Osun police confirm Ikire shooting, say two killed, officers injured

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Osun State Police Command has confirmed the shooting incident along the Ibadan-Ife Expressway in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area of the state, saying two civilians were killed and two police officers sustained serious injuries.

The command said the incident occurred at about 11 a.m. on Monday when a patrol team, accompanied by the divisional police officer of Ikire Division, responded to a distress call over the alleged abduction of a man identified as Sunkanmi.

According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, the officers came under sudden attack from unidentified assailants suspected to be political thugs upon arriving at the location.

“Upon arrival at the location, the officers came under sudden and unprovoked attack by a group of unidentified hoodlums. The assailants opened fire on the police officers while they were inside their operational vehicle and succeeded in snatching one AK-47 service rifle,” he said.

The command said the assailants allegedly used the stolen rifle to fire indiscriminately, killing two civilians identified as Nurení Sobowale, 49, of Odeda Area, Abeokuta, and Saheed Akinrole, 43, of Adeagbo Compound, Ikire. It added that two police officers also sustained serious injuries.

Ojelabi said the police patrol vehicle attached to Ikire Division was forcefully taken away by the assailants but was later abandoned and recovered with multiple bullet holes and a destroyed windscreen. Nine expended ammunition shells were also recovered at the scene for forensic analysis.

He said the remains of the deceased had been deposited at Oluyoro Catholic Mortuary and their families notified, while the injured officers were referred to the University College Hospital, Ibadan, for further treatment. Meanwhile, the newly deployed Commissioner of Police in Osun, CP Ibrahim Zungura, visited the scene and ordered a comprehensive investigation and the deployment of tactical and intelligence assets to track the perpetrators.

The command condemned the attack and urged residents to remain calm and vigilant. It appealed to anyone with credible information that could assist in apprehending the assailants to contact the nearest police station, assuring that “the outcome of the investigation will be made available to the public in due course”.