The police have arrested seven suspects believed to be connected to a clash in which an officer was killed in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital. According to Adewale Osifeso, the police spokesperson in the state, the officer died after receiving a blow to his head from one of the suspected hoodlums attempting to dispossess him of his gun.
Osifeso further revealed that police operatives attached to Moniya Area Command under the Oyo State Police Command were attacked in the line of duty while on lawful intelligence-led Stop and Search around a major black spot. He added that the police have also seized 12 motorcycles from suspects in the incident.
The incident occurred when 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-off number, further arousing suspicion from the officers on watch. The vehicle initially complied with the directive before eventually picking up speed and dashing off to evade the officers on duty.
The suspicious action prompted the police to give a hot chase to the vehicle, and 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.
The body of the officer has been deposited at the state morgue in Ibadan.
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