Renowned legal practitioner and public affairs analyst, Jiti Ogunye, has called for manslaughter charges to be brought against both a reckless driver and a police officer involved in the tragic shooting death of a schoolboy, Kehinde Alade, in Ibadan.
In a strongly worded statement titled “Ibadan Traffic Stop Shooting,” Ogunye condemned the circumstances that led to the fatal incident, describing the driver’s reckless act of driving against traffic as criminal negligence.
“That man, by driving recklessly against the traffic, could have been presumed to be an escaping felon or mistaken for a kidnapper, a ritual murderer or fleeing armed robber,” Ogunye wrote. “He contributorily caused the killing of his son.”
Ogunye also directed his criticism at the police officer who discharged the fatal shot, alleging disproportionate use of force. “The policeman who fired the fatal shot… could have been a substance abuser or an armed early morning bribes hunter,” he asserted, maintaining that such an individual should be charged with manslaughter.
Although it was later revealed that the driver was the boy’s father, rushing him to school for an examination, Ogunye insisted this fact does not absolve him of responsibility. “The fact that the driver, ex post facto, turned out to be a father… does not extenuate his criminal culpability,” he stated.
Addressing potential legal defences by the officer, Ogunye argued that the constitutional provision allowing lethal force to effect lawful arrest does not apply in this case. He dismissed common defences such as accident or automatism as inadequate.
“May the green soul of the schoolboy, Kehinde Alade, harvested before its expected ripeness, rest in peace,” Ogunye concluded. “And may justice take its course.”
