Three persons have been killed in separate cult attacks in Anambra and Osun states with two of the victims beheaded while the third was shot dead.

Some suspected cult members on Saturday shot a man simply identified as ‘Pepper’ to death at Ita-Olokan area of Osogbo, Osun State.

The incident caused panic in the area, as the assailants, who reportedly arrived on two motorcycles, shot the victim and fled the scene.

An eyewitness, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the deceased died on the spot.

The sources said the incident happened around 10am, when the deceased sat in front of a house where his group normally gathered.

He said, “The assailant arrived at the scene and when he (the victim) sighted them, he wanted to run but it was too late. The attackers shot him at a close range several times and he died on the spot. Those that carried out the act are members of a cult group. They are locked in a supremacy battle. Many people in the area that heard the gunshots were scared.”

The police spokesperson in Osun, Yemisi Opalola, confirmed the incident, saying the Commissioner of Police, Wale Olokode, had summoned the area’s Divisional Police Officer.

She assured that the perpetrators would be brought to book.

In Anambra, two persons were reportedly beheaded in different locations in the Okija community, in the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.

It was gathered that the victims’ heads were taken away by their assailants.

The president-general of the community, Chukwudum Ndedigwe, confirmed the incident, adding that one of the incidents happened at a compound of a late monarch in the community.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Ikenga Tochukwu, said the incident was a cult war between two rival groups in the area.

He said, “It is an incident that involved two rival cult groups in Okija. Arrest has been made and police operatives are on track to apprehend the rest at large.

“The Commissioner of Police, Monday Kuryas, has called for calm and also asked parents to pay closer attention to their wards’ activities.”