Eight months after embarking on a special operation in Abia State, the whereabouts of five police officers from the Osun State Command remain unknown.
Chronicle NG gathered that six officers from the State Criminal Investigations Department’s Anti-Robbery Unit were dispatched to Abia State on February 12, 2024, for an operational assignment.
The squad of five male and one female officer was investigating an armed robbery case, with one of the suspects traced down in Abia State.
According to the families of three of the officers, the officers stayed in a hotel in Asaba, Delta State, on the night of February 12 and carried on to Abia the following day.
However, on their route to Abia, the policemen were reportedly attacked by gunmen, and one of the officers managed to flee.
Since the attack, neither the bodies nor the locations of the five missing cops have been established.
A civilian driver who drove the police vehicle was also reported missing.
Speaking to the press, Adekonipekun, the husband of Adepimpe Ayowole, the lone female among the missing cops, accused the Force of being indifferent to the situation.
According to him, the Force had not visited or called since the day all of the policemen’s families were informed of their absence.
Adekonipekun said, “My wife, Adepimpe Ayowole, with Force Number 068986, is among the officers who went on a special operation in Abia State. They left Osogbo on February 12, slept in Asaba, and continued their journey on the 13th. I spoke with her around 8 am, but since then, I have not been able to reach her. We were told they were attacked.”
He added, “Since the initial briefing by a deputy police commissioner, the police have provided no updates. There have been no visits or calls from the police. None of the department members, including their supervisors, have reached out. It’s been very discouraging.
“Our lawyer’s petition was ignored, and all our attempts to communicate with the police have been futile. The officer who escaped the attack has not been made available for us to meet him. It seems like the police are trying to bury the case.”
In a similar vein, Funmilola Egundeyi, the wife of one of the missing police officers, Paul Egundeyi, has requested the police reveal information about her husband’s absence.
She criticised the Force for their lack of cooperation and care.
She said, “I spoke to my husband around 7 am the next day, but by 10 am, his number was no longer reachable.”
“The deputy commissioner informed us on Saturday (February 17) that they were attacked. I later heard through another wife that three officers were killed during the attack. I frequently visit the police headquarters, but all they tell me is, ‘There is no update.’ Life has been unbearable for me and our two children.”
Mrs. Balkisi Durosaro, the wife of another missing officer, Jimoh Fatiu, said that the Force had not officially informed her of her husband’s whereabouts.
“I found out about the incident from his brother, who is also a policeman. But since then, the police have not called or visited me. I wasn’t included in the meeting at the police command, and no one has told me what happened to my husband. Life has been challenging, but I believe my husband is alive and will return home to me,” she said.
When called, Mrs. Yemisi Opalola, the Force Public Relations Officer for the Osun Command, directed our correspondent to the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
However, Adejobi did not react to messages left on his phone, and his phone number was unavailable for calls.
