A police officer attached to Moniya Divisional Police Headquarters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has been shot dead while chasing some suspected criminals.
It was gathered that the incident occurred at Moniya Motor Park in Ibadan, Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State on Monday, April 24.
Confirming the incident via a statement issued on Tuesday, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adewale Osifeso, said the operatives attached to Moniya Area Command, under the Oyo State Police Command, while on lawful intelligence-led stop-and-search around a major black spot, were attacked in the line of duty at about 10.15 a.m. on Monday.
He said a preliminary investigation showed that the patrol team, while acting on credible intelligence through visible policing duties, extended its presence to some black spots, highways, and roads to deter criminals from settling and establishing dominance within the area.
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Osifeso noted that the team, led by one Insp Stanley Ikhine, flagged down an ash-coloured Lexus 350 SUV, with a faintly inscribed worn-off number plate, arousing suspicion from the officers on watch.
“In the process, the vehicle initially slowed down in compliance with the directive before eventually picking up speed and dashing off to evade the officers on duty.
“This action led to a chase by the officers in a bid to establish further clarity of facts,” the police spokesman disclosed.
Osifeso said the vehicle, a few meters away from the initial stoppage point, veered off the road to a nearby garage, driving directly into the waiting hands of hoodlums who were also collaborators in the criminal process.
He stated that the hoodlums did not only obstruct the officers from discharging their duties but also aided the escape of the SUV and its occupants.
“Consequent upon the above, the hoodlums attacked the officers unprovoked and attempted to forcefully drag a rifle from one of them, which led to a shot being discharged from the barrel during the process of the struggle.
“Sadly, the gallant officer paid the supreme price, suffering a heavy blow to his skull, inflicted by one of the hoodlums while preventing them from dispossessing him of his firearm,” he said.
The police spokesman said the body of the deceased had been deposited at the state morgue for a post-mortem, adding that seven persons had been arrested and 12 motorcycles impounded in connection with the incident.
