Oyo Police Deny Shooting Nurudeen Azeez, Cite Forensic Evidence
The Oyo State Police Command has denied allegations that its officers shot Nurudeen Azeez in Ibadan on August 16, 2021, saying forensic tests and examination of the guns found no evidence linking the police to the incident.
The Command said the allegation was investigated and concluded in 2021 but was compelled to restate its findings following its recent resurfacing in a viral video and newspaper publication.
According to the police, Inspector Gbenga Ayodele and Sergeant Ayilaran Boluwaji, both attached to Agodi Divisional Police Headquarters, were on official night duty near Koltol Hotel, Ikolaba, Ibadan, at about 9:00pm on the day of the incident when a motorist approached them and reported that he was being pursued by armed robbers.
The Command said gunshots were subsequently heard from the direction of Bino Hotel, Ikolaba, prompting the officers to move towards the area to assess the situation. Reinforcement was later deployed and an investigation commenced.
During a forensic sweep of the scene, investigators recovered a locally fabricated pistol. Eyewitnesses also informed them that a passenger on a motorcycle had been shot and taken to Molly Specialist Hospital, Idi-Ape, by public-spirited individuals.
The police said investigators later discovered that the victim had been transferred to Kehinde Ege Traditional Hospital, Asanke, Idi-Aro, Ibadan, where pellets were extracted from his body. An attempt to obtain his statement was unsuccessful because he was still receiving intensive medical care.
The victim’s elder brother, Nurudeen Musa, told investigators that he witnessed the extraction of 15 pellets from the victim’s body. The police said 13 of the pellets were documented, while six were registered as exhibits.
The two officers accused of shooting Azeez were also investigated, while their duty and firearm records were obtained. The records showed that they had signed out two AK-47 rifles for their assignment that night.
The two rifles were subjected to forensic examination to determine whether they were used in the shooting. According to the Command, the examination established that neither weapon had been fired in connection with the incident.
The police also said the pellets removed from the victim’s body were not the type used in AK-47 rifles.
The locally fabricated pistol recovered at the scene was also examined. The Command said, unlike the two police-issued rifles, the pistol showed signs that it had been fired recently.
However, the police noted that the finding could not establish who fired the weapon.
The Command said that, based on the evidence gathered during the investigation, the allegation that either of the two police officers shot Azeez was not substantiated.
“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 the findings of a concluded investigation are available.
The Oyo State Police Command reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and evidence-based investigation of allegations of police misconduct, while respecting the rights of all persons.
