A tragic turn of events unfolded on Tuesday morning in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, when a stray bullet, fired by a yet-to-be-identified police officer during a high-speed chase, claimed the life of a student on his way to sit for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
The incident occurred along Gbagi Market Road as the officer attempted to apprehend occupants of a fleeing vehicle, suspected to be internet fraudsters, commonly referred to as “Yahoo Boys.”
According to reports, the victim was in his father’s car when the bullet struck him. He was rushed to Welfare Hospital immediately after the shooting but was pronounced dead on arrival.
In a show of grief and outrage, angry youths and sympathisers marched with the student’s body to the Oyo State Secretariat, demanding justice for the senseless killing.
Sharing the harrowing news on social media, @Deji Adesogan wrote, “A tragic incident occurred in Ibadan today when a stray bullet fired by a policeman chasing a vehicle hit and killed an innocent school student who was on his way to write his WAEC exams. The student’s corpse was taken to the Oyo State Secretariat in protest by the youths. 💔”
The protest prompted a swift deployment of security forces to the government secretariat, where they worked to contain the growing crowd of demonstrators calling for police reform and accountability.
Efforts to get an official response from the Police Public Relations Officer regarding the incident were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to their mobile line were not returned as of the time of filing this report.
More to come…