By Adeyinka Adeniran
Panic enveloped parts of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital city on Tuesday as a stray bullet killed a candidate writing the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).
The secondary school student, simply identified as Taiwo, was said to have been fallen by a stray bullet allegedly fired by a yet-to-be-identified Police officer during a high-speed chase.
The incident, it was gathered occurred around Gbagi Market Road in Ibadan as the officer pursued a fleeing vehicle, suspected to be conveying suspected internet fraudsters, popular called “Yahoo boys.”
Sources said the officers, in an attempt to scare the suspected fraudsters shot into the air, but that the bullets fired 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 of the incident. He was a candidate in the ongoing WAEC examination for SS3 students.
He was quickly taken to Welfare Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
In response to the tragedy, market traders and sympathisers in protest took the boy’s lifeless body to protest the action of officers, at the Oyo State Secretariat, demanding justice.
As of the time this report, security personnel have been mounted at the entrance of the government secretariat to control the crowd.
Ibadan based radio station, Splash FM says the student was killed by police officers who opened fire while in pursuit of a Hilux vehicle.
“Unfortunately, a stray bullet struck the student, who was in his father’s car, resulting in his death. The incident has sparked outrage and calls for immediate investigation into the actions,” the report noted.
