Police Kill Student, Injure Others in Ogun

James Sowole in Abeokuta

Shots fired by security operatives attached to the Ogun State’s Special outfit, OP MESA yesterday  afternoon, killed a Senior Secondary School  Two  student of Unity High, Ago Ika, Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital while four others were injured.

The SS 2 student, simply identified as Sadiat was gunned down by the bullets of one of the OP MESA operatives. The direct shot missed target and  hit the 17-year- old girl walking out of the school premises after finishing her examination for the day.

It was gathered that the OP MESA operatives were on a hot chase of one of the internet fraudsters popularly referred to as”Yahoo-Yahoo boys”, who ran into the area in an attempt to escape arrest.

It was said that the security operatives allegedly shot directly  at the young man without taking into cognisance, the presence of the students trooping out of the school premises, as well as other passersby.

Sadiat, who was hit by the bullet and  said to be the  only daughter of her mother, was pronounced  dead at the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Idi Aba, Abeokuta, where she was rushed for treatment. Three other students and a commercial motorcyclist were also hit by the stray bullets fired by the operatives.

While protesting the incident, Sadiat’s colleagues, rushed to the Enu – Gada Police Post in Ago Ika area and started  throwing stones, broken bottles and other objects they could lay their hands on.

The protesting students were later dispersed by the reinforcement of operatives, which arrived the police post.

 It was gathered that tension rose in the area when the reinforcement arrived and which led to indiscriminate arrest of many passersby particularly those using mobile phone to record the situation.

An SS 1 student of the school, Rafiu Ibrahim, who spoke with journalists, alleged that the security operatives shot directly at the students without regards to their safety, even when it was obvious that they were all in school uniform, emerging from the school premises.

When contacted, the command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, denied knowledge of the death of the SS 2 student of Unity High School, Abeokuta.

Oyeyemi, who disclosed that a Police Inspector (name not disclosed) had a cut on his head from machete cut on the head, added that the security operatives were not chasing any “Yahoo-yahoo” but a notorious secret cultist, who had for a long time, been on the wanted list of the police.

He explained that residents of the area colluded with the suspected cultists and attempted to prevent the security operatives from performing their lawful duty, hence the need to deploy minimum force to scare away the people.