President Bola Tinubu has expressed sadness over the death of a two-year-old boy, Ivan Omhonrina, killed by a stray bullet during an operation by officers of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Okpanam in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State.
The President who conveyed his sadness on Tuesday, directed the NDLEA management to speedily and thoroughly investigate the incident with a view to punishing those found culpable.
“Ivan did not deserve to die that way. We must ensure the incident did not end like that and that what happened to Ivan does not happen to any other person again,” Tinubu said in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake.
The spokesperson for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, had on Saturday confirmed that a stray bullet hit the minor when operatives of the agency raided the Okpanam area of Asaba, capital city of Delta.
Babafemi revealed that the victim died in the hospital while undergoing treatment.
But in the statement titled, ‘President Tinubu sympathises with parents of two-year-old killed by stray bullet in Delta,’ the President said, “I mourn the death of little Ivan Omhonrina and sympathise with his parents for the painful experience of losing an innocent child in a most tragic manner.”
Describing the incident as unacceptable, Tinubu charged security agents to be more professional and careful when conducting their operations to avoid risking the lives of innocent Nigerians.
“That incident is unacceptable. We must unravel those who foisted agony on the Omhonrinas and ensure they are brought to justice,” the President said.
He also prayed for the quick recovery of the one-year-old sibling of the deceased, who was reportedly injured in the eye in the tragic incident.
