A senior police officer is in a mess after embarking on a free car ride which ended on a sour note.
On Sunday, June 2, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP Oladejo Oyebanji was said to have returned safely from a stop and search point at Levant area along the Ore-Benin Expressway to the Ofosu Police Station from where he was deployed, but without his gun.
The police officer with (Service) AP number 136052 had forgotten an Ak47 rifle numbered 0488 with 20 rounds of live ammunition assigned to him inside a Mercedes Benz 4Matic whose driver gave him a free ride, according to a report.
Scudnews learned that ASP Oyebanji had led a team of policemen from Ofosu Division of the Ondo State Police Command to a checkpoint along the Ore-Benin Expressway on night duty on the day of incident and at the close of work at about 5.am, the team flagged down a car on which the unknown driver was riding alone.
The policemen reportedly asked for a lift to Ofosu police station which the driver of the foreign used unregistered Mercedes Benz 4Matic car commonly known as Tokunbo obliged them, as he was travelling to Edo State apparently from Lagos.
It was a safe and smooth ride to destination for the policemen who were excited as the driver drove off after alighting from the car at the gate of the police station, but their joy evaporated shortly.
While other members of the team were bearing their weapons, the leader, ASP Oyebanji had forgotten his AK47 rifle and ammunition in the unregistered vehicle whose driver is unknown. And he is in shambles.
“It’s a case of loss of arms. Effort is ongoing to locate the vehicle and recover the rifle”, a security source familiar with the incident who spoke under anonymity told Scudnews on Tuesday.
As of the time of filing this report, it could not be ascertained if the police authorities have commenced any action against the officer who forgot his firearm in the vehicle of a stranger.
