The Osun State Police Command has arrested four suspected political thugs in connection with the violence in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, where two people were killed and a police rifle was allegedly snatched.
The suspects are Sikiru Adedeji, 21; Olalere Taiwo, 21; Olalere Ademola, 26; and Bankole Abiodun, 20.
One of the suspects, Adedeji, alleged during questioning that their gang leader, identified as “Ayewo”, seized an AK-47 rifle from a police officer and fired sporadically during the incident.
He further claimed that they later received instructions from a political leader to leave Ikire because of the ensuing police investigation.
Adedeji said he was at Naira and Kobo Motor Park when an individual with a cutlass injury was brought to the area over alleged toll collection.
He said a police team arrived to rescue the victim, but the gang leader allegedly seized a rifle from one of the officers.
“However, a police team came to rescue the victim but our gang leader, Ayewo, said we should not be scared and he seized a weapon from one of the policemen and shot sporadically two persons were killed and some police operatives were also hit.
“We then received information from Oga that we should leave the town because of police investigation, our oga is Senator Akogun Lere but I was arrested in my house on Wednesday,” he said.
Parading the suspects, Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, said the four men were arrested on Wednesday following credible intelligence.
He said police operatives from the Ikire Divisional Police Office had responded to a distress call at the motor park on Monday morning when more than 30 political hoodlums allegedly attacked the team.
According to him, the hoodlums forcefully seized an AK-47 rifle from one of the officers.
“One of the hoodlums popularly known as Ayewo started shooting sporadically with the snatched AK 47 rifle which hit three Policemen and two passers-by which later resulted to the death of the two passers-by while the hoodlums ran away with the Police official rifle and the injured policemen were taken to hospital for medical treatment,” Zungura said.
The police commissioner said investigation was continuing to apprehend Ayewo and other suspects still at large.
He appealed to residents to provide credible information that could assist the police in bringing the perpetrators to justice and preventing a recurrence of the violence
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