By Bamidele Aremu
A young man identified as Lateef, popularly known as Lati Coco, was gruesomely killed in a suspected cult-related attack in the Ojagboro area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital sparking fear and renewed concerns over resurging cult violence in the state.
The incident, which occurred on Sunday night, is believed to be a reprisal linked to lingering rivalries between cult groups operating in the area.
Lateef was reportedly attacked by suspected members of a rival cult group while carrying out his daily business activities near Ojagboro junction.
Sources familiar with the victim’s disclosed that Lateef was once affiliated with the Aye confraternity and was allegedly part of its operational unit.
However, he was said to have renounced the group and had since taken up petty trading in a bid to start afresh.
There are also emerging claims that Lateef may not have been the intended target, raising fears of mistaken identity and the indiscriminate nature of such cult reprisals.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the Kwara State Police Command proved unsuccessful as the command’s spokesperson, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, did not respond to multiple calls placed to her mobile line on Tuesday morning.
A text message sent to her, which read:
“Good morning Ma. This is Bamidele Aremu from National Pilot. Kindly confirm the reported killing of one Lateef, alias Lati Coco, in a suspected cult-related attack around Ojagboro, Ilorin. What’s Kwara State Police Command’s reaction to this Ma?”remained unreplied as of the time of filing this report.
