For some inexplicable reasons all the dramatis personae involved in what looked like a scene from a Nollywood film in Ibadan, that has now cost a vibrant and budding young man his life, all chose to be ‘mad’ at the same time. Except of course, the innocent children-occupants in a car driven by a ‘mad’ man; their father.
Who, except a ‘mad’ man, can be that reckless with his children in the car? Who again except a ‘mad’ policeman would pull the trigger at a vehicle occupied by mostly children, just for a traffic offence?
Odunayo Alade, father of slain Oyo student, Kehinde Paul, who was hit by a bullet on his way to school, said he was accosted by men of Oyo Road Transport Management Authority (OYRTMA), traffic officers for going against traffic and in his bid to avoid getting late as he was taking his children to school, he simply maneuvered his way and escaped from OYRTMA officers and some policemen who were in joint operations, his vehicle was shot at resulting in the death of his 14-year-old son.
Odunayo said, “I was taking the children to school and at the entrance of my junction, just a stone’s throw, not up to one pole or two poles, to where we just follow and branch to a normal way. So as I came out, I had to gauge the tyre, then enter the road, but to my surprise, they blocked me, even jammed my vehicle.
“Then I had to reverse, try to bypass them. I didn’t know they were up to four or five. So, by cutting him off, another vehicle, it was a towing vehicle, hit my vehicle again. So I tried to pass through that one too, but I just maneuvered myself to cut them off because I was in a hurry to take the children to school because of Kehinde’s brother who had a crucial WASSCE paper at 8:30 a.m. that day.”
The 14-year-old student was in his father’s car when he was hit by the bullet fired by a police officer along Gbagi Market Road in the Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Alade reportedly clarified that it was Kehinde’s elder brother who was taking his West African Secondary School Certificate Examination while Kehinde who would have clocked 14 by November 26 was in SS1.
After all his James Bonds-like stunt, he has lost his son.
Anyone who has had an encounter with our law enforcement officers and their modus operandi, would be familiar with Odunayo’s frustration, but still that does not in any way rationalise or justify his reaction.
OYRTMA and their twin brothers in Lagos (LASTMA) are terrible people. Because of their irrationality and barbarity, they cause more accidents than they claim to prevent. They are only out to swindle people than ease traffic. They extort at every little opportunity. They make more money for themselves than are paid as fine for traffic violations into their state governments’ coffers. They operate like touts and are never reasonable.
Their senior colleagues in black, who bear arms, are hardly any better. But bad as the Police may be, any average motorist would pray to fall into the arms of policemen rather than LASTMA officials. That is how horrible they are in Lagos.
It is rather unfortunate that the boy is gone. It is the fear of these state officials that drive motorists into desperation and act in such irrational manner just to escape them.
So beyond the usual outcry, condemnation and, of course, the setting up of committees and investigation panels by the state government and the inspector general of police, what’s new? What internal mechanisms do the police have to monitor their men? What’s the police doing about the open display of firearms by policemen? Why is it that wherever a policeman is seen he must be openly displaying arms and pointing them at people at the slightest altercation or dispute? How is it that the police still allow publicly known alcoholics to carry firearms? Does modern policing elsewhere operate the same way we do here?
The explanation by the traffic officers that Odunayo had had a similar traffic offence recently only suggests that he is familiar with them, so why shoot at his car?
Sadly, Odunayo’s loss will only serve as a bitter lesson to him and all of us. People should learn to realise that those our security authorities send on the streets are not the most reasonable and discerning but those who can deliver on the mission for which they are sent on our roads. They are out there on a mandate, just like your average ‘agberos’ or touts on the streets. They have targets and they must not fall short.
Parents should at all times put up their best behaviour whenever they are with their children, because these children mostly copy what they see their parents do.
My sympathies go out to the bereaved family and friends. Clearly, it would have been better for the young man to miss his examination and his younger brother is alive. Now did the boy still make it to his examination eventually? How sad.
Finally, states as well as the federal government should begin to think of modern ways of law enforcement. It’s not rocket science and it does not require reinventing the wheel. Let’s adopt technology to reduce preventable deaths and avoidable human interface as much as possible.
Brandishing firearms everywhere as though the nation is at war, is not right policing. Our policemen need regular training on modern policing and traffic control.
In the meantime, the policeman involved should be made to face full wrath of the law for his indiscretion and lack of restraint.
As for Odunayo, the loss of his son is more than enough punishment. It would amount to a double jeopardy should he be prosecuted, especially given the fact that he is a single parent.
