Forest guard kills 14-year-old boy at Osun funeral party

A 14-year-old boy was tragically shot dead after a security operative fired live rounds during a funeral party in Ilesa, Osun State, on Saturday.

The incident occurred in the Oke Ero area of Ilesa during a funeral ceremony that ended abruptly following the shooting.

Witnesses said the deceased, whose name was not disclosed, was hit by a stray bullet when the guard allegedly released shots into the crowd.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, said two suspects had been arrested in connection with the killing. He added that the case was under investigation at the command headquarters in Osogbo.

He also confirmed that the suspects were in police custody, noting that investigations had commenced to determine the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

Ojelabi said, “One person was shot dead. The deceased is a 14-year-old. It happened at a funeral party in Ilesa. A guard was allegedly involved in the shooting. Three other people sustained injuries, but two of those injured were discharged from the hospital this morning.

“The two people arrested are in our custody, and the investigation is ongoing into what happened at the event.”

Sources close to the scene, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the guard responsible for the shooting was an operative of the Nigerian Forest Security Service.

They claimed the shooting was accidental, adding that the incident threw the gathering into chaos.

When contacted for clarification, the Osun State Commander of the Nigeria Forest Security Service, Hammed Nureni, confirmed that the operative involved in the shooting came from Plateau State, adding that the police had taken over the investigation.

Nureni described the shooting as an accidental discharge and appealed for calm while security agencies carried out a thorough probe.

“They came from Jos for a burial ceremony in Ilesa. From what I was told, the shooting occurred while the guards were performing a gun salute in honour of the person who was being interred.

“The operative involved, we were told, shot into the air, and by the time he was bringing down the firearm, the gun suddenly discharged again, killing one person said to be a relation of the deceased being honoured with the gun salute,” Nureni added.