A middle-aged man identified as Olanipekun Abiodun, yesterday shot himself dead during a hunting expedition at Agbalaku forest in Arigidi Akoko in Akoko Northwest Local Government Area of Ondo state.
The deceased was said to have accidentally shot himself when he was trying to reload his gun during the expedition.
It was gathered that the hunting expedition which involved about ten men, was halted when other members of the team suddenly heard a gunshot. They rushed to the point where they heard the bang and found the deceased in a pool of his blood.
Sources say the other members of the team that went for the hunting expedition had been arrested by the Police and detained at Okeagbe Akoko Police Divisional headquarters for proper investigation.
However, the Ondo State Police Command Public Relations Officer, (PPRO) Mr Wole Ogodo who confirmed the incident denied the arrest of the colleagues of the deceased.
Mr. Ogodo said that the colleagues fled the scene shortly after the man died.
“The way I see the matter, it was like a case of self-suicide because the boy mistakenly shot himself when he was trying to reload the dane gun he was using to hunt,” Mr. Ogodo said.
Yisa Olanipekun, the traditional ruler of the community where the incident happened, has promised to bring the deceased person’s colleagues to the police, the police spokesperson said.
The corpse of the deceased has been deposited at the mortuary of the state specialist hospital, Ikare, Akoko.