Man gunned down in Ibadan in suspected cult clash
‘We’ve commenced investigation’ -Police
BY STEPHEN GBADAMOSI
An early murder was recorded in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Sunday. Fear had reportedly gripped residents of Bodija area of the town within the vicinity of a popular lounge, Cocobean, when a man was said to have been chased to the area and gunned down.
Some residents who milled around the area after the dastardly act confided in the media that the victim was chased to the scene by his assailants.
But men of the State Police Command were later drafted to the area to disperse the crowd.
The State Police Command, in a statement later in the day, confirmed the killing adding, that it had immediately swung into action to get to the root of the violence.
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The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Adewale Osifeso, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), said preliminary investigation revealed that the murder was cult-related.
“The Oyo State Police Command has commenced immediate inquiry into the Bodija murder incident that occurred during the early hours of today, 02/02/25.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that a yet-to-be-identified man was chased and shot dead a few blocks away from the popular lounge located at Bodija, Ibadan.
“Also worthy of note is that the swift presence of police at the scene minutes after it was reported was to maintain law and order and not to further increase the pandemonium, as reported by some spaces on social media where they claimed that the police accidentally shot and killed an onlooker (student) during the dispersal.
“However, emphatically, there were neither killings by the police nor recorded death of any student before, during and after the lawful dispersal of onlookers from the scene of crime.
“In furtherance of the above, the case has since been referred to the Homicidal Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, with a Deputy Commissioner of Police leading the investigation as directed by the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Police Command, CP Sonubi Ayodele.
“Normalcy has since returned to the area with adequate deployment of operational and intelligence command assets to prevent an hijack of the scene by hoodlums.
“Further updates about the investigation would be communicated accordingly, please,” Osifeso explained.
