A 14-year-old student, Taiwo Alade, was reportedly killed by a stray bullet fired by a yet-to-be-identified police officer in the Alakia area of Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday, sparking outrage and street protests.
The tragic incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. near Gbagi Market Road when the officer allegedly opened fire while pursuing a fleeing vehicle. Eyewitnesses say one of the bullets missed its intended target and struck Taiwo, who was in a car with his twin brother on their way to school.
According to his father, Mr Odunayo Alade, who was driving the car at the time, the family was caught in the chaos when their vehicle was hit from behind. In an attempt to navigate the confusion, Mr Alade reversed the car—only for a police officer nearby to fire a shot that fatally struck Taiwo in the abdomen.
“We rushed him to Welfare Hospital, but he was confirmed dead on arrival,” Mr Alade told The Guardian, visibly distressed. He said he had been raising Taiwo and his siblings alone since their mother left seven years ago.
The shooting caused a stir in the community. Sympathisers, traders, and local residents gathered in protest, carrying the boy’s body to the Oyo State Secretariat in Agodi, demanding justice and a meeting with Governor Seyi Makinde.
A security officer in the area said the involved officer fled into the premises of Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport for safety, triggering a crowd of demonstrators at the airport gate.
The Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security Matters, retired Commissioner of Police Sunday Odukoya, addressed the protesters and urged calm. He assured the grieving family that the government would ensure justice is done.
Taiwo’s remains were later transferred to a mortuary. As of the time of filing this report, attempts to reach the spokesperson of the Oyo State Police Command, Adewale Osifeso, had not been successful.
