Ogun Man Killed After Suspected Cultists Allegedly Mistake Him for Rival

A man identified as Seyi was shot dead at Ijako Market in Ogun State after suspected cultists allegedly went there looking for another man, according to a police source and an anti-cultism advocacy platform. A man identified simply as Seyi has been killed at Ijako Market in Owode-Ijako, Ogun State, after suspected cultists allegedly mistook him for a member of a rival group, according to information reported by PUNCH. The incident reportedly occurred on Wednesday, September 23, when a group of suspected cultists arrived in the market area looking for a man identified as Dammy. A police source who spoke anonymously because the officer was not authorised to discuss the case told PUNCH that the attackers reached an area behind the market where some youths were gathered and shot Seyi. The source said police had opened an investigation and were working to identify and arrest those responsible. The reported circumstances have not, however, been independently confirmed by the Ogun State Police Command.

Police source links killing to drug trade

According to the police source cited by PUNCH, the incident was connected to the drug trade. The source did not publicly identify the alleged attackers or provide details about the circumstances that led them to target Seyi. The account indicates that the attackers may have been searching for a specific individual when they encountered the victim. PUNCH reported that the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Oluseyi Babaseyi, said he was unaware of the incident when contacted on Sunday. Babaseyi reportedly promised to make enquiries and provide information, but no response had been received by the time the report was published. That means the police-source account should be treated as a preliminary account rather than a formally confirmed statement by the Ogun State Police Command.

Advocacy group provides additional account

An anti-cultism advocacy platform, Naija Confra, separately claimed that the attackers had gone to the area specifically looking for Dammy. The organisation's account, reported by PUNCH, said the attackers allegedly identified themselves with a cult-related chant and mentioned Dammy's name before someone was killed. According to the platform, people initially believed that Dammy had been killed. The identity of the victim was allegedly established only after people saw the body and realised that the dead man was Seyi. Naija Confra also alleged that Seyi was attacked with an axe after he had been shot. That detail has not been independently verified and should therefore not be presented as an established fact.

What is confirmed — and what remains alleged

The available reporting establishes several basic details: a man known as Seyi was reportedly killed in the Ijako Market area; the incident took place on September 23; a police source said the victim was shot; and an investigation was said to have commenced. The more specific explanation for the killing remains less certain. The allegation that Seyi was mistaken for a rival cult member comes from the circumstances described by the police source and Naija Confra. The identity of the intended target, the identity and affiliation of the attackers, and the precise motive have not been publicly established by the Ogun State Police Command in the reporting available at publication. Likewise, the claim that the incident was connected to drug trafficking came from the anonymous police source and has not been independently substantiated in the available reports. The allegation concerning an axe attack also originates from Naija Confra rather than an official police statement. These distinctions are significant because reports of cult-related violence can quickly generate competing accounts before investigators establish what happened.

Ogun has recorded previous cult-related violence

The reported killing comes against a broader backdrop of suspected cult-related violence in Ogun State. In December 2025, PUNCH reported that a suspected cult clash in Ilese, near Ijebu-Ode, resulted in the deaths of a police officer and another man. That incident was reported as a confrontation allegedly involving the Aiye and Eiye confraternities. The latest incident is different in its reported circumstances, as the available account suggests that the attackers were searching for a particular individual and allegedly killed another person instead. However, there is currently insufficient independently verified information to establish whether the latest killing forms part of a wider pattern of organised cult violence in the Ijako area.

Investigation expected to clarify circumstances

The police source cited by PUNCH said investigators were working to identify and apprehend those responsible. A formal police account could clarify several unanswered questions, including whether investigators have identified suspects, whether the alleged intended target was known to police, what motivated the attack and whether the killing was connected to a wider dispute. It could also establish whether the victim had any connection to the rival group allegedly being sought by the attackers. Until such information is released, descriptions of Seyi as an innocent bystander, the attackers as members of a particular cult group, or the killing as definitively motivated by a mistaken identity should remain attributed allegations rather than established facts. For residents and businesses around Ijako Market, the incident highlights the potential consequences of violent disputes involving suspected criminal or cult groups. But the full circumstances surrounding Seyi's death remain subject to police investigation. As of the time of the PUNCH report on September 28, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer had not publicly confirmed the incident or provided an official account. Further police findings will therefore be important in determining exactly what happened at Ijako Market on September 23 and whether arrests will follow.