By Austin Ogwuda
Tragedy struck in Okpanam, Oshimili north local government of Delta State following the tragic killing of a two year old toddler during a raid by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Delta State Command while chasing suspected drug peddlers.
The incident was said to have occurred near a popular hotel by the Midwifery junction while raiding a particular black spot identified as where hard drugs are openly sold along the road.
Confirming the incident, the Delta State Police command’s spokesman, DSP Edafe Bright said that “the Command is aware of the incident that occured on the 13th of July 2023.
“It is a sad one, it is a tragic incident and the Command is truly and indeed disturbed.
“Unfortunately, one of the kids who the stray bullet hit, gave up the ghost at the hospital. His age is 2 years and his name is Ivan Onosebarhe.
“It is a sad one, it is a tragic incident and the Command is truly and indeed disturbed.
“The CP has directed that the matter be transferred to the State CID. As I speak with you, the matter is already been investigated by the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Delta State Police Command.
“And all parties involved will appear before the CP on Monday”, stated the police image maker in a press statement.
On his part, Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori in a statement through his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon said the tragic incident was regrettable and avoidable if the officers had operated based on their rules of engagement.
He called on the NDLEA authorities and the Delta Police Command to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the boy and injury to his brother, with a view to bringing the culprits to book and avoiding a future occurence.
The statement reads:
“On behalf of the Government and people of Delta, I commiserate with the family of Fidelis Omorhiakogbe on the tragic death of their two-year-old son, Ivan, and injury to his younger sibling, Eromonsele.
“This incident is tragic, painful, and grievous because of the loss of a child and injury to his younger sibling.
“I condemn this unfortunate incident because no matter the provocation, armed security men must operate within the ambits of standard procedure as enshrined in their rules of engagement.
“Any action taken outside these international best practices could be catastrophic as in this case.
“I therefore call on the NDLEA and Police authorities to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident and bring all the culprits to book.