I have just watched the now-viral video of the Ibadan traffic stop shooting—the one where a desperate father, driving against traffic in a panic, triggered a chain of events that ended with his own son dead from police gunfire.
Let me be blunt: both the father and the trigger-happy policeman share in the blame for this tragedy. Yes, the father was rushing his son to school for an exam. But that does not excuse his decision to drive recklessly against traffic—a move that, in Nigeria today, instantly marks you as a potential criminal.
Let’s be real: if you see a car speeding the wrong way, what’s your first thought? Kidnapper? Armed robber? Ritual killer on the run? The police are conditioned to think the same way. That man’s decision to break traffic laws wasn’t just illegal—it was dangerously stupid.
He gambled with his son’s life the moment he veered into oncoming traffic. If he had been stopped for a routine check and complied, his child would still be alive. Instead, his actions made him look like a fleeing felon. His recklessness contributed to his son’s death.
Does that absolve the police? Hell no!
The officer who fired that fatal shot had no justification to use lethal force. Even if the driver was evading arrest, shooting into a moving vehicle—especially without clear evidence of an armed threat—is excessive, reckless, and criminal.
Was this cop high on substances? Was he just another "bribe hunter" looking to intimidate? Whatever his motive, his trigger finger was faster than his brain.
The father should face manslaughter and traffic charges, not to punish his grief, but to send a message: breaking the law in panic has consequences.
Meanwhile, the policeman must be prosecuted for murder or at least manslaughter. A gun is not a toy; it is a last-resort weapon, not a tool for traffic enforcement.
This tragedy was 100% avoidable. The father’s poor judgment and the policeman’s brutality created a perfect storm of disaster. Now, a child is dead, a family is shattered, and Nigeria’s broken system claims another victim.
We need accountability, not excuses.
*Written by Timothy Odedina and culled from OgunInsight WhatsApp page