Two Civilians Killed, Two Police Officers Injured As Gunmen Attack Osun Patrol Team

 

Two civilians have been killed while two police officers sustained serious injuries after suspected political thugs attacked a police patrol team in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State.

The incident occurred at about 11 a.m. on Monday along the Ife-Ibadan Expressway when the police team attached to the Ikire Division responded to a distress call over the alleged abduction of a man identified simply as Sunkanmi.

According to the Osun State Police Command, the officers, who were accompanied by the Divisional Police Officer of Ikire Division, came under sudden gunfire from unidentified assailants shortly after arriving at the scene.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, disclosed this in a statement issued in Osogbo on Tuesday.

Ojelabi said the attackers opened fire on the officers inside their operational vehicle and succeeded in snatching an AK-47 rifle belonging to the police.

He said the assailants subsequently used the stolen rifle to shoot indiscriminately, killing two civilians identified as 49-year-old Nurení Sobowale of Odeda Area, Abeokuta, and 43-year-old Saheed Akinrole of Adeagbo Compound, Ikire.

“Two police officers sustained serious injuries during the attack,” Ojelabi stated.

The police spokesperson said the bodies of the victims had been deposited at the Oluyoro Catholic Mortuary, while their families had been informed.

He added that the injured officers were initially taken to a nearby hospital before being referred to the University College Hospital, Ibadan, for further treatment.

Ojelabi said the attackers also took away the patrol vehicle but later abandoned it.

The vehicle, he said, was recovered with multiple bullet holes and a damaged windscreen, while nine spent ammunition shells found at the scene had been secured for forensic examination.

Following the incident, the newly deployed Commissioner of Police in Osun State, CP Ibrahim Zungura, visited the scene for an immediate assessment.

The commissioner directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department to commence a comprehensive investigation into the attack.

He also ordered the deployment of tactical and intelligence personnel to track down and arrest those responsible.

Zungura condemned the attack on police officers and the killing of innocent residents, urging members of the public to remain calm and vigilant.

The commissioner appealed to anyone with useful information about the perpetrators to provide it to the police, assuring residents that the command was taking necessary measures to restore security along the affected axis and other parts of the state.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Osun Council, condemned the attack, describing it as a serious threat to public safety and peaceful coexistence.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Adeyemi Aboderin, and Secretary, Lekan Akindoju, the union called for a thorough investigation and the arrest and prosecution of everyone linked to the killings, attack on police personnel and destruction of government property.

The NUJ also urged residents and community leaders in Ikire to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that could aid the investigation.

The union commiserated with the families of the two civilians killed in the attack and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured police officers.