14th October, 2010
The family of Timileyin, a pupil knocked down on Tuesday by smugglers at Samonda area of Ibadan, Oyo State, yesterday committed the body to mother earth, while the Oyo State Police Command vowed to arrest the culprits and bring them to book.
The Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Sango division, Mrs. Funmilayo Akinfenwa, confirmed that the vehicle that knocked down the late Timileyin was a stolen one.
Explaining how the accident occurred, the DPO said: “They (smugglers) were coming from U.I. side when they sighted policemen. They wanted to dodge them (policemen) and run away with the vehicle. They faced oncoming vehicles in disregard of traffic laws and ran over the kids going to school and killed Timileyin, aged four years, while his two-year old brother was injured.”
When Mrs. Akinfenwa visited the residence of Timileyin’s parents who were still mourning his demise, community leaders in the area said they have appealed to the youths in the area to maintain peace over the incident.
Speaking on behalf of the Samonda community, the chairman, Alhaji Olayinka Fatai and Abdul Kareem Fatai, the Chief Imam of the area, appreciated the effort being made by the police to fish out the killers of Timileyin.
—Gbenro Adesina, Ibadan