The Osun State Police Command has responded to the tragic shooting event in Ejigbo town that killed US-based Prof. Richard Idowu (Ade Ori Okin), stating that one individual has been apprehended in connection with the incident.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Yemisi Opalola, one Prince Eniola Oyeyode of Ejigbo, Osun State, was detained in connection with the incident.
Chronicle NG learned that Prince Eniola was a friend of the dead and that the late Prof. Idowu attended his friend’s father’s 50th coronation celebration, the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, on Saturday before the event.
Opalola said, “The incident occurred on January 27, 2024, at about 9:48 p.m.,.m., after the 50th Coronation Anniversary of the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Oyeyode Oyesosin, where one Prince Eniola Oyeyode’m’ of Ejigbo instructed one of his civilian guards, Hammed Abdul Jelili ‘m’ of Ejigbo, to fire his double barrel gun into the air to confirm if the gun was in good condition or not, but instead shot directly at the victim, and he was rushed to a hospital but confirmed dead by the doctor.
“Meanwhile, Prince Eniola Oyeyode, who gave the order to his civilian guard to fire the gun, has been arrested and detained.”
The police PRO stated that the state’s Commissioner of Police, CP Bzigu Dali Kwazhi, urged members of the public, particularly inhabitants of Ejigbo town, to be calm while a discreet inquiry was launched immediately.
Meanwhile, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has ordered a probe into the murder of Dr. Richard Idowu, also known as Ade Ori Okin, and the subsequent lynching of the shooter.
Ade Orin Okin was shot dead by a local hunter in Ejigbo over the weekend following the 50th coronation anniversary of the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Oyeyode Oyesosin, and the hunter was promptly lynched.
Prof. Idowu, an Osun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) figure, was reported to be a member of the coronation anniversary committee, and the event allegedly occurred following a post-anniversary meeting at Prince Eniola Oyeyode’s mansion in Ejigbo.
Mallam Olawale Rasheed, the governor’s spokesperson, issued a statement on Sunday expressing condolences to the families of the deceased and stressing that all instances will be investigated.
The governor urged the security authorities to take preemptive action to prevent any potential counterattack or outbreak of violence in the ancient town.
The governor has also deployed a high-powered delegation to Ejigbo to guarantee that order is restored while the probe is ongoing.
