One person was reportedly killed while several others sustained injuries when hoodlums suspected to be cultists, attacked Palms shopping mall, Ring Road, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Sunday night.
An eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, that the deceased was shot dead by the hoodlums at the entrance to the mall.
The eyewitness said following the shooting, people at the mall began running helter-skelter, which led to an unspecified number of persons sustaining varying degrees of injury.
According to the eyewitness, attempt by the hoodlums to break the glass door of the mall to loot was unsuccessful, adding that the quick intervention of security operatives prevented them from gaining access into the mall.
“I suspect those boys were members of rival cult groups trying to prove superiority here at the mall.
“The incident started at a club inside the Palms mall at about 8:30 pm and those hoodlums later pushed themselves to the entrance gate where one person was killed,” the eyewitness said.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, DSP Adewale Osifeso, also confirmed the incident.
“The incident occurred; comprehensive investigations are ongoing to apprehend all the culprits involved. Update will be provided in due course,” he said.
