Azeez Ijaduade: Meet Nollywood Actor Accidentally Shot By Police Officer

Nollywood actor and movie director, Azeez Ijaduade has reportedly been shot by a policeman at Iperu, Ogun State.

He is currently battling for his life at the Babcock University Teaching Hospital.

One of his colleagues in the Nigerian Movie industry who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the news but could not explain the circumstances that led to the gunshot.

Azeez Ijaduade: Meet Nollywood Actor Accidentally Shot By Police Officer

The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, Abiodun Alamutu also confirmed that he was on his way to the hospital to check the victim and confirm what actually happened.

An unconfirmed report stated that the actor was hit by a shot that was mistakenly discharged by a police officer attached to a company at Ogere area of Ogun State, during the end-of-year party of the company at a hotel in Iperu; where Ijaduade and his crew were also having a movie shoot.

Meanwhile, a video of the victim and some of the Nollywood actors including Odunlade Adekola has surfaced on social media where they were celebrating and appreciating God for the gift of life after the narrow escape.

The one-minute nine-second video which was posted on Odunlade Adekola Instagram page started with words of prayers and appreciation to God.

The video was made in both English and Yoruba to show Nigerians that Azeez Ijaduade is alive and not badly injured.

Although, the victim was seen with bandage on his neck,  but he was also in a happy mood in appreciation to God for his narrow escape from death.

Meanwhile, in an update, some colleagues of Nollywood actor, Azeez Ijaduade, who was reportedly shot by a policeman at Iperu, Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State, have said that the bullet went through one part of his neck and came out through the other side, creating a hole.

The actors said the actor fell on the ground and started bleeding immediately after he was hit.

According to them, he was initially rushed to the General Hospital in Iperu, but the officials on duty rejected him because there was no police report.

In an exclusive interview, Abiodun Adebanjo explained that Ijaduade, who directed a film he produced, was at Living Spring Hotel to rest when the incident happened.

Adebanjo said, “We were filming at Iperu, around Living Spring, and yesterday happened to be our last day on set. After we wrapped up everything, I took him to his hotel to rest. As I returned to my hotel, I was told that Azeez had been shot. I couldn’t believe it.

“So I rushed back to that hotel. I didn’t meet them, they said he was rushed to the General Hospital in Iperu. At that General Hospital, they said they couldn’t treat a gunshot injury without a police report. All of us started crying. So, we rushed him to Babcock University Teaching Hospital, and he was admitted.

“The policeman who shot him ran away but we held his colleagues responsible. Later we were told that the officer had been arrested.

“What the doctors told us when we got here was that there was no bullet in his neck from the result of the scan. We were told that the bullet entered through one side of the neck and went out through the other. We thank God he is stable now. The doctors only asked us to give them 72 hours.”

Another actor, Femi Adekanye, recounted that he heard the sound of gunshot and rushed down from his room, only to find Ijaduade’s phone on the floor, while he was being rushed to the hospital.

Adekanye said two officers were accosted, adding that the one that pulled the trigger absconded.

“We took him to the General Hospital, he was rejected and he was taken to Babcock. Thank God he is responding to treatment,” he said.

Popular Nollywood actor, Odunlade Adekola, who was at the hospital to see the movie director, appreciated God for saving him from what could have taken his life.

“We just have to give thanks to God that he is alive. It is a great opportunity to give thanks to God in our industry. Anybody dead is gone,” Adekola said briefly.

The Governor, Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners of Nigeria, Owolabi Ajasa, who was also at the teaching hospital, stated that he was not there when the incident happened, but the victim gave him a brief when he met him on the hospital bed.

Ajasa narrated, “He said he had no issue with the police. He was sitting just after production when he observed that something happened to him. He said he felt a gun bullet enter his neck, and from there they rushed him to the general hospital, where he was rejected before he was finally brought to Babcock.”

Ajasa thanked God that Ijaduade was recuperating fast, urging policemen to avoid firing shots indiscriminately.

Also, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, who visited the hospital for an assessment of the incident, said the actor was hit by bullet shells.

He condemned the actions of the police officer who fired the shot, saying he was undergoing disciplinary actions at the moment.