By Deborah Nnamdi
The Gbagi market road in Ibadan, Oyo State was on Tuesday thrown into mourning when a secondary school student on his way to school got fatally struck by a stray bullet fired by a police officer during a high-speed chase in Ibadan.
The police officer was reportedly pursuing a fleeing vehicle, suspected to be the popular “Yahoo Boys.”
Unfortunately, one of the bullets fired missed its target and hit the student, who was riding on a motorcycle with his twin brother.
The boy was on his way to take the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examination at the time.
He was quickly taken to Welfare Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
In response to the tragedy, market traders and sympathizers protested by bringing the boy’s remains to the Oyo State Secretariat, demanding justice.
As of the time this report was filed, security personnel had been mounted at the entrance of the government secretariat to control the crowd, while protesters called for accountability and reform in police protocols.
Neither the Oyo State Police Command nor the state government has issued an official statement regarding the incident.
