21-year-old Ibadan Polytechnic student was killed by hoodlums, according to the Oyo State Police Command.

Contrary to assumptions, the deceased was killed by hoodlums and not by policemen, according to the police department.

Akinola Babatunde, the deceased, was slain in a brawl at a major shopping mall in Ibadan on Sunday, July 25th according to daily post.

Since then, the mall in Ibadan’s Ring Road area has been shut down, according to our correspondent, who has been on the scene.

Police officers were called to the area after the deceased was killed by suspected cultists, according to the police department.

According to a statement made available to daily post on Tuesday, Mr. Adewale Osifeso, Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, stated the deceased had been declared dead at the hospital.

He insisted that the offenders had fled before the police arrived.

According to him, there was no police involvement in the shooting.

Osifeso continued by noting that efforts are being made to capture the criminals.

Some suspected cultists/hoodlums invaded the Palms Mall in Ibadan after receiving a distress call around 9 pm on Sunday, 25th July 2021. Their target was shot and later confirmed dead at the hospital.

The culprits had escaped before police arrived.

A preliminary investigation has revealed that the shootings were carried out by criminals and not police in revenge for a cult-related altercation, based on CCTV evidence, crime scene analysis, residents, and customers fleeing for safety at the time.

While a full investigation is underway, the Command wishes to dispel these erroneous rumors, which are meant to provoke panic and apprehension among the public, as well as inspire violence against police officers.

This is done in order to reassure the people of Oyo State that their security infrastructure is steadfast and regularly updated with intelligence information.