The Oyo State Police Command has said forensic investigations found no evidence linking two police officers or their rifles to the 2021 shooting of Nurudeen Azeez in Ibadan.
The Command made the clarification on Saturday following the resurfacing of allegations in a viral video and newspaper publication claiming that Azeez was shot by officers attached to the Agodi Divisional Police Headquarters in Ibadan on August 16, 2021.
In a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, the Command said the allegation was investigated and concluded in 2021, with forensic evidence failing to establish any connection between the police firearms and the injury sustained by Azeez.
According to the Command, Inspector Gbenga Ayodele and Sergeant Ayilaran Boluwaji were on night duty near a hotel in the Ikolaba area of Ibadan when a motorist alerted them that he was being pursued by armed robbers.
The police said gunshots were heard shortly afterwards from the direction of another hotel, prompting the officers to move towards the area to assess the situation.
During a forensic sweep of the scene, investigators recovered a locally fabricated pistol, which was subsequently subjected to forensic examination.
The Command said investigators were later informed that a pillion rider had been shot and taken to a hospital in the Idi Ape area by members of the public. The victim was subsequently transferred to Kehinde Ege Traditional Hospital in Asanke, Idi Aro, Ibadan, where pellets were extracted from his body.
Police said Azeez’s elder brother, Nurudeen Musa, told investigators that he witnessed the removal of the projectiles. Fifteen pellets were reportedly removed, with 13 documented and six registered as exhibits.
The two officers accused of shooting Azeez were subsequently investigated, while their duty and firearm records were obtained.
The Command said the records showed that the officers had signed out two AK 47 rifles for their assignment on the night of the incident.
However, forensic examination of the rifles established that neither weapon had been fired in connection with the shooting.
The police also said the pellets recovered from Azeez’s body were not consistent with AK 47 ammunition.
“There was therefore no ballistic or forensic evidence linking either police firearm to the injury sustained by the victim,” the Command said.
The locally fabricated pistol recovered at the scene was also examined and found to have characteristics consistent with a recent discharge. The police, however, said the finding did not establish who had fired the weapon.
The Command therefore concluded that the allegation that either of the two officers shot Azeez was not substantiated, although it acknowledged that the victim had sustained a genuine gunshot injury.
“While the victim sustained a genuine gunshot injury, the evidence available did not establish the identity of the person responsible for the shooting,” the Command said.
The police urged members of the public, media practitioners and social media users to exercise caution when reporting or sharing allegations, particularly where findings from concluded investigations are available.
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