By Press Council
Students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan have demanded justice over an officer of the Nigerian Police who was alleged to have shot Nurudeen Azeez on Monday Evening 16th August, 2021.
The victim is a final year student of Geology HND2 as well as the class representative of their class. According to what was gathered, the victim was on his way from Lagos around 9:00pm on the day of the incident, he was stopped by the officers for a stop and search which he obliged. While mounting a motorcycle, he was shot by an alleged Police Officer at his back.
The aggrieved students who trooped out in mass today Thursday 19th August, 2021 for a peaceful protest in order to agitate and speak in solidarity for the affected student spoke with Press Council correspondent.
While speaking with Journalist, the SUG President of the institution Comrade Fadare Blessing, “the Oyo State Governor should please save us, he (the victim) was coming back from Lagos peacefully and he was shot by an alleged police officer. We went to the police but they denied the allegations. We’re called leaders of tomorrow and you’re harrasing, killing and molesting us. The Governor and the necessary quarters should do something very important to this in order to save us, Police should stop the illegal act in all the axis of The Polytechnic, Ibadan”, he said.
On the other hand, a close friend (The departmental President of the victim spoke with Journalist), We were all at an event on Friday the week that preceded the day of the incident. He thereafter left for Lagos. On coming back by Monday around 9:00pm, I received a call that he has been hospitalized after a gun shot on his back by the Police (Testing Ground officers) at Ikolaba primary school towards Custom office area of Ibadan. Thanks to the Lord that he survived and he confessed to me that he was shot by the Police. Also, another close ally of the victim known as Kenny spoke with Journalist, “the police denied that they’re not the one that shoot him, if not because of the intervention of a good Samaritan that saved him that night, it’d have been another issue entirely”.
Scene where he was shot (Press Council TPI)
However, another student spoke with Press Council correspondent pleaded anonymity, “I was coming back from Iwo Road around 9:21pm going to Sango, on getting to around that Ikolaba axis, I saw crowd and many bike men sorrounding and soliciting for help for someone What they were all saying was that, he was just shot now now by some police who left here at the check point. On getting there, I was able to recognize that it was Azeez who has been shot. I stopped and another people quickly rushed him to an hospital for medical attention.
In the same time, the Oyo State Special Adviser to the Governor on Students’ Matters; Honourable Victor Olojede was also at the scene of the protests. He applauded the way at which the students headed by the SUG conveyed their grievances without any public distortion” the Governor is a father and he will do everything possible to make sure that the safety of the students are Paramount and utmost priority, we have heard your plight and agitation about the incident, we promise to give him a better medical attention he deserves and protect all citizens and students of the State”, he said.
Moreso, the Chairman of Ibadan North Local Government (Hon. Yusuff Sahib Oladayo) aka Agba Egbe who is also an alumnus of the institution spoke with Journalist at his office in Agodi Gate, “an injury to one is an injury to all, an injustice to one is an injustice to all. I’m an also concerned and involved in the molestation and harassment by security operatives but we all assure you that justice and drastic steps will be taken. Today, all the 33 local government Chairmen are here so we’ll have a security summit, roundtable discussion to forestall security in our state”, he said
Efforts to consult the DPO of Testing Ground Police Station as of the time of filling this report proved abortive. Also, efforts to reach out to the Oyo State PPRO was not reached and no response was given as of the time of filling this report
