A teenage boy preparing for his West African Senior School Certificate Examination has died after being hit by a stray police bullet in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The tragic incident happened on Tuesday morning along Gbagi Market Road. According to reports, the police were chasing suspected internet fraudsters, commonly called “Yahoo Boys,” when they opened fire on a moving vehicle. One of the bullets missed its target and struck the student, who was riding on a motorcycle with his twin brother.
Some reports said the boy was actually in his father’s car near the Welfare Hospital area in Alakia when the bullet hit him. Eyewitnesses told Splash FM Ibadan that officers were trying to shoot the tyres of the fleeing car when one of the bullets pierced the student’s body.
He was quickly rushed to Welfare Hospital, but doctors confirmed him dead on arrival. A viral video on social media showed the boy lying lifeless on a stretcher with a visible wound around his waist, which onlookers said was caused by the gunshot.
The father’s car was also shown in the video, with a visible bullet hole and blood stains on the floor.
Many residents around the area gathered to mourn the young student, expressing anger over what they described as another case of police recklessness and brutality.
“It’s sad. How do you explain a boy dying in his father’s car or on a bike because police were chasing criminals?” one resident asked. “Why shoot in a busy area full of people?”
As of the time of filing this report, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso, had not responded to calls, texts, or WhatsApp messages regarding the incident.
This heartbreaking event comes just one day after another police officer, Inspector Obic Modestus, was arrested in Lagos for assaulting an Uber driver. That case also sparked public outrage after a video of the assault went viral.
