Osogbo’s Youth Crisis: Violence, Cultism and Drugs Put Fresh Pressure on Government As KRAD Intervenes

By Reloaded News Investigative Report Desk

Osogbo has recorded a series of violent incidents in 2026 involving suspected cult clashes, shootings, political thuggery and other forms of youth-related violence, with renewed attacks in October bringing the issue back into sharp focus.

On October 2, two people were killed and four others injured in a shooting suspected by the Osun State Police Command to be connected with rival cult groups around the Oke-Baale and Owo-Eba areas of Osogbo.

The police said tactical teams had been deployed to the area to apprehend those responsible.

Two days later, another suspected cult-related attack was reported around Arowomole, where Rasak Wahab, popularly known as Ojo Iku, was shot. Police said he was taken to hospital and ordered tactical teams to intensify operations around Oke-Baale and other suspected criminal hideouts.

The latest incidents followed other violent episodes recorded in Osogbo and parts of Osun during the year.

A Problem That Has Continued Through 2026

The October violence did not begin in isolation.

Police operations earlier in the year resulted in the arrest of suspected cultists and political thugs, while the command also investigated killings and other violent incidents across the state.

During the election period, Osogbo also witnessed political-related violence and unrest, including shootings and clashes that affected commercial and community activities.

In August, the police, NDLEA, NANS, NYSC and other stakeholders organised an advocacy walk through Osogbo against electoral violence, with the campaign specifically addressing cultism and other social vices.

The recurrence of violence after these interventions shows that the problem cannot be addressed through arrests and tactical operations alone.

Drugs and Cultism

Drug abuse has become another part of the concern.

On October 2, the NDLEA and the Issah Adedotun Foundation took an anti-drug and anti-cultism campaign to schools in Osun, distributing educational materials and first-aid boxes.

The NDLEA’s Deputy State Commander for Drug Demand Reduction and Sensitisation, Toyin Adegoke, said youths were major users of drugs and urged students to stay away from substance abuse and cultism.

The agency’s national drug-demand reduction programme also targets young people in schools, motor parks, markets and communities through sensitisation, prevention and rehabilitation initiatives.

The connection between drugs, cultism and youth violence is also recognised by the NDLEA at the national level, which has called for stronger family, community, school and youth-development interventions alongside enforcement.

Government Has Responded, But Crises Persisted

The Adeleke administration has not been completely inactive on the issue.

The state government has announced security interventions, supported security operations and pursued measures aimed at tackling political violence and criminal activity.

It has also promoted youth-focused programmes covering employment, empowerment, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and sports.

The government has therefore taken steps on both the security and youth-development sides of the problem.

The difficulty is that violence has continued despite those measures.

The latest incidents have again forced the security question to the centre of public attention, with tactical police teams deployed and authorities increasing efforts to identify and arrest those behind the attacks.

KRAD Intervenes, Calls for a Broader Response

Against this background, the intervention by the APC candidate for Osun Central Senatorial District, Kunle Rasheed Adegoke, SAN, deserves attention.

Adegoke has called for urgent and coordinated action against youth violence, cultism, drug abuse, unemployment and political exploitation of young people.

He has argued that the response must go beyond arrests after violence occurs and should address the conditions that make young people vulnerable to criminal recruitment.

His proposals include greater opportunities in agriculture, technology, construction, manufacturing, logistics, creative industries, sports, tourism, renewable energy and skilled trades.

He has also called for rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for youths involved in cultism and other criminal activities, alongside proper law-enforcement measures.

On drug abuse, Adegoke has urged stronger collaboration with the NDLEA and greater investment in prevention and rehabilitation.

He has also called on political leaders to stop recruiting young people for violence and urged security agencies to enforce the law without political interference.

Adegoke has also proposed an Osun Youth Peace and Security Summit involving government, security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth organisations, civil society groups, schools, parents and community leaders.

He wants the summit to produce a measurable Youth Peace and Security Action Plan with defined responsibilities, timelines and monitoring mechanisms.

His position is significant because it combines security enforcement with employment, drug prevention, rehabilitation, sports and community intervention rather than treating youth violence purely as a policing problem.

As part of his proposed legislative agenda, Adegoke said that if elected to the Senate, he would advocate federal funding and programmes for youth employment, sports development infrastructure and stronger capacity for the NDLEA and other relevant federal institutions to combat drug abuse and protect vulnerable youths.

The Challenge Before Osun

The available record points to a problem that has several dimensions.

There is the immediate security challenge of shootings and killings.

There is the spread of suspected cult activity beyond traditional institutional settings into communities.

There is drug abuse and the need for prevention and rehabilitation.

There is political violence and the danger of young people being used as instruments during political contests.

There is also the question of economic opportunity for young people who may be vulnerable to recruitment by criminal or violent groups.

Government programmes can address some of these problems, while security agencies deal with criminal activity. But the continuing incidents suggest that the response requires sustained coordination between both sides as Kunle Adegoke advocated.

For Osogbo, the latest killings have once again demonstrated the cost of allowing violent networks to operate within communities.

The responsibility extends beyond government and security agencies. Parents, schools, traditional institutions, religious organisations, community leaders, political actors and young people themselves all have roles to play.

KRAD’s call for a coordinated response therefore comes at a time when the evidence from the streets has made youth violence, cultism and drug abuse difficult to treat as isolated incidents.

The immediate priority is to stop further killings, protect communities and ensure that those responsible face the law.

The longer-term task is to create enough legitimate opportunities, prevention programmes, rehabilitation pathways and community structures to make violence, cultism and drug abuse less attractive or accessible to young people.

Osun cannot afford to wait for another killing before responding.

News that informs, Media that Transforms.