Segun Showunmi in Ibadan
The Oyo State Police Command has dispelled rumor being carried around in the public that a commercial motorcyclist was allegedly killed by a policeman over his refusal to give him tip.
The incident, which occurred in front of a police station around Bishop Philip Academy, Iwo-Road area of Ibadan, resulted in chaos which escalated to major areas of the city, as okada riders resorted to burning of tyres on the road, a development which led to stoppage of human and vehicular movement for
hours.
The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Shina Olukolu in a press release signed by the Police Public Relation Officer of the command, SP Olugbenga Fadeyi, which was made available to journalists on Sunday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital said that the motorcycle rider, Sule Ikuforiji is alive in the ward at the University College Hospital (UCH) and not in any emergency nor Intensive Care Unit (ICU), thereby responding to treatment while the police will pay for his medical treatment.
The statement reads that ‘the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Shina Olukolu wish to clarify the facts of the situation as against the fiction being circulated in the public domain on Saturday 13th July, 2019, a six man police patrol team from Alakia Adelubi Division led by an inspector left their office on morning duty patrol, in consonance with constitutional responsibility of the police to protect life and property of the citizen, while on duty at Academy area of Ibadan, the team sighted a motorcyclist with an unusual numbers of passenger four in all, but when flagged down for routine stop and search the rider refused and proceeded, due to the positioning of the men, the armed sentry man, sergent Sunday Ogunkanmi who was the last man on the professional positioning made effort to stop him, consequently, there was a scuffle and they all fell down, and the other took to their hells but the apparently already cooked weapon was fired and hit the rider on the left elbow and grazed his ribs hence he was hospitalized.
“The concern mischief makers who heard the sound of the gunshot concluded that the victim was dead and therefore circulated the untrue story, a spotapaneous uninformed angry mob immediately defended on the patrol team, damaging the windscreen of the patrol team vehicle and injured two member of the patrol team, thereafter proceeded to Egbeda Division with a view of burning the police station, but they were repelled, though three vehicles and their wind screen was damaged, at the scene all entries and understanding was rejected by the multitude.”
The statement reads further that ‘the angry mob proceeded to attacked the officers and men protecting the station with all manners of dangerous weapons and stones thereby damaging three other vehicles windscreen, parts of the police station particularly the sliding glasses and vandalized some of the offices and the charge room.
“In ensuring melee, one of the mob with 25liters of patrol beganbto wet the police station and set a blazed part of it, in the process he was unfortunately hit and lost his life on his way to hospital while others escaped and normalcy was restored.”
“Two of the motorcycles the mob rode to the station and the petrol used 25liters keg of patrol were recovered.”
“Meanwhile the sergeant concerned is in custody while the matter is being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).”
The commissioner of police seriously regrets this unfortunate incident that culminated in the avoidable destructive disturbance of public peace in Ibadan, he however enjoins all and sundry to refrain from taking the laws into their hands in case of any occurrence particularly unverified rumors as in this case, since such uncoordinated mob action often leads to destruction of property amd loss of precious lives.
The police boss however assure all the people that the matter is receiving deserved attention while the police command will not relent in the performance of its professional constitutional responsibilities of the protection of life and property of the good people of Oyo State.
