Tag: WAEC

The father of the late 14-year-old Kehinde Alade has spoken out following the tragic shooting of his son, revealing he was only trying to ensure the teenager wasn’t late for his 8:30 a.m. WAEC exam.

Kehinde was reportedly struck by a stray bullet on Gbagi Market Road in Egbeda Local Government Area of Ibadan, Oyo State, while on his way to the exam centre.

The heartbreaking incident has sparked outrage and calls for justice.

Narrating the events to News Central, Odunayo Alade explained that he had encountered operatives of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (OYRTMA) while driving his children to school.

He said he was blocked and harassed by the officers, who even hit his car, prompting him to reverse and find an alternative route.

“I was taking the children to school yesterday morning, and just at the junction near our house, OYTMA officials blocked me and hit my car. I reversed to bypass them. While trying to leave the spot, another vehicle, a towing truck, also hit me, so I had to manoeuvre my way,” he recounted.

Alade firmly denied accusations that he drove against traffic, insisting the route he used was a common shortcut, not a prohibited one.

“I did not take one-way. That road is a shortcut everyone uses. It is close to the main road and not restricted,” he said.

The incident, first reported by The Nation, has left the community in mourning and raised concerns over law enforcement conduct and public safety.

“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 the 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 the WASSCE yesterday.

“He was having an 8:30 am WAEC paper yesterday, and if I had stopped, they would have delayed the boy. That was why I had to manoeuvre my way,” he said.

Moments after manoeuvring past the officers, Alade heard a gunshot but pressed on until his twin brother began screaming.

Read Also: Oyo Police detain officer for allegedly killing WAEC student

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 had been shot. Immediately, I heard that I was parked.

“I brought him out, his clothes were 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

Panic enveloped parts of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital city, on Tuesday as a stray bullet killed a candidate writing the 2025 West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

The secondary school student, simply identified as Taiwo, was said to have been hit 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 internet fraudsters, popularly 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.

Read Also: Stray bullet: IGP takes over Tomiwa’s treatment

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 was written, security personnel have been stationed at the entrance of the government secretariat to control the crowd.

Ibadan-based radio station, Splash FM, said 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 an immediate investigation into the actions,” the report noted.