area of Ilesa, where two men were killed while a man and a woman sustained injuries and were taken to hospital.

He identified the injured victims as Gbenga Adedigba and Victoria Adediji, adding that preliminary investigations indicated the second incident was linked to Monday night’s cult clash. Ojelabi disclosed that the Commissioner of Police overseeing security for the Osun governorship election, Samuel Etaifo, had directed the Violence Crime Response Unit, divisional police officers and the Area Commander to track down and arrest those responsible, although no arrests had been made as of Tuesday.

Meanwhile, security agencies deployed for Saturday’s governorship election staged a show-of-strength operation across major towns in the state, including Osogbo, Ilesa, Ile-Ife, Modakeke and Ede. Led by Commissioner of Police Samuel Etaifo, the convoy comprised personnel of the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS). Ojelabi said the exercise was designed to reassure residents of their safety and deter anyone planning to disrupt the election.

He noted that the security team also visited the affected communities in Ilesa, met with families of the victims and assured them that those behind the killings would be apprehended, while urging residents to come out peacefully to exercise their civic rights on election day.