Nurudeen Azeez before (right) and after (left) the incident.

Oyo State Police Command has said that forensic evidence cleared its officers, Inspector Gbenga Ayodele and Sergeant Ayilaran Boluwaji, in the 2021 shooting of Nurudeen Azeez, an Ibadan Polytechnic graduate.

Both officers, attached to the Agodi Divisional Police Headquarters, had responded to a robbery alert.

In a statement on Saturday by the Command’s spokesman, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, the Police stressed that an investigation concluded in 2021 exonerated the officers.

“Following its recent resurfacing in a viral video and newspaper publication, the Command considers it necessary to restate the findings of the investigation,” the statement noted.

The victim

The graduate of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Azeez, aged 30, told newsmen recently that he is still battling the devastating effects of being shot five years after the incident. 

Azeez, a native of Ibadan, said on August 16, 2021, he was hit by a bullet while riding on a commercial motorcycle from Iwo Road to his hostel in the Ijokodo area of the city.

He said there was traffic around Idi-Ape, which made the okadaman to take an alternative route.

“As soon as the motorcycle moved, I suddenly heard gunshots. A bullet struck my spinal cord, and I immediately collapsed on the motorcycle.

“A police officer came to where I had fallen and asked me to stand up. But I could not move. In the confusion, some passers-by who heard the gunshots rushed to the scene, and the officers fled,” he said.

Azeez said he was assured of assistance with his medical treatment, but that the support gradually diminished.

Police deny shooting

The Police statement denying involvement of its officers noted that “In the course of forensic sweep of the scene, a locally fabricated pistol was recovered.”
It added that during treatment, “15 pellets were removed. 13 were documented, while six were registered as exhibits.”

The two officers’ duty and firearm records were obtained during the investigation.

The statement read, “The records confirmed that they had signed out two AK-47 rifles for their assignment that night.

“The forensic examination established that neither AK-47 rifle had been fired in connection with the incident.

“In addition, the pellets extracted from the victim were not consistent with AK-47 ammunition.

“Unlike the two police-issued rifles, the pistol showed characteristics consistent with recent discharge. However, this finding alone could not establish who fired the weapon.

“Based on the totality of the evidence, the investigation concluded that the allegation that either of the two police officers shot Nurudeen 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.”

Vanguard News