The Osun State Police Command has refuted accusations that its agents shot at innocent civilians playing football in Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, during a State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) operation on Sunday.
According to a statement issued by Police Commissioner Ibrahim Gotan and signed by Police Public Relations Officer DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, the operation was conducted in response to a petition submitted to the Office of the Inspector-General of Police on May 2, 2026, regarding a viral video allegedly showing suspected members of the AYE Confraternity displaying firearms and other dangerous weapons.
According to the statement, “the petition was later forwarded to the Osun State Police Command for investigation and further action.”
The command stated, “detectives thereafter launched a thorough investigation aimed at identifying and prosecuting those linked to the incident.”
The police stated that “operatives, acting on intelligence, identified one of the suspects seen in the viral video and moved to apprehend him at his hideout in Osogbo.”
Semiu Baruwa, the suspect, was accused of vandalising billboards throughout the state capital.
According to the statement, “the operation was disrupted when some suspected hoodlums and thugs allegedly attempted to stop officers from taking the suspect into custody for questioning.” The development heightened tension at the site and risked the agents’ lives.
“The situation became violent and posed serious threats to the safety and lives of the operatives, thereby necessitating the police officers to fire warning shots into the air to disperse the mob and safely extricate themselves from the scene.”
The leadership emphasised that no innocent residents were targeted during the drill, and that the officers followed operational safety standards.
“The actions of the operatives were in strict compliance with operational safety procedures aimed at protecting lives and ensuring public order,” police said.
According to the police, the suspect is currently in custody and aiding with ongoing investigations, while efforts to arrest other people involved in the incident and those accused of obstructing authorised police tasks continue.
The Commissioner of Police asked locals to remain calm and provide credible information to security agencies.
According to eyewitnesses, armed police officers attacked a football pitch on Baruwa Street in Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, on Sunday morning and fired intermittently into the air.
This development prompted football players, fans, and locals to flee for safety.
Worshippers at nearby churches in the vicinity also left mid-service, some clutching their children, fearing that robbers had ravaged the community.
A popular community leader who requested anonymity stated, “We did not impede them from doing their work. We simply asked why they would come and arrest a football fan who was out enjoying a game on Sunday morning.
“When we did not receive a sufficient response. We informed them they were not going with him. That’s when the shooting began, so we all had to run for shelter.”