A 14-year-old boy was on Saturday shot dead after a member of the Nigerian Forest Security Service allegedly discharged his firearm during a funeral ceremony in the Oke Ero area of Ilesa, Osun State.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, said two suspects had been arrested and transferred to the command headquarters in Osogbo for further investigation.
Ojelabi stated, “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 them have been discharged from the hospital this morning.
The two suspects arrested are currently in our custody as investigations continue.”
Eyewitnesses who spoke on condition of anonymity said the shooting was an accidental discharge by an operative of the Nigeria Forest Security Service, who was providing security at the event.
According to one of the witnesses, “The incident was accidental.
The officer was on guard duty with his colleagues when his firearm went off. The bullet struck the boy, who died instantly. The shooting caused panic and brought the event to an abrupt end.”
Speaking on the development, the Osun State Commander of the Nigeria Forest Security Service, Hammed Nureni, confirmed that the operative involved had come from Plateau State for the burial.
He said, “They came from Jos for the burial ceremony. From what I gathered, the incident occurred while the guards were performing a gun salute in honour of the deceased.
The operative fired into the air, but as he lowered his gun, it discharged again, killing one person believed to be a relative of the deceased.”
Nureni described the incident as a case of accidental discharge and urged the public to remain calm while police continue their investigation.
The incident occurred amid ongoing campaigns by security agencies in Osun State against the misuse of firearms.
Earlier in the year, the state police command had warned hunters and residents about the dangers of mishandling guns, following several cases of accidental shootings that resulted in deaths and injuries.