"My Son Wanted To Be A Lawyer": Father Demands Justice as Police Bullet Kills 14-Year-Old on School Run

 

A tragic encounter between a family on a morning school run and a group of traffic officials has ended in the death of 14-year-old Kehinde Paul, a secondary school student in Oyo State. Kehinde was fatally struck by a stray bullet allegedly fired by a police officer during a chaotic altercation along the Gbagi Market road in the Egbeda Local Government Area.

According to his father, Odunayo Alade, who was driving the children to school, the incident began when he attempted to take a commonly used shortcut in their neighborhood to avoid delay. Kehinde’s older brother was scheduled to sit for his West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) that morning, and time was critical. Alade explained that he was suddenly obstructed by operatives of the Oyo Road Transport Management Authority (OYRTMA) and their accompanying police officers.

Faced with blocked passage and damage to his vehicle, Alade tried to maneuver away from the officials. “They jammed my car and tried to block me,” he recounted during an interview with News Central TV. “I didn’t even know they were trying to stop me. I was focused on getting my children to school on time, especially because one had an exam.”

Moments after believing he had escaped the confrontation, Alade said he heard a gunshot. Initially unaware of the bullet's impact, he was alarmed by his son’s sudden cries. “He kept shouting, ‘Daddy, Daddy!’ I thought he was just scared. It wasn’t until his twin brother yelled, ‘Daddy, Paul has been shot,’ that I realized something was terribly wrong.”

Upon stopping the vehicle, Alade found his son bleeding profusely. With help from bystanders and another parent in the car, the injured boy was rushed first to a nearby welfare hospital and later transferred via ambulance to the University College Hospital (UCH), where he was confirmed dead.

Kehinde, a Senior Secondary School 1 student, had recently switched from the sciences to the arts with aspirations of becoming a lawyer. His father, now raising the children alone after their mother left the family seven years ago, described him as “bright and full of ambition.”

“I promised myself that no matter what, I would give my children the best life,” Alade said, noting that he had sacrificed personal opportunities, including remarriage, to focus on raising them.

A witness who was in the car supported Alade’s account and confirmed that the officials were aware that schoolchildren were inside the vehicle. “One officer said, ‘You’re carrying children and you’re driving rough,’ so they knew,” the eyewitness stated in a viral video. “We thought they fired in the air to scare people off. But then we saw the boy gasping.”

The Oyo State Government confirmed that the operation was part of an effort to curb one-way driving on the busy route. The police officer involved has since been taken into custody, with the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordering a full-scale investigation into the killing.

Devastated and calling for justice, Alade is demanding accountability. “No parent should have to endure this. This was a senseless death. I want justice for my son and for others who could fall victim to this kind of abuse. They misuse power and harm innocent citizens. It must not continue.”

As the investigation unfolds, many in the community are expressing outrage, with calls growing louder for reforms in law enforcement and traffic management protocols to prevent further tragedies.