23rd May, 2025
The heart-wrenching tragedy of Kehinde Paul, a 14-year-old secondary school student reportedly killed by a stray bullet fired by a police officer in Ibadan, has sparked widespread outrage, as his father, Odunayo Alade, recounts the incident with pain and disbelief.
The fatal incident occurred along Gbagi Market road in Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo State, while Kehinde and his twin brother were being driven to school by their father. Alade said he was trying to take a well-used shortcut in their neighbourhood to ensure Kehinde’s older brother arrived early for a crucial WASSCE examination.
“I was just trying to avoid delay because Kehinde’s elder brother had a paper that morning,” Alade told News Central TV. “I didn’t know what was happening until I heard my son shouting ‘Daddy, Daddy’… I thought we had escaped them. I didn’t know he had been shot.”
According to Alade, he had encountered Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority (OYRTMA) officials who blocked his vehicle and attempted to force him to stop. In the chaos that followed, he maneuvered his way past them, unaware of the looming danger.
Moments later, a gunshot rang out. “Kehinde’s twin brother screamed, ‘Daddy stop, Paul has been shot!’” Alade recounted tearfully. “When I stopped and brought him out, the whole seat was soaked in blood.”
Kehinde was rushed first to a welfare hospital where he was placed on oxygen and later transferred by ambulance to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. Sadly, he died before arrival.
“I hijacked one of the officers, held his trousers and demanded answers. People started gathering,” he said.
The bereaved father described Kehinde as a bright SS1 student who had recently decided to switch from science to arts with dreams of becoming a lawyer. “Just last week he told me he wanted to become a lawyer. He was focused and full of hope,” Alade said.
Beyond the tragic loss, Alade revealed he had been a single parent for the past seven years after the children’s mother left them. “I’ve sacrificed everything for these children. I turned down the idea of remarrying just to protect and raise them well. And now, this is how it ends?”
An eyewitness who was in the car corroborated Alade’s account in a now-viral video, insisting that the officials involved knew children were inside the car. “One of them even tried to drag the steering while saying, ‘You’re carrying children and driving rough.’ They saw the children in their uniforms,” he said.
“When they couldn’t stop the car, we heard a gunshot. It wasn’t a warning shot. The boy started gasping. I’m a medical practitioner, so I did what I could before we got to the hospital.”
Alade is now calling for justice, lamenting what he described as unchecked police brutality. “This cannot go unpunished. No parent should have to bury a child like this. I want justice. The way the police abuse their power is shameful. Enough is enough.”
