The Oyo State Police Command has said forensic investigations found no evidence linking two police officers to the shooting of Nurudeen Azeez in Ibadan in 2021, insisting that the allegation against the officers was not substantiated.
The Command made this known in a statement signed by its Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, on Saturday, August 8, 2026, following the resurfacing of the allegation in a viral video and newspaper publication.
According to the police, the incident occurred on August 16, 2021, at about 9:00 p.m., when Inspector Gbenga Ayodele and Sergeant Ayilaran Boluwaji, both attached to Agodi Divisional Police Headquarters, were on night-duty at the vicinity of Koltol Hotel, Ikolaba, Ibadan.
The Command said the officers were approached by a motorist who reported that he was being pursued by armed robbers.
Shortly afterwards, gunshots were heard from the direction of Bino Hotel, Ikolaba, prompting the officers to move towards the area to assess the situation, while reinforcement was later deployed.
During a forensic sweep of the scene, the police said investigators recovered a locally fabricated pistol.
Eye witness account
The Command further stated that eyewitness information indicated that a person riding as a pillion on a motorcycle had been shot and taken to Molly Specialist Hospital, Idi-Ape, by members of the public.
Investigators subsequently visited the hospital but found that the victim had been transferred to Kehinde Ege Traditional Hospital, Asanke, Idi-Aro, Ibadan, where pellets were extracted from his body.
The police said an attempt to obtain a statement from the victim at the time was unsuccessful because he was still receiving intensive medical care.
During the investigation, the victim’s elder brother, Nurudeen Musa, reportedly told investigators that he witnessed the extraction of the projectiles and that 15 pellets were removed from the victim’s body.
The Command said 13 of the pellets were documented, while six were registered as exhibits for forensic examination.
Attention subsequently turned to the two police officers accused of shooting the victim.
Police examination
According to the Command, investigators obtained their duty and firearm records, which confirmed that the officers had signed out two AK-47 rifles for their assignment that night.
The two rifles were then subjected to forensic examination to determine whether they had been used in the shooting.
The examination, the police said, found that neither of the AK-47 rifles had been fired in connection with the incident.
The Command also said the pellets recovered from the victim were inconsistent with AK-47 ammunition.
“There was therefore no ballistic or forensic evidence linking either police firearm to the injury sustained by the victim,” the statement said.
However, forensic examination of the locally fabricated pistol recovered at the scene produced a different finding.
According to the police, the weapon showed characteristics consistent with having been recently discharged.
The Command, however, stressed that the finding did not by itself establish who had fired the pistol.
Revealed investigation
Based on the available evidence, the police said the investigation concluded that the allegation that either of the two officers shot Nurudeen Azeez could not be substantiated.
The Command nevertheless acknowledged that Azeez genuinely sustained a gunshot injury, stressing that the investigation simply did not establish who was responsible for the shooting.
“While the victim sustained a genuine gunshot injury, the evidence available did not establish the identity of the person responsible for the shooting,” the statement said.
The police consequently appealed to members of the public, journalists and social media users to exercise caution when circulating allegations, particularly where investigations into such allegations have already been concluded.
The Command said it remained committed to transparency, accountability and evidence-based investigations of allegations of police misconduct while respecting the rights of all persons.
