A Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, John Olatona Bamidele, has been identified by witnesses as the police officer who allegedly opened fire during a confrontation at Naira and Kobo Garage in Ikire on Monday morning.
The incident reportedly resulted in the death of a passenger and a commercial driver identified as Saheed Akinrole, while about four other people were said to have sustained injuries and were hospitalised.
A woman identified as the wife of the deceased passenger accused the DPO of killing her husband with a stray bullet.
According to the woman, who spoke in Yoruba in an interview recorded by a community blog, she was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle while her husband sat beside the driver when the incident occurred.
She alleged that a police patrol vehicle manoeuvred recklessly around their vehicle before officers began shooting.
The identity of the passenger, believed to be in his 50s, had not been independently verified as of press time. He was reportedly an indigene of Ikire who had just arrived from Ibadan, Oyo State, with members of his family in a cream-coloured SUV.
The driver of the SUV also corroborated the woman’s account, alleging that the police opened fire shortly after a white patrol vehicle manoeuvred around them at Ikire Junction.
The shooting occurred amid an ongoing power struggle between rival factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Osun State.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said tension had heightened after information circulated on Sunday that one faction planned to take over the Naira and Kobo Motor Park on Monday.
The resident alleged that the opposing faction arrived at the park in a convoy accompanied by a police team led by Bamidele.
He further accused the DPO of using force to displace perceived opponents, claiming that residents had previously called for his redeployment over alleged incidents involving local officials and community members.
The resident alleged that the DPO initially fired shots into the air before the situation escalated and Akinrole was shot.
He also claimed that a police officer may have been shot during the ensuing violence, although this could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Police Command has confirmed that two people died in the incident.
The command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, referred inquiries to a statement issued by the police, in which the command confirmed the fatalities and said the incident would be investigated.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths, including the identities of those responsible for the fatal shootings, remain subject to investigation.
