Three suspects, one gunman killed in failed Osun ‘hijack’

The attack came after three male suspects were on Wednesday , arraigned before an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court for alleged murder and armed robbery.
Magistrate A. Adeyeba had ordered their remand in Ilesa Correctional Centre because he lacked jurisdiction to take their plea nor grant them bail.

While the Police tactical team were transporting them to the prison custody, their vehicle was said to have developed fault along Ilesa road at Osunjela River. While a mechanic was fixing the fault, some armed men were said to have driven motorcycle to the scene, and opened fire at the Policemen in a bid to free the suspects.

According to a statement issued yesterday by the spokesperson for the police command, SP Yemisi Opalola, the tactical team engaged the armed men in a gun duel and killed four of them, while others fled into the bush with gunshot injuries.

He said: “On 26/08/2021 at about 3:30p.m., an Osun Police tactical team while taking some murder suspects to Ilesa correctional centre, after Osunjela river along Osogbo/Ilesa Road, the vehicle conveying the suspects developed mechanical fault. As the nearby mechanics were working on the vehicle, four armed men emerged from Osunjela Road on a Bajaj motorcycle and attacked the Police team by firing sporadically in a bid to hijack suspects.

“However, with the superior fire-power of the Police team, the hoodlums abandoned their motorcycle, three locally made guns; one pump action, two cut to size barrel guns with fourteen live cartridges. In the process, three murder suspects sustained injuries and later died at Asubiaro hospital in Osogbo and deposited in the same hospital morgue. The hoodlums fled into the bush with bullet wounds.

“Meanwhile, the police in collaboration with the local security outfits and the youths of the community combed the bush for possible arrest of the fleeing suspects. They later recovered the dead body of one of the attackers in the bush with bullet wounds on his body,

“While searching his body, two live cartridges and a paper with incantation written in Yoruba Language with the names of the perpetrators were found in his pocket. His corpse has been evacuated and deposited in the morgue.

“The commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode, enjoined members of the public, especially people of Osunjela area to avail the Command with information about any person(s) with suspected bullet wound,” Opalola stated.