Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, has condemned the shooting Mr. Toba Adedeji, a correspondent of The Nation, by men of the Osun State Police Command on Tuesday.
According to a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, Oyetola said that shooting at unarmed citizens was completely unacceptable, irresponsible and condemnable.
Adedeji and a yet-to-be-identified citizen were reportedly shot by some overzealous policemen who were trying to disperse a group of people who had gathered to mourn the death of Abiola Afolabi, who was allegedly killed by police officers last month.
Governor Oyetola who is currently in Abuja for some pressing state and national matters added that the sad incident could have been avoided.
He expressed regret that the tragic tragedy occurred while the locals were grieving the loss of a loved one.
According to Governor Oyetola, the police’s illegal actions could exacerbate an already difficult situation, potentially leading to a collapse of law and order in the state.
As a result, he has asked for a thorough inquiry into the incident in order to ensure that the perpetrators are dealt with swiftly and decisively in accordance with the law of the land.
“Shooting at journalists and unarmed citizen is completely unacceptable, irresponsible and condemnable. The police officers have no justification for this unfortunate and unlawful act. They could have employed other means rather than resorting to deadly force to disperse the group
“The frequency of these unfortunate and avoidable provocative incidents is a source of concern to us, as a government. I have, therefore, directed the State Commissioner of Police to investigate the Tuesday shooting incident and ensure that the officers who are involved in it are identified and punished in accordance with extant regulations and law.
“We must ensure that this kind of sad and barbaric incident does not occur again in our State.
“I wish the Nation Newspaper correspondent, Adedeji, and the other citizen whom I learnt are presently receiving treatment at the hospital, speedy recovery. I am also calling on residents of Osun to remain calm and not take the law into their own hands. I assure that this matter will be pursued to a logical conclusion and the erring officers dealt with accordingly,” He said.
