The father of 14-year-old Odunayo Alade, who was tragically killed in Ibadan, has recounted the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding his son’s death.
He revealed that he chose not to stop for law enforcement officers to avoid making his son late for his 8:30 a.m. WAEC examination.
The late Kehinde Alade was reportedly struck by a stray bullet along Gbagi Market Road in Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo State while on his way to the exam center.
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“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.
“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,” Alade said.
Speaking to News Central from his Ibadan home, Alade refuted allegations of breaking one-way traffic laws.
He described the route as a short, widely used shortcut near the main road, not a restricted path.
“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 added.
Speaking on why he didn’t stop, he said: “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.
“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 said.
Moments after maneuvering past the officers, Alade heard a gunshot but pressed on until his twin brother began screaming.
He said: “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…”
According to him, a bystander rushed Kehinde to Welfare Hospital in Alakia, where he was given oxygen and transferred to University College Hospital.
Tragically, the teenager succumbed to his injuries before arrival.
Reflecting on whether stopping for the officers could have saved his son, Alade said, “I can’t really say, only God knows the situation of things”.
Kehinde’s body now lies at Adeoyo State Hospital mortuary, awaiting autopsy.
The Oyo State Police Command has detained the officer responsible for the fatal shot, along with others involved.
Commissioner Johnson Adenola has ordered a rigorous investigation, led by the Deputy Commissioner of the State Criminal Investigation Department, promising transparency and public disclosure of the findings.
