The Osun State Police Command has identified the two civilians killed during Monday’s violence in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, and said suspected attackers also seriously injured two police officers and seized an AK-47 service rifle.

Police spokesperson DSP Abiodun Ojelabi identified the deceased as Nureni Sobowale, 49, from Odeda Area in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and Saheed Akinrole, 43, of Adeagbo Compound in Ikire.

In the command’s account released on Tuesday, Ojelabi said a patrol team attached to the Ikire Division came under attack at about 11 a.m. on Monday along the Ife-Ibadan Expressway.

The police said the team, accompanied by the Divisional Police Officer, had been responding to a distress call concerning the alleged abduction of a man identified only as Sunkanmi.

According to the command, officers were attacked shortly after arriving at the location and the assailants opened fire while the personnel were inside their operational vehicle.

The police alleged that one AK-47 service rifle was seized from its personnel during the confrontation and subsequently used by the attackers to fire indiscriminately.

Ojelabi said the shooting resulted in the deaths of Sobowale and Akinrole, while two police officers sustained serious injuries.

The injured officers were initially taken to a nearby hospital before being referred to the University College Hospital, Ibadan, for further treatment.

Police said the bodies of the two deceased men were deposited at the Oluyoro Catholic Mortuary and their families notified.

The command also said its patrol vehicle was forcefully taken during the attack before being abandoned and recovered.

According to the police, the vehicle had multiple bullet holes and a damaged windscreen when it was recovered.

Nine expended ammunition shells were also recovered from the scene and secured for forensic examination, the command said.

The newly deployed Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Ibrahim Zungura, later visited the area for an assessment and directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department to investigate the incident.

The command said tactical and intelligence personnel had also been deployed to identify and apprehend those responsible.

Monday’s violence had generated competing accounts before the police issued its detailed statement.

The Osun State chapter of the Accord Party had accused the Divisional Police Officer in Irewole of firing at civilians at the motor park, an allegation the party used to demand an investigation and disciplinary action.

The All Progressives Congress, however, blamed suspected political thugs for the violence and alleged that police officers were attacked during the incident.

Neither party’s political claims should be treated as established fact.

Governor Ademola Adeleke has also called for scrutiny of the conduct of the Ikire DPO while receiving the newly deployed Commissioner of Police, urging the command to rebuild public confidence and ensure impartial policing.

The police account released on Tuesday differs significantly from allegations that officers were responsible for the deaths, placing responsibility instead on attackers who allegedly seized a police rifle.