A tragic incident occurred on Tuesday morning in Ibadan when a West African Examinations Council (WAEC) candidate was fatally struck by a stray bullet fired by a police officer during a high-speed chase.
The event unfolded along Gbagi Market Road, where officers were in pursuit of a vehicle suspected to be driven by internet fraudsters, popularly known as “Yahoo Boys.” During the chase, an officer discharged his weapon, and one of the bullets missed the intended target, hitting the student who was riding on a motorcycle with his twin brother.
Conflicting eyewitness accounts suggest the student may have been in his father’s car when he was hit. He was immediately rushed to Welfare Hospital but was declared dead on arrival. The young victim was reportedly on his way to sit for his WAEC examination at the time of the incident.
In the aftermath, grief-stricken market traders and sympathisers marched in protest, carrying the student’s body to the Oyo State Secretariat. They demanded justice and called for urgent police reform and accountability.
By the time this report was filed, security personnel had been stationed at the secretariat’s entrance to manage the growing crowd of protesters. Neither the Oyo State Police Command nor the state government had issued an official statement regarding the shooting.