The Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) Chairman in Ikire, Chief Adegbite Adedokun has revealed that sources have indicated that the armed robbers that stormed the area on Wednesday came from Ibadan.
He said this on a radio programme monitored by DAILY POST on Thursday.
He explained that they split into two groups in order to simultaneously attack First Bank in Ikire and Access Bank in Apomu in Irewole and Isokan local government councils of the state.
At Apomu, he continued, vigilantes confronted the armed robbers which forced them to divert towards Orile Owu, where they abandoned their vehicles and ran into the bush.
He also revealed that in Ikire, the robbers shot sporadically into the civilian population and even into the palace of the Akire of Ikire.
Chief Adedokun, who is the Minimum of Ikire, stated that despite the sad event of Wednesday evening, Ikire as at the time of this report has been calm.
The Police Command in an official press release signed by Yemisi Opalola, the command Police Public Relations Officer stated that the armed robbers came in about five vehicles at about 6:10pm on Wednesday 2nd of June, 2021 and simultaneously attacked Ikire Divisional Police Headquarter and pinned down the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) at Ikoyi-Osun with several explosive devices and sporadic gunshots in a bid to subdue the capacity of the Police while attempting to rob the banks.
She revealed that two police officers; ASP Osho Oluranti and Inspector Lekan Olalere with two Special Constabulary personnel; Oladeni Olalekan, and Oyedeji Muyideen were shot dead in the process.
Added to the casualty list were three civilians; Toheeb Oyebola, Temilorun Adebiyi and one other whose identity is not yet to be ascertained.
All the corpses according to Opalola has been deposited at Oluyoro Catholic Hospital morgue, Apomu even as efforts is ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects
In his response, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olawale Olokode, disclosed that the reason for the high number of casualties recorded during the robbery incidents was due to the resistance from the men of the police force and local vigilantes.
Olokode stated this while also speaking on the radio programme monitored by our correspondent.
He explained that the incident was a foiled bank robbery. He revealed that the retreating armed robbers left behind an ash coloured Mercedes Benz station wagon car and another green coloured Japanese manufactured car at the scene of their escape.
He added that the armed robbers, numbering about thirty-five, came prepared with explosives in order to cause confusion in the security architecture of the two towns.
The police boss also revealed that the armed robbers suffered several gunshot wounds even as men of the force and vigilantes were still coming to the forest around the town with a view to getting the culprits arrested.
The Osun Police boss assured the public that the command has put in place strategies to combat crime as they have fortified the security architecture of the state.
He revealed that the command is ready to defend and protect the lives and properties of the citizenry and called on the public to always provide security agencies with credible information.
