Ondo State Police authorities have labelled as incorrect and misleading a news story that pinned the tragic death of a child on the convoy of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
The First Lady was in the state on Thursday for the rollout of the Renewed Hope Initiative Health Programme and also distributed 10,000 kits—including scrubs and Crocs—to midwives serving the South-West zone, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
The controversy began when Sahara Reporters published a story alleging that a vehicle from Tinubu’s convoy was involved in a fatal accident that claimed the life of a girl in the state capital.
However, the state police spokesperson, DSP Olufunmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, issued a statement dismissing the claim.
“It alleged that the convoy of the first lady, Sen. Oluremi, was responsible for the tragic death of a young girl in Akure,” the statement said.
“Eyewitness accounts and preliminary investigations conducted by the command confirm that the incident was caused by a hit-and-run driver operating an unregistered white Lexus vehicle.”
The command stressed that the incident had no connection with the First Lady’s official motorcade.
A motorcyclist reportedly gave chase to the offending vehicle after it struck the child in the Oba-Ile part of Akure.
The account was supported by eyewitnesses and the family of the victim.
The police also corrected a factual error in the report, which identified the child as nine years old.
“According to her parents, the child was actually seven years old,” Odunlami-Omisanya stated.
“This highlights the publication’s disregard for factual accuracy, even in a matter as sensitive as this.”
The Police Commissioner visited the girl’s family and promised a thorough probe into the case.
“At no point was the first lady’s convoy involved in this tragedy,” the spokesperson concluded.