A SECONDARY school student on his way to write the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) was allegedly shot dead by a stray police bullet in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday, May 20.

The student, whose name had yet to be confirmed as of press time, was reportedly in his father’s car when police officers opened fire on a fleeing vehicle around the Welfare Hospital area in Alakia, hitting the teenager instead.

According to a report by Splash FM Ibadan and eye witnesses on social media, the said officers were allegedly chasing a suspect and attempted to flatten the tyres of the suspect’s vehicle when one of the bullets hit the student inside his dad’s car.

The boy was rushed to Welfare Hospital in Ibadan but was declared dead by medical personnel.

In the viral videos seen by The ICIR, the student lay lifeless on a hospital stretcher, with injury around his waist, which sympathisers claimed was from the gunshot.

The ICIR also observed a hole in the father’s car, which could have been caused by gunshot.

There were also blood stains on the car’s floor. Many people were seen sympathising with the boy and expressing frustration over alleged persistent police brutality in the area.

Efforts to reach the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso, on the incident were unsuccessful, as calls to his phone went unanswered and both SMS and WhatsApp messages were not replied.

This tragic incident came barely 24 hours after the Lagos State Police Command arrested a police officer, Obic Modestus, an inspector, for assaulting an Uber driver in a case that drew widespread condemnation after a video of the attack went viral.

The Lagos Command confirmed that Modestus had been summoned by its Complaint Response Unit and would face disciplinary action through the Provost Department. 

The police also restated their commitment to professional conduct under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police in the state, Olohundare Jimoh.

However, despite the continued reforms in the Nigeria Police Force, the incident added to a series of reported cases of police misconduct in the country.

In spite of the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in 2020 following the #EndSARS protests, reports of police brutality have persisted.

The latest incident came barely two weeks after The ICIR published a detailed investigation of police brutality in Kwara State. The report highlighted how the killings of Qoyum Ishola, allegedly by police officers in the state, added to a disturbing trend of young men in Kwara, particularly those perceived as successful or ‘flashy,’ increasingly targeted by law enforcement officers.

The incident has further reignited fears around police brutality in Nigeria, with citizens expressing frustration over repeated cases of law enforcement officers using excessive force on them. 

Mustapha USMAN

Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M