“I only realized the bullet had struck when Kehinde’s twin brother shouted, “Daddy, stop, Kehinde has been shot.”
Odunayo Alade, father of 15-year-old Kehinde, who was fatally shot during a police chase in Ibadan, has recounted the tragic incident that claimed his son’s life.
Kehinde was struck by a stray bullet from a policeman’s gun when officers and Oyo State Traffic Management Authority (OYRTMA) officials pursued Alade’s car near Gbagi Market Road.
Alade said he was transporting five children when the chase began. “I did not know they belonged to OYRTMA. I reversed to bypass them, but four vehicles chased me,” he explained. “After their towing van hit me, I escaped. Then I heard a gunshot.”
He said his son cried out, but he only realized the bullet had struck when Kehinde’s twin brother shouted, “Daddy, stop, Kehinde has been shot.”
Kehinde later died at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. “This cannot go unpunished,” Alade said. “I want those responsible to be held accountable.”
He added that he had raised the children alone for seven years after their mother left, turning down remarriage to focus on them.
Kehinde was in SS1 and would have turned 14 in November. “He had dreams. Now all of that has been stolen from us,” Alade lamented.