The Oyo state Police Command has identified the officer who fired the gunshot that killed an unidentified man in Ibadan, on Saturday as Sergent Sunday Ogunkanmi.
Insideoyo.com can confirm that he has been arrested and detained pending the conclusion of an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department, Oyo State Police Command.
The police in a press statement signed by the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State, Sina Olukolu, in reaction to the killing, said a 6-man police patrol team from Alakia Adelubi Division while on duty at Academy area of Ibadan, on Saturday, sighted a motorcyclist with an unusual number of occupants.
But when flagged down for routine stop and search, he refused and proceeded. “Due to the positioning of the men, the armed sentry man, Sergeant Sunday Ogunkanmi, who was the last man on the professional positioning made an effort to stop him.
“Consequently, there was a scuffle and they all fell down, and the others took to their heels but apparently already cocked weapon was fired and hit the rider on the left elbow and grazed his ribs hence was hospitalised.
“A spontaneous uninformed angry mob immediately descended on the team and damaged the windscreen of the patrol vehicle and injured two members of the patrol team.”
The statement further held that: “In the ensuing melee, one of the mob with 25 litres of petrol began to wet the police station building with petrol and set ablaze part of it. In the process, he was, unfortunately, hit and lost his life on the way to the hospital while others escaped.”
The Commissioner of Police, while regretting the unfortunate incident that culminated in the avoidable destructive disturbance of public peace in Ibadan, therefore, enjoined all and sundry to refrain from taking laws into their hands in case of any occurrence.
“It is pertinent to add that the rider, Sule Ikuforiji, is alive in the hospital at the University College Hospital (UCH), thereby responding to treatment,” the statement added.
