Ibadan, Oyo State — 20 May 2025
Just In: WAEC student shot dead by police at Alaakia, Ibadan
A tragic event occurred in Alaakia just moments ago, as a WAEC candidate was fatally shot by a police officer. The incident happened while the student was on his way to sit for his examination. pic.twitter.com/ts6wNotVLM
A 17‑year‑old secondary‑school candidate on his way to sit the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) lost his life on Tuesday morning when a stray bullet pierced his father’s car during a police pursuit.
Just In: WAEC student shot dead by police at Alaakia, Ibadan
— The Splash FM Ibadan (@SplashFM1055) May 20, 2025
A tragic event occurred in Alaakia just moments ago, as a WAEC candidate was fatally shot by a police officer. The incident happened while the student was on his way to sit for his examination. pic.twitter.com/ts6wNotVLM
How the incident unfolded
Witnesses in the busy Gbagi Alakia corridor told reporters that a team of officers tried to stop a driver accused of driving against oncoming traffic. When the driver sped off, the officers gave chase, firing at the fleeing vehicle. One of the rounds instead struck the car carrying the student and his twin brother, who were being driven by their father to the examination centre.
The teenager, whose name is being withheld at the family’s request, was hit in the lower abdomen. He was rushed to Welfare Hospital, Alakia, but doctors pronounced him dead shortly after arrival.
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| Police Chase in Ibadan Ends Tragically as Student Heading for WAEC Is Killed |
Heart‑broken family and hospital scene
At the hospital, relatives, classmates, and neighbours gathered in stunned silence. The boy’s aunt, visibly shaken, said the twins had spent the night revising together. “Their dad has been father and mother for seven years. Now he has to break this news to the surviving twin,” she lamented.
Medical staff told journalists that the boy’s injuries were incompatible with life by the time he reached the emergency ward. A doctor who attempted resuscitation suffered bruises after an agitated crowd turned on health workers and police officers outside the facility.
Protests reach state secretariat
News of the shooting spread quickly, and by midday dozens of youths marched from the hospital to the Oyo State Government Secretariat in Agodi. They carried placards demanding justice and stronger controls on the use of firearms by law‑enforcement agents. Traffic stalled for hours as sympathisers chanted the victim’s name and called on Governor Seyi Makinde to intervene.
Calls for accountability
The civil‑society group Save the Poor and Needy Charity Initiative (SPANCI) issued a statement urging Inspector‑General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to open an independent inquiry. The organisation alleged that officers involved in the chase ignored basic safety rules and continued shooting in a crowded commercial area.
Family members also claimed the officer who fired the fatal shot fled first to a nearby Air Force post before disappearing. They accuse colleagues of focusing on securing their patrol vehicle instead of helping the wounded teenager.
Police response
As of press time, repeated calls to Oyo State Police Command spokesperson Adewale Osifeso had not been returned. However, a senior officer who asked not to be named said an internal review was under way and promised that “anyone found culpable will face disciplinary action”.
A community in mourning
Classes at the boy’s school were suspended for the day, and teachers described him as a quiet, hardworking science student who had hoped to study engineering. “He never missed morning prep,” one teacher recalled. “To lose him on the very day he was to prove himself is devastating.”
The tragic shooting has reignited debate over Nigeria’s rules of engagement for police firearms. Human‑rights advocates argue that training and accountability remain inadequate, especially during traffic stops and vehicle pursuits in densely populated areas.
For now, the victim’s family is focused on burying their son and supporting his twin through the trauma. They have one request: that the investigation be swift, transparent, and lead to meaningful change—so no other parent has to make the same heartbreaking journey on exam morning.
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