BY AKINWALE ABOLUWADE, IBADAN
The Oyo State Police Command has refuted the report that linked its personnel to the killing of 21-year-old ND2 Banking and Finance student of The Polytechnic Ibadan, Husma Babatunde, describing the rumour as a lie that was aimed at promoting panic, hatred and violence against the police.
Social media was awash with the report that linked the police with the killing of the student while responding to a distress call at the Palms Mall, Ring Road, Ibadan, on Sunday.
However, a statement titled, ‘Re-Shoprite shooting incident,’ e-signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, DSP Adewale Osifeso, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko, read that the boy was killed by some yet-to-be-identified suspects believed to be cultists at the shopping centre.
The statement read, “The attention of the Oyo State Police Command has been drawn to fake and misleading news making the rounds, particularly on social media spaces, on the murder of one Husma Akinola Babatunde (male), aged 21years an ND2 student of Banking and Finance, The Polytechnic Ibadan, who was allegedly shot while trying to evade arrest.
“To set the record straight, on the strength of a distress call received at about 9am, on Sunday, 25th of July, 2021, from Palms Mall, Ring Road, Ibadan that some suspected cultists/hoodlums invaded the building premises in pursuit of their target who was shot and later confirmed dead at the hospital, police patrol teams were immediately drafted to the scene but the perpetrators had escaped before arrival.
“Preliminary investigation reveals through CCTV footages, crime scene analysis, residents and customers scampering for safety at the time, that the shootings were carried out by hoodlums and not the police in what seemed (like a) reprisal in a cult related fracas.
“While comprehensive investigations is ongoing, the Command wishes to refute the unfounded tales, aimed at promoting panic, apprehension, and instigating violence against the police.
“The Command wishes to assure the people of Oyo State that the security architecture of the state remains resolute and fortified daily with intelligence driven upgrades. While enjoining members of the public to desist from spreading fake and unverified news, the Commissioner of Police assures the citizenry that the perpetrators of the dastardly act would soon be tracked and made to face justice.”
