Odunayo Alade, the father of the slain WASSCE candidate Kehinde Alade, who was killed on Tuesday by stray bullet shot by a police officer at Gbagi Market Road in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, has explained that he disobeyed directive of law enforcement agents to stop because his late son was running late for his examination.
Kehinde was hit by a stray bullet fired by a police officer in his father’s vehicle while on his way to sit for the ongoing WASSCE examination.
In an interview he granted News Central at his home in Ibadan, on Wednesday, Alade denied breaking the one-way traffic law.
He maintained that the road he passed through was just a stone’s throw from the main lane which was a regular route for drivers in the area.
“I was taking the children to school yesterday (Wednesday) 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, another vehicle, a towing vehicle, hit me again, so I had to maneuver my way,” Alade said.
He maintained that he did not know why his car was hit by the OYTMA personnel, insisting that he was not driving against the traffic through a one-way route.
“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.
Narrating why he did not stop when security officials tried to stop him, Alade said he was only focused on getting his son to his examination centre early.
“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 (Tuesday).
“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.
Alade added that he heard the gunshot fired by the police but did not stop until his son began screaming.
“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…” he recounted
Alade said he later realised that both Oyo Traffic Management Agency personnel and policemen were after him, and he quickly held one of the operatives when he saw them.
When asked if he thinks his son’s death could have been prevented if he had stopped for the law enforcement officers, Alade replied, “I can’t really say, it’s only God that knows the situation of things.”
A parent assisted to convey the late teenager from the scene to Welfare Hospital in Alakia, where the hospital helped the boy with oxygen while moving him to the University College Hospital (UCH) with an ambulance.
Sadly, Kehinde passed away before reaching the hospital and his corpse deposited at the morgue of Adeoyo State Hospital for autopsy and preservation.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Police Command confirmed that the officer responsible for firing the shot along with other members of the team have been taken into custody.
LEADERSHIP reports that the Command’s spokesperson, Adewale Osifeso, on Wednesday stated that the Commissioner of Police, Johnson Adenola, has also ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.
CP Adenola saddled the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, to lead the investigation.
Osifeso assured the public that the investigation would be transparent and its findings made public.
