Police operatives in Osun State on Wednesday killed four hoodlums at the Ilesha area of the state.
The spokesperson for the state police command, Yemisi Opalola, who confirmed the development in a statement in Osogbo on Thursday, said the gunmen ambushed a vehicle conveying murder suspects to a correctional centre in the town.
According to her, the vehicle was attacked after it developed a fault at Osunjela River along the Osogbo-Ilesa Road.
She said auto mechanics were working on the vehicle when the criminals, emerged from bushes on motorcycles, and shot sporadically in a bid to free the suspects.
Opalola said: “In the ensuing gun duel between the gunmen and the police, the hoodlums abandoned their motorcycle and fled into the bush.
Three locally made guns, one pump action gun; two cut-to-size barrel guns with fourteen live cartridges were recovered from the assailants.
“Three out of four of the hoodlums died from gunshot wounds at a hospital in Osogbo while the body of the fourth suspect was recovered from the bush.
“When we combed the bush for possible arrest of the fleeing suspects, the dead body of one of the attackers was recovered with bullets wounds.
“While searching his body, two live cartridges and a piece of paper with an incantation written in the Yoruba language with the names of the perpetrators were found in his pocket.”
