Forensic tests clear officers in Ibadan graduate’s shooting — Police

The Oyo State Police Command has denied allegations that two of its officers shot Nurudeen Azeez, a graduate of Ibadan Polytechnic, during an armed robbery response in Ibadan in 2021.

The command said forensic examinations conducted during its investigation cleared Inspector Gbenga Ayodele and Sergeant Ayilaran Boluwaji, both attached to the Agodi Divisional Police Headquarters, of involvement in the shooting.

The police spokesman, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, stated this on Saturday while responding to renewed public attention to the case following a viral video and newspaper report.

According to the command, the incident occurred at about 9pm on August 16, 2021, while Ayodele and Boluwaji were on night-duty pin-down around Koltol Hotel, Ikolaba, Ibadan.

The officers were reportedly alerted by a motorist who said armed robbers were pursuing him. Shortly afterwards, gunshots were heard from the direction of Bino Hotel, prompting the officers and reinforcements to move towards the area.

During a forensic examination of the scene, police said a locally fabricated pistol was recovered.

The command said eyewitnesses reported that a passenger on a motorcycle had sustained a gunshot injury and was taken to Molly Specialist Hospital, Idi-Ape, by members of the public.

Azeez was later transferred to Kehinde Ege Traditional Hospital, Asanke, Idi-Aro, where pellets were removed from his body. Investigators said they could not obtain his statement at the time because he was receiving intensive care.

His elder brother, Nurudeen Musa, reportedly told investigators that he witnessed the extraction of the projectiles.

The police said 15 pellets were removed, with 13 documented and six registered as exhibits.

As part of the investigation, the duty and firearm records of the two officers were obtained. The records showed that both officers had signed out AK-47 rifles for their assignment that night.

The two rifles were subsequently subjected to forensic examination.

According to the police, the examination established that neither rifle had been fired in connection with the incident. The pellets recovered from Azeez were also found to be inconsistent with AK-47 ammunition.

The locally fabricated pistol recovered at the scene was equally examined and showed characteristics consistent with a recent discharge.

However, the police said the forensic finding could not independently establish who had fired the pistol.

“Based on the totality of the evidence, the investigation concluded that the allegation that either of the two police officers shot Nurudeen Azeez was not substantiated,” the command said.

It acknowledged that Azeez sustained a genuine gunshot injury but said the evidence available at the time did not establish who was responsible for the shooting.

The case resurfaced after PUNCH published an interview earlier this month in which Azeez recounted the incident and said the shooting left him paralysed.

Azeez had alleged that a police officer shot him and ordered him to stand before leaving the scene, while appealing for support to regain the use of his legs.

The police command said it was restating the findings of the 2021 investigation to clarify its position on the renewed allegations.