Ogun state governor, Dapo Abiodun on Tuesday said his administration will probe the death of students allegedly killed last Monday by personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) while chasing smugglers in Ipokia area of the state.
This was contained in a statement issued in Abeokuta, the state capital by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Kunle Somorin.
The statement said governor Abiodun, who was saddened by the development, emphatically stated that security operatives are duty bound to respect the sanctity of human lives in the state, stressing that government exists to provide security and welfare for the people.
Warning security operatives, particularly the Customs’ anti-smuggling unit to desist from act of recklessness and respect the rights of citizens in all circumstances, Abiodun said his administration would investigate the circumstances of the death of three students.
“No matter the circumstances, we found this condemnable. We would not fold our arms and watch our future leaders killed in that manner”
It is recalled that vehicles confiscated by NCS operatives had on Monday, crushed the motorcycle, popularly called ‘okada’ conveying three students of Ojumo Community High School, Ihunbo in Ipokia Local Government area of the state.
The crash led to the death of one of the students identified as Oyeyemi Odusina, while another student, Sunday Adeniyi was critically injured and was admitted in the state General Hospital in Idiroko.
While one of the three students, Opeyemi Odusina died on the spot, another student, Sunday Adeniyi along with other market women sustained varying degrees of injuries when vehicle of the Customs officials chasing suspected smugglers veered off the road and entered the market in Ihonbo town.
Reacting to the development however, the governor described as “reprehensible that young children with promising futures could be lost to such a manner”.
Abiodun however, maintained that his administration would not just investigate the circumstances of the gory killings of these potential leaders of tomorrow, but also do everything possible to prevent a recurrence of the situation towards ensuring that indicted persons are brought to justice.
-Abiodun Alade