The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the death of an officer attached to Moniya Area Command in Ibadan following an attack on a police patrol team by a group of hoodlums.
The incident reportedly happened at Moniya in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State when a police patrol team led by Stanley Ikhine, a police inspector, stopped a suspected Lexus SUV and the vehicle’s occupants suspected to be ‘Yahoo boys’ drove to where their group had attacked the security operatives.
It was learnt that the refusal of the occupants of the vehicle to stop for police check led to a crisis ana the officers were said to insist on enforcing the law.
At a stage the hoodlums that had gathered where the vehicle occupants ran to reportedly attacked the security men and some of them wanted to forcibly disarm the deceased officer of his rifle and in the process the bullets went off killed a police man.
A resident of the area, who preferred anonymity, said: “The boys were in the car when the officers who were on a stop-and-search operation flagged down their car. They parked but nobody knew what transpired between them again. They suddenly moved the car and in the process, a sudden exchange of bullets which I could not be traced suddenly hit the police. Other officers started shooting sporadically and this led to the commotion in the area.
“They made an attempt to arrest those guys but some youths resisted the police.”
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, Adewale Osifeso, on Tuesday in a statement, said that seven persons have been arrested and 12 motorcycles impounded after the crisis.
He also said the body of the deceased officer had been deposited at the state hospital morgue for a post-mortem.
According to him: “Preliminary investigation revealed that the patrol team while acting on credible intelligence through visible policing duties extended their presence around major black spots, highways and major roads under the local government area axis in a bid to deter criminal elements from settling and establishing dominance within the location.
“In furtherance of the above, the team of operatives on patrol led by one Inspector Stanley Ikhine, flagged down an ash-coloured Lexus 350 Jeep with a faintly inscribed worn-out number further 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.
“A few metres away from the initial stoppage point, the Lexus Jeep veered off the road to a nearby garage, driving directly into the waiting hands of hoodlums who were also collaborators in the criminal process, thereby not only obstructing the officers from discharging their duties but as well aiding the escape of the SUV and its occupants.
“The hoodlums attacked the officers unprovoked and attempted forcefully dragging a rifle from one of the officers 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.”
