The Osun State Police Command has reacted to the fatal shooting incident, which occurred in Ejigbo town, leading to the death of a United States-based Prof. Richard Idowu (Ade Ori Okin), saying one person has been arrested in connection to the incident.
A statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Yemisi Opalola, on Sunday, stated that one Prince Eniola Oyeyode of Ejigbo town of Osun State has been arrested over the incident.
LEADERSHIP gathered that Prince Eniola was a friend of the deceased and that the late Prof. Idowu was at the 50th coronation anniversary of his friend’s father – the Ogiyan of Ejigbo – on Saturday before the incident.
Opalola said, “The incident occurred on 27/1/2024 at about 9:48pm after the 50th Coronation Anniversary of the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Oyeyode Oyesosin where one Prince Eniola Oyeyode ‘m’ of Ejigbo Instructed one of his civilian guards named Hammed Abdul Jelili ‘m’ of Ejigbo to fire his double barrel gun into the air to confirm if the gun is in good condition or not, but instead shot directly at the victim and he was rushed to a hospital but confirmed dead by the Doctor.
“Meanwhile, the Prince Eniola Oyeyode who gave the order to his civilian guard to fire the gun has been arrested and detained.”
The PPRO added that the State’s Commissioner of Police, CP Bzigu Dali Kwazhi, appealed to members of the public, especially the residents of Ejigbo town to remain calm as discreet investigation had commenced immediately.
Meanwhile, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has ordered an investigation into the killing of Dr Richard Idowu, a.k.a Ade Ori Okin, and the subsequent lynching of the shooter.
Ade Orin Okin was shot dead by a local hunter at Ejigbo at the weekend after the 50th coronation anniversary of the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Oyeyode Oyesosin, while the hunter was immediately lynched.
Prof. Idowu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, was said to be a member of the coronation anniversary committee while the incident allegedly happened after a post-anniversary meeting at the house of Prince Eniola Oyeyode in Ejigbo.
In a statement by the spokesperson to the governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, on Sunday, the governor commiserated with the families of the deceaseds while assuring that all incidents would be probed.
The governor called for what he called pre-emptive action by the security agencies to prevent any possible counter-attack or eruption of violence in the ancient town.
Urging families of the deceased not to take law into their hands, the governor has also dispatched a high-powered delegation to visit Ejigbo and ensure restoration of order while investigation continued.
Members of the delegation included the Commissioner of Police, the State Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Local Government Affairs, the State Commissioner for Information and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters.
