Ivan Onose Omhonrina, age 2, was shot dead during a raid in Delta State by agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), while Eromonsele, his younger brother, was hurt.
According to a report by Daily Trust, the incident happened on Thursday, July 13, 2023, when NDLEA agents targeted a notorious drug den in Okpanam, within the state’s Oshimili North Local Government Area.
The children were present in their mother’s shop after school hours, according to eyewitnesses who were there, when they were tragically hit by stray bullets. Ivan, his older brother, was shot in the abdomen, while Eromonsele’s eye was grazed by a stray bullet.
Both kids were transported right away to the Federal Medical Center (FMC) for an emergency surgical procedure. Ivan, regrettably, was unable to endure the ordeal.
Confirming the incident, Mr.John Tunde, the Delta State Commandant of the NDLEA, emphasized that his men did not intentionally fire at the children.
According to Tunde, as the operatives surrounded the notorious drug joint, they noticed a parked Toyota Camry within the vicinity. In an attempt to immobilize the escaping vehicle, shots were fired by the NDLEA operatives.
In his words;
“What we cannot tell now is whether the children were inside the car at the time of the shooting. Our men did not open fire at any shop. As we speak now, our man, who the car ran over is at the Central Hospital in Ogwashi-Uku,” he stated.
“Our attempt to stop the car was not successful as he escaped. So I can confirm that it happened but this is the true account that I have told you, we can’t be that unprofessional to open fire on a shop. I was at the hospital in the night with the father of the child. We are investigating it.”
Meanwhile, activist Comrade Isreal Joe provided an update, stating that a successful operation had been performed on Eromonsele, the injured sibling.