Odunayo Alade, the father of Kehinde Alade — the WASSCE candidate fatally struck by a stray bullet in Ibadan — has explained why he didn’t stop when flagged by law enforcement officers on Tuesday.
Kehinde was reportedly on his way to an exam centre with his father when a bullet fired by a police officer at Gbagi Market Road, Egbeda Local Government Area, hit him.
The teenager died before he could be treated at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
In an interview with News Central at his Ibadan home on Wednesday, Alade clarified that he did not flout traffic rules, and said his urgency stemmed from his son’s need to arrive early for the ongoing WASSCE.
“I was taking the children to school yesterday morning and at the entrance of my junction, there is maybe a stone’s throw, not up to one pole or two poles, to where we just follow and then branch to normal way. I had to gauge my tyre,” he said.
He added, “To my surprise, I saw OYTMA. They came and blocked me, even hit my vehicle and I had to reverse to bypass them. While trying to leave that spot, and another vehicle, a towing vehicle hit me again so I had to maneuver my way.”
When questioned on whether he was driving one-way, Alade denied the claim. “I don’t know. I won’t say one-way because the place is a very short distance. To them, they said I followed one-way, and I let them know that this is the road all the neighbourhood use. It’s a very short distance to the main junction,” he stated.
His decision not to stop when pursued by law enforcement was motivated by concern for his son’s punctuality for the WASSCE exam.
“You know how Nigerian government works. If you’re on your own, once you fall into their trap, you understand. Moreover, the elder brother of the deceased was supposed to be writing WASSCE yesterday,” Alade said.
“He was having 8:30am WAEC paper yesterday and if I should stop, they would have delayed the boy. That was why I had to maneuvere my way,” he added.
Alade said he only realized his son had been shot when he began to cry out in pain.
“So, after I left there, I did not stop, then the boy in question was shouting ‘daddy, daddy.’ I asked him why he was shouting because we left them, and we were safe. Then his twin brother told me he has been shot. Immediately I heard that, I parked. I brought him out, his clothes was soaked with blood…” he recounted.
According to him, he then saw OYTMA personnel and police officers nearby and managed to grab one of them as he sought help.
A parent who witnessed the scene assisted in taking Kehinde to Welfare Hospital in Alakia, where he was placed on oxygen before being referred to UCH in an ambulance. Sadly, the boy died on the way.
Asked whether he believes his son’s death could have been avoided had he stopped, Alade responded, “I can’t really say, it’s only God that knows the situation of things.”
The Oyo State Police Command confirmed that the officer who fired the fatal shot, along with other team members, has been taken into custody.
Police spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated that Commissioner of Police Johnson Adenola has ordered a thorough investigation to be led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department. The Command assured that the process would be transparent and findings would be made public.
