By Ado Oyeyemi
The Oyo State Police Command has rejected allegations that two of its officers shot an Ibadan Polytechnic graduate, Nurudeen Azeez, during an armed robbery incident in Ibadan in 2021.
The command said forensic examinations conducted during its investigation did not establish any connection between the officers and the shooting that left Azeez paralysed.
The two policemen, Inspector Gbenga Ayodele and Sergeant Ayilaran Boluwaji, were attached to the Agodi Divisional Police Headquarters at the time of the incident.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, following the renewed public attention generated by a viral video and a newspaper report on the incident.
According to the police, the case was investigated and concluded in 2021, but the command decided to restate its findings following the recent resurfacing of the allegations.
The incident reportedly occurred around 9pm on August 16, 2021, when Ayodele and Boluwaji were conducting a night-duty operation around Koltol Hotel, Ikolaba, Ibadan.
The policemen were said to have been approached by a motorist who informed them that armed robbers were pursuing him.
The command said gunshots were subsequently heard from the direction of Bino Hotel, prompting the officers to move towards the area, while additional policemen were deployed as reinforcement.
During a forensic examination of the scene, investigators recovered a locally fabricated pistol, according to the police.
The command further said witnesses reported that a passenger on a motorcycle had been shot and was taken by members of the public to Molly Specialist Hospital, Idi-Ape.
Azeez was later transferred to Kehinde Ege Traditional Hospital, Asanke, Idi-Aro, where pellets were reportedly removed from his body.
The police said investigators were unable to obtain Azeez’s statement at the time because he was receiving intensive medical treatment.
His elder brother, Nurudeen Musa, was said to have told investigators that he witnessed the removal of the projectiles from Azeez’s body.
The command said 15 pellets were removed from the victim, with 13 documented and six registered as exhibits.
As part of the investigation, the police obtained the duty and firearm records of Ayodele and Boluwaji.
The records showed that the officers had signed out two AK-47 rifles for their assignment on the night of the incident.
The two rifles were subsequently subjected to forensic examination.
The command said the examination showed that neither of the rifles had been fired in connection with the shooting.
It added that the pellets removed from Azeez were also found to be inconsistent with ammunition fired from an AK-47 rifle.
The locally fabricated pistol recovered at the scene was also examined and, according to the police, showed characteristics suggesting that it had been recently fired.
However, the command stressed that the finding did not establish who had fired the weapon.
Based on the evidence gathered, the police said the allegation that either Ayodele or Boluwaji shot Azeez could not be substantiated.
The command, however, acknowledged that Azeez sustained a genuine gunshot injury, noting that investigators were unable to establish the identity of the person responsible.
The case recently attracted renewed attention after PUNCH published an interview with Azeez in which he recounted the circumstances surrounding the shooting and said the incident left him paralysed.
Azeez had alleged that a police officer shot him and subsequently ordered him to stand up before leaving the scene.
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He also appealed for assistance to enable him regain the use of his legs.
