NOLLYWOOD actor and movie director Azeez Ololade Ijaduade has allegedly been shot by an official of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in the Iperu area of Ogun state.
This was contained in a social media post by a fellow actor Abiodun Adebanjo via his Instagram handle iamabiodunadebanjo in the early hours of Sunday, December 24.
“Please we need help in Iperu. My director, Azeez Ijaduade, @kingzeez1, was shot by a Nigeria Police personnel. He is presently at Babcock University Teaching Hospital.
“Please, we need all the help we can get. This is no joke. Anybody with the contacts of the Police IG (Inspector-General) or Commissioner should reach out,” the post read.
The ICIR reached out to the Ogun state Police public relations officer (PPRO), Omolola Odutola, for confirmation.
She did not pick up the call put across to her phone, and she has yet to respond to a text message sent to her for a reaction to the allegation when filing this report.
Barely a month ago, officers of the Ogun state Police command were accused of torturing a suspect remanded in custody, Seyi Samson, to death.
The deceased was arrested on Monday, November 20.
By Friday, November 24, Police officers in the Eleweran Police station allegedly told the deceased’s family members that he had developed an ailment and died while in custody.
The command, however, denied the allegations in a statement released afterwards.
“Ogun state Police command is well versed in the legal framework that safeguards the rights of individuals in custody, free from all forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
“For the records, the deceased was already charged for cult-related activities, and he was taken to court on Thursday, November 23, 2023, where he was to be arraigned before a special court on a cultism case in Isabo Abeokuta, but the honourable court did not sit. He was brought back to Eleweran in Abeokuta the same Thursday,” the Police said.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.