RismadarVoice Reporters, August 8, 2026
The Oyo State Police Command has denied allegations that two of its officers shot Nurudeen Azeez, a Polytechnic graduate in Ibadan, during an armed robbery incident in the state in 2021.
The command said forensic examinations conducted during an investigation into the incident found no evidence linking Inspector Gbenga Ayodele and Sergeant Ayilaran Boluwaji to the shooting.
The two officers were attached to the Agodi Divisional Police Headquarters in Ibadan at the time of the incident.
The police restated the findings of the investigation in a statement issued on Saturday by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, following the recent revival of the case through a viral video and media reports.
According to the command, the incident occurred at about 9 p.m. on August 16, 2021, when Ayodele and Boluwaji were conducting night-duty operations around Koltol Hotel in the Ikolaba area of Ibadan.
Police said a motorist approached the officers and reported that armed robbers were pursuing him. Shortly afterwards, gunshots were heard from the direction of Bino Hotel, prompting the officers to move towards the area.
Reinforcement was subsequently deployed to the scene.
During a forensic examination of the area, investigators recovered a locally manufactured pistol, according to the police.
The man and his wife
The command said witnesses reported that a passenger on a motorcycle had been shot and was taken to Molly Specialist Hospital in Idi-Ape by members of the public.
Azeez was later transferred to Kehinde Ege Traditional Hospital in Asanke, Idi-Aro, Ibadan, where pellets were removed from his body.
Police said investigators were unable to obtain a statement from Azeez at the time because he was receiving intensive medical treatment.
The command also said Azeez’s elder brother, Nurudeen Musa, informed investigators that he witnessed the removal of the projectiles.
According to the police, 15 pellets were removed from Azeez’s body, with 13 documented and six registered as exhibits.
As part of the investigation, officers’ duty records and firearm documentation were obtained. Police said the records showed that Ayodele and Boluwaji had signed out two AK-47 rifles for their assignment on the night of the incident.
The two rifles were subsequently subjected to forensic analysis.
The police said the examination found that neither rifle had been fired in connection with the shooting. It also said the pellets recovered from Azeez were not consistent with ammunition fired from an AK-47.
Investigators also examined the locally manufactured pistol recovered at the scene.
According to the command, the weapon showed characteristics indicating that it had been recently fired. However, police said the examination could not establish who had discharged the weapon.
The command therefore concluded that the available evidence did not substantiate the allegation that either Ayodele or Boluwaji shot Azeez.
Police acknowledged that Azeez sustained a genuine gunshot injury but said the investigation did not establish the identity of the person responsible.
The case recently returned to public attention after a media interview in which Azeez spoke about the incident and said the shooting left him paralysed. He also appealed for assistance to regain the use of his legs.
Azeez has maintained that he was shot by a police officer during the incident and alleged that the officer ordered him to stand up before leaving the scene.
The police command, however, said the findings of its investigation and forensic examinations did not support the allegation against the two officers.
