Police debunk reports linking First Lady’s convoy to death in Ondo

Police debunk reports linking First Lady’s convoy to death in Ondo

The Ondo State Police Command has refuted claims that a vehicle in the convoy of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, was involved in the death of a young girl in Akure on Thursday.

Senator Tinubu was in Ondo for the launch of the Renewed Hope Initiative Health Programme, where she also distributed 10,000 professional kits—including Crocs and scrubs—to midwives across the South-West.

In a statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Olufunmilayo Ayanlade, the police dismissed the report, originally published by Sahara Reporters, as “false and misleading.”

“The attention of the Ondo State Police Command has been drawn to a false and misleading report published by Sahara Reporters on April 17,” the statement read.

“It alleged that the convoy of the first lady, Sen. Oluremi, was responsible for the tragic death of a young girl in Akure.”

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The police explained that preliminary findings and multiple eyewitness accounts identified a different vehicle as the cause of the accident.

“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, and not by any vehicle associated with the first lady’s convoy,” Ayanlade added.

According to the police, a witness immediately pursued the fleeing vehicle on a motorcycle following the incident, which occurred in Akure’s Oba-Ile area. The account was supported by other bystanders and the girl’s parents.

The police further pointed out inaccuracies in the online report, particularly regarding the age of the child.

“Furthermore, Sahara Reporters inaccurately claimed the deceased girl was nine years old. According to her parents, the child was actually seven years old, highlighting the publication’s disregard for factual accuracy, even in a matter as sensitive as this,” the statement added.

The State Commissioner of Police reportedly visited the victim’s family to offer condolences and assured them that a thorough investigation would be conducted.
“At no point was the first lady’s convoy involved in this tragedy,” the police reiterated.

Police debunk reports linking First Lady’s convoy to death in Ondo