A student was murdered by a stray bullet while traveling to the test center in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, to take the West African Senior School Certificate test, which is now being held by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).
The student was murdered on Tuesday by a stray bullet that was allegedly fired by a police officer pursuing a suspect on Gbagi Market Road in the state’s Egbeda Local Government Area.
According to information obtained by Parrot Blog Online, the student was shot by police officers pursuing a Hilux automobile while he was allegedly traveling to the exam location in his father’s vehicle.
Several witnesses claimed that the student was in route to the testing location.
“A police officer opened fire while chasing a fleeing vehicle,” according to one of the sources, who was only known as Ajani. The student was apparently struck by one of the rounds.
“The victim was taken to a nearby hospital right away, where he was declared dead upon arrival.”
“The deceased was on his way to the examination center alongside his twin brother when the tragedy happened,” stated another witness.
In the meantime, angry youths demanded justice and urged Governor Seyi Makinde to step in by bringing the student’s lifeless body to the state secretariat in Agodi, Ibadan.
The state government responded by expressing sympathy to the deceased’s relatives.
The occurrence was characterized by the government as painful, sad, and upsetting. In a statement released by Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Special Adviser to Makinde on Media, the government pledged to cooperate with the state police command in order to look into the situation and make sure that justice is done.
Olanrewaju stated that the occurrence was completely preventable, pointing out that an innocent life was lost as a result of what began as a traffic infraction—the father of the deceased youngster was driving against the flow of traffic.
In addition to cautioning citizens against disobeying traffic laws, the government asked them to maintain their composure while the police and government dealt with the crisis.
It made clear that, in contrast to reports that the incident happened when police were pursuing a suspected online scammer, it actually happened during a normal operation against traffic violations, which was conducted by state Road Traffic Maintenance Authority officers.
After neighbors complained about persistent one-way traffic violations that have resulted in fatalities and serious injuries on the axis, OYRTMA officials and a police squad started a traffic operation on Alakia Old Road.
Following attacks on OYRTMA officials and the recent murder of one official in Ibadan by a traffic cop, the police’s support became crucial.
Around 7:30 a.m., the father of the deceased youngster drove a black Honda Accord car with tint, registered FST 639 JU, against the flow of traffic.
The government clarified, “A policeman, who is currently under investigation by the state police command, allegedly aimed a shot at one of the car’s tires during an attempt to apprehend the traffic offender, which missed the target.”
“We ask locals to maintain their composure as the administration and police collaborate to address the situation. The authorities also cautioned against disobeying traffic laws.
In addition, the administration told the people that measures would be taken to ensure that justice is served and that a similar tragedy would not occur in the future.
