The Osun State Commissioner for Environment, Mayowa Adejoorin, has been released by the state police command after spending nearly 24 hours in custody over a shooting incident in Ilesa.
Adejoorin was arrested on Saturday after a shooting during an All Progressives Congress (APC) street rally in the Isokun area of Ilesa left at least three people injured.
One of the victims was identified as 14-year-old Tobi Ilesanmi, who was reportedly shot near the scene.
The incident has triggered accusations between the APC and the Accord Party, following the arrest of Adejoorin, who was said to have been travelling through Ilesa when the incident occurred.
The commissioner was taken to the headquarters of the Osun State Police Command in Osogbo for questioning.
The state police spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, said on Saturday that three people were injured and taken to different hospitals.
According to him, preliminary findings indicated that the victims were shot at the rally, allegedly by individuals identified as personnel of the Osun State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun Corps.
Ojelabi said the suspects were allegedly travelling in a vehicle with an official Osun State Government registration number.
“Three persons are confirmed injured, and they were taken to different hospitals. From the reports we have, they were shot at the rally scene. There was a rally in some part of Ilesa by the APC,” he said.
He alleged that the incident began after rally participants noticed a vehicle bearing registration number OSHAO4 parked close to the procession.
According to Ojelabi, some people identified as Amotekun personnel allegedly emerged from the vehicle and fired shots, causing those at the rally to flee.
He said some participants subsequently chased one of the men and that the individual allegedly produced a knife before escaping.
The police spokesperson said tactical operatives from the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) responded after receiving a distress call.
He said the officers intercepted a white Lexus 350 approaching the area and found an Amotekun operative and another passenger inside.
According to Ojelabi, the occupants were taken to the police headquarters for questioning, where the second passenger was identified as Adejoorin.
“They brought them to Osogbo for questioning to know the level of involvement in this incident because the exhibits recovered at the scene of that shooting are four expended cartridges, and the gun recovered from the Amotekun is a pump-action gun. So the investigation is ongoing,” he said.
APC alleges attack during rally
However, the Head of the APC Campaign Council for Ilesa West, Folarin Fafowora, gave a different account of the incident.
Fafowora said the rally was nearing its conclusion when a vehicle overtook the procession.
He identified the occupant as the Chief Whip of the Osun State House of Assembly, Wale Akerele.
“We were almost rounding up when, suddenly, a car overtook us. The occupant of the car was the Chief Whip of the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Wale Akerele,” Fafowora said.
He alleged that gunshots were fired shortly afterwards, sending participants into a panic.
According to him, the situation became more chaotic around the Isokun roundabout, where he said people scrambled for safety.
Fafowora further alleged that individuals emerged from a vehicle and began shooting, forcing him to seek cover.
He claimed that Amotekun vehicles escorting Akerele helped him leave the area.
“The policemen were there when he came back, while they were shooting. He was being protected by the Amotekun personnel, and they were also shooting,” he alleged.
Efforts to contact Akerele for his response were unsuccessful. Calls to his telephone line did not go through, while a response to a message sent to him via WhatsApp had not been received as of the time of filing the report.
The police investigation into the incident is ongoing.
