Moruf a.k.a Ese Murphy, the leader of a private security firm and a member of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) in Oyo State, died as a result of gunshot wounds he received during an altercation with a police officer in Ibadan.
Mr. Adesina Akinpelu, the National Publicity Secretary of the OPC New Era, who confirmed the incident on Wednesday, called on the Inspector General, Usman Alkali Baba, and the state commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko, to arrest and prosecute the erring policeman without further delay.
It was gathered that a policeman attached to Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS) identified as Segun a.k.s Sanjay during an encounter shot Moruf on Thursday, 17th February this year.
The incident occurred at the residence of Segun in Imalefalafia junction, Oke-Ado area of Ibadan, which is part of the catchment area being secured by Moruf.
It was gathered that Segun shot Moruf twice on that Thursday and later died on Saturday as a result of the gunshots.
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It was gathered that Segun who is attached to F-SARS in Lagos state is found shooting into the air twice every night whenever is in Ibadan, where his family resides.
It was further gathered that the policeman always comes back home late at night whenever in Ibadan, and he would shoot twice into the air anytime he is back home at night to call the attention of other residents that he is back home.
It was gathered that residents of the area where the rented apartment of the policeman is situated were not comfortable with the attitude of the policeman.
It was further gathered that members of the private security outfit led by Mr. Moruf were not also comfortable with the attitude of the policeman because it always creates fear and tension in the minds of the residents.
Members of the security outfit reported Segun to Moruf, who was their boss, who in turn went to Segun to announce their displeasure with that attitude of unnecessary shooting every night whenever he is Ibadan.
It was further gathered that Segun stopped the act of shooting at night after Moruf expressed their displeasure, on the ground that the act always cause confusion and that it would not allow them to know whenever real armed robbers come to the area.
However, it was gathered that a few weeks after Segun stopped the act of shooting twice into air at night, he started it back anytime he comes back from Lagos.
Investigation revealed that around 11:30 pm on Thursday, 17th February, when Segun came back home, he fired twice on air.
It was gathered that Moruf was in the vicinity that night to supervise his boys when he heard the gunshots.
Some of the residents of the area who spoke on the condition of anonymity on Tuesday said Moruf moved to the area to confront Segun for unnecessary shootings, which resulted in serious arguments between the duo.
During the argument, it was gathered that the policeman allegedly shot the OPC member twice in the process. The deceased later died on Saturday as a result of the gunshots he sustained last Thursday.
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Findings revealed that the policeman had fled the area immediately and till this moment he had not returned to his house.
It was gathered that angry residents who are not comfortable with Segun’s attitude have descended on Segun’s wife’s shop which is close to their house and destroyed the shop.
It was also gathered that the angry mob wanted to set Segun’s rented apartment ablaze but the landlords appealed to them that the house did not belong to him.
A source who craved for anonymity said, “It was at argument period that Segun brought out his pistol and fired at Moruf, the first shot hit him on the chest. As Moruf was trying to hold him, he shot him again a second time in the stomach and he fell down.
“Moruf was rushed by his boys to a place where some native people do remove pellets of the bullet. That of the chest were removed successfully but that of the stomach had damaged his intestine and he died on Saturday 19th, February, two days after he was shot”.
National Publicity Secretary of OPC New Era, Mr. Adesina Akinpelu confirmed the incident on Wednesday.
Akinpelu in a telephone conversation called on the Inspector General, Usman Alkali Baba and the state commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko to without waiting more time prosecute the erring policeman.
Akinpelu said, “It is true that an F-SARS operative shot one of our members in Ibadan. He later died on Saturday. I am aware. The deceased belonged to the Gani Adams group of OPC, but in Yoruba land, OPC is one. We are one.
“We want the IGP, CP and the government to bring the policeman who is an operative of F-SARS to book. He cannot just be killing our members like that.
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“I have appealed to our members not to take laws into their hands, but the police and the government should arrest the policeman and prosecute him. We do not want a crisis between the OPC and security agents”.
However, all efforts made to get a reaction from the spokesman of Oyo state Police command, Adewale Osifeso, since Tuesday proved abortive as several calls put through his phone were not successful.
Similarly, messages sent to him, which were delivered to seek Police reaction have not been replied as at the time of filing this report on Wednesday.
