The men were accused of aiding pipeline vandals.
The Oyo State Police Command said it has detained two of its men for misusing the firearms in their possession.
The command spokesperson, Olabisi Okuwobi-Ilobanafor, who disclosed this in Ibadan on Tuesday, said the officers were held in connection with an incident at Orisunbare Village in Oluyole Local Government Area of the State last week Thursday. The officers allegedly shot sporadically into the air, causing panic among the villagers.
The two police officers had been accused, in some newspaper reports, of aiding vandals at an NNPC pipeline in the village.
The police spokeswoman said following the report in the dailies, the command went into full investigation to ascertain the alleged involvement of the two officers.
“At the end of our investigation, it was discovered that the officers were only carrying out their assigned duty, but this did not go down well with some of the villagers who saw the presence of policemen as a denial of their means of livelihood.
“The tanker which they alleged was used to carry fuel is a water tanker belonging to Avian Farms and never used for fuel haulage. The tanker is here with us at the Eleyele police headquarters”, she said.
The police officers, who were attached to the anti-pipeline vandalisation unit, reportedly pounced on one Olarewaju Akanji and beat him to a state of coma for challenging them when they were allegedly trying to escape with a fuel-laden tanker filled with petrol scooped from a ruptured pipeline in the village.
The sporadic gun shots fired by the police officers forced many shop owners and traders to abandon their businesses and run for their lives.
Mr. Akanji, who sustained severe injuries, was rushed to a nearby hospital where he is currently receiving medical attention.