Stray bullet believed to be from the gun of men of the Osun Police Command on Tuesday hit the Correspondent of the Nation Newspaper in Osogbo, Toba Adedeji, while covering a protest by youths.
Adedeji, with other members of the Osun Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Correspondents Chapel were at the popular Ola-Iya flyover junction to cover the protest by a group of youths over the alleged killing of their colleagues by the police before the incident.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who was also at the scene of the protest reports that a team of police officers who arrived at the scene by 1:45 pm, shot sporadically to disperse the youths.
In the process, Journalists and the unarmed protesting youths ran for their dear lives, but Adedeji was hit in the thigh by a police bullet.
He was rushed to the Emergency Unit of the University of Osun Teaching Hospital where he is currently receiving treatment and according to hospital sources, has been stabilised.
Meanwhile, the NUJ, Osun state Council, has demanded the immediate redeployment of the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olawale Olokode, over the shooting of Adedeji.
A statement by the Chairman of the Council, Comrade Wasiu Ajadosu and Secretary, Comrade Bukola Elufadejin, respectively, gave the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, a seven days ultimatum to redeploy Olokode, on the grounds of gross indiscipline and unprofessional conduct of the men and officers of the command under his supervision.
The statement further called on the IGP to take this urgent step in order to save the state from incessant unrest and crisis due to the lackadaisical approach to sensitive issues of security by the leadership of the state police command.
It described the action of the officers of the command as unfortunate, barbaric, uncivilised and demeaning, especially in a democratic environment where citizens possess the right to ventilate their grievances through protest.
The Union noted that it would no longer condone harassment and intimidation of its members, saying over five members of the union had been attacked by the police in the last three months.
It also recalled that some Journalists were attacked by suspected thugs at the Gov. Gboyega Oyetola rally in Gbongan, Ayedaade Local Government Area of the state on July 23.
The thugs, who wielded clubs, axes and other dangerous weapons, attacked vehicles, including the bus of the Osun State NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel and damaged the bus.
