Four Men Arrested for Ikire Killings

The new Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, on Thursday showed off four men linked to the killing of two people in Ikire, Osun State.

One of those arrested is Sikiru Adedeji, a ticket officer at the Naira and Kobo Motor park in Ikire. He admitted that a political thug, known only as Ayewo, took an AK-47 rifle from police officers who were responding to a distress call. Ayewo then fired the shots that killed two people during the incident.

Zungura explained that based on intelligence gathered and the analysis of available information, police operatives arrested the four suspects on Wednesday.

The CP mentioned that the other suspects are Olalere Taiwo, 21, Olalere Ademola, 26, and Bankole Abiodun, 20. He said police recovered a cutlass from the suspects.

"The DPO Ikire and his men quickly responded to a distress call. When they got to the Naira & Kobo area in Ikire, around 30 armed hoodlums attacked the police officers and forcefully took an AK-47 rifle from one of them.

"One of the thugs, known as Ayewo, started shooting randomly with the stolen AK-47. This hit three police officers and two passers-by, leading to the death of the two passers-by. The hoodlums then escaped with the police rifle, while the injured officers were rushed to the hospital," he said.

The Osun police boss added that during questioning, the suspects admitted they were political thugs. They belong to a group led by Ayewo, who remains at large and is identified as the one who fired the shots with the police AK-47.

He praised the police operatives for their professionalism and dedication in tracking down the suspects using intelligence and technical skills.

Zungura assured the public that anyone involved in the crime will face serious consequences according to the law. He also urged people to keep providing the police with reliable information that can help prevent crime and catch criminals.

When asked by journalists, Adedeji confirmed that Ayewo took the police AK-47 and fired it, killing two people in the process. He also mentioned that Ayewo sent him a voice note telling him to run because the police were after them.

The PUNCH reported that the Osun State Police Command had previously said that the hoodlums who took an AK-47 from their officers were responsible for the killing of two people in Ikire last Monday.

In a statement from the command’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, obtained in Osogbo, the police identified the victims as Nurení Sobowale, a 49-year-old man from Odeda Area, Abeokuta, and Saheed Akinrole, a 43-year-old man from Adeagbo Compound, Ikire.

The police also reported that two officers were seriously injured during the attack, and that the assailants took away a patrol vehicle belonging to the Ikire Division during the incident.