BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
The Osun State correspondent of The Nation Newspaper, Toba Adedeji, who was shot with a live bullet by a trigger-happy policeman from Dugbe Police Division in Osogbo, has accused the state Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode of attempts to twist facts of the incident.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, Adedeji expressed displeasure over alleged claim by Olokode that none of his men shot live bullets while dispersing protesters last week.
Olokode had reportedly said on a radio programme in Osogbo that it was not a bullet that injured Adedeji but a metal scratch.
Olokode claimed that he had obtained a medical report from the Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, which allegedly revealed that Adedeji had metal scratch, as against bullet wound report.
Adedeji said while he was being treated at the hospital, the CP phoned some of his colleagues and pleaded that journalists in the state should kill the story, stating he was wrongly briefed over the incident.
He added that when Olokode was summoned to the Police Headquarters in Abuja over the incident, he visited the National Chairman of the NUJ with a directive that the chairman should direct his members to stop reports on the matter.
The journalist also cried out over some unknown faces who had been trailing him since the incident happened and called on the Department of State Security and other security agencies to investigate the development and protect his life.
“I want to state it emphatically here that CP Olokode lied. He said when he came to pay me visit at home that I told him that I was not shot, this is a lie and it is so unfortunate that it is coming from a senior police officer because we never had such discussion but I told him that I was shot at the scene by policemen led by DPO Oyegade of Dugbe police station.
“In fact, Olokode was trying to change the narrative as he told me that the police and hoodlums had shoot out at the scene but I refuted the claim saying there was no confrontation with the protesters that warranted shooting that day. He could not talk till he left my house that day.
“The outburst of lies by the Osun State police further entrench that police should not be trusted for any reasons again because the people of the state are not safe again. Residents of Osun fear policemen more than they fear armed robbers.
“As far as my treatment is concerned at UNIOSUNTH, I never told them at the hospital that it was not gunshot. If gunshots were not fired on that day, why will I be running from from the scene.”
Adedeji asked police echelon to provide those officers who shot him. He said he could identify the Divisional Police Officer of Dugbe, Oyegade as the leader of the squad.
“The Commissioner of Police should tender a public apology for lying that I told him that I was not shot but sustained mere injury. He must retract the statement which are all lies against my personality.
“The Police in Osun has lost its leadership and IGP must look for a way to address this before another wind of #EndSARS take over the state.
“Some strange faces who have been trailing me to hospital since the issue happened must also be checked by Directorate of State Services and other security agencies.
“There should be independent investigation into the alleged medical report which the CP claimed was obtained from UNIOSUNTH with a view to finding out the author of the said report.
“The consultant in charge of Accident and emergency unit of the Hospital, Dr Ogungbemi and the Doctor that treated me, apart from the questions asked me also interviewed my colleagues, who were eye witnesses to ascertain my story over the incident,” he demanded.
