A tragic incident has rocked the Alakia area of Ibadan, Oyo State, as a young female candidate sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) was allegedly killed by a stray bullet fired by a police officer.
The incident occurred Tuesday morning around the busy Gbagi Market Road. The victim, a secondary school student, was on her way to write her examination, accompanied by her father and twin brother, when she was struck by the bullet.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that police officers, reportedly in pursuit of a Hilux vehicle suspected to be conveying internet fraudsters or traffic offenders, opened fire indiscriminately. One of the bullets allegedly hit the girl, who was inside her father’s car.
She was rushed to Welfare Hospital but was tragically declared dead on arrival.
The shocking death sparked outrage across the community. Angry youths took to the streets in protest and later carried the girl’s lifeless body to the Oyo State Government Secretariat, demanding justice and immediate action from Governor Seyi Makinde.
Speaking on the incident, Comrade Yemi Ezekiel Bello, President of the Save the Poor and Needy Charity Initiative (SPANCI), condemned the killing and called on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate the officers involved.
“Dear IGP and stakeholders, kindly investigate this case. It was reportedly a case of officers from the police and OYRTMA shooting while chasing suspected Yahoo boys or traffic offenders. A young girl, whose father has been solely raising her and her sibling since their mother left seven years ago, was killed in the process,” Bello stated in a press release.
The tragic death of the promising student has again raised serious questions about the use of force by Nigerian law enforcement agencies, especially in densely populated civilian areas.
As of press time, the Oyo State Police Command had not issued an official statement regarding the incident.
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