One person was feared dead after he was shot at Iloro Area of Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Saturday, when some youths protested the death of one Olufemi Oriyomi who died in police detention.
Sunday PUNCH learnt that some police operatives passing through Iloro where the protesters had gathered, clashed with the youths, with one of the protesters reportedly shot.
But the spokesperson for Osun Police Command, Yemisi Opalola, when contacted, confirmed that one person was shot but the victim did not die.
She said, “Some police operatives were passing through the area in a show of force on Saturday when some protesters pelted them with stones and other dangerous objects. They even shot at them. Police operatives involved were trying to protect themselves and one of the youths was shot. He was injured. He is being treated in a hospital. He is not dead.”
Opalola had earlier, in a statement, said Oriyomi was arrested with two others in possession of human parts by the police in Safejo Area of Ile-Ife on April 7.
The statement read in parts, “The Osun State Police Command in its efforts to sanitise the State from incessant ritual killings and other vices, has arrested three young men for ritual killings. They are Olayade Kehinde ‘M’ 25 years, Olufemi Oriyomi ‘M’ 21 years, and Raimi Sheriff ‘M’ 21 years.
“The brief fact of the case is that on the 7th April 2022 at about 11:00 hrs along Osogbo/OAU Ife Campus Road, the Police detectives on ‘stop and search’ duty accosted three men on a motorcycle, they were flagged down, but rather than stop, sped off, and were pursued.
“They were eventually arrested at Safejo area of Ile-Ife, and while searching, human heart, which they claimed was one of their friend’s and various criminal charms were found with them.
“One of the suspects named Olufemi Oriyomi fell sick and was taken to hospital for treatment, but unfortunately, he died while on admission and the corpse has been deposited at State hospital for autopsy. The remaining two suspects will be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigation.”
Displeased by the development, many youths in Ile-Ife were said to have thronged the streets in the ancient town and later went to the palace of the Ooni of Ife in Enuwa, in protest on Friday and continued with the demonstration on Saturday.
One of the protesters, identified simply as Bisi, had accused police of subjecting Oriyomi and the other two detainees to severe torture which led to his death.
He said some operatives rejected a sum of N1.5m raised by some friends of the three men to bail them but were asked to add to the amount before they would be released.
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