Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, has condemned the killing of a two-year old child, Ivan Omhonria by a stray bullet during an operation by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, operatives in Okpanam.
Oborevwori, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon, called on NDLEA and Police authorities to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident and bring all the culprits to book to avoid future occurrence.
Condoling the family of the deceased child, the governor noted that the tragic incident was regrettable and avoidable if the officers had operated based on their rules of engagement.
The statement read: “On behalf of the Government and people of Delta, I commiserate with the family of Fidelis Omhonriakogbe on the tragic death of their two-year-old son, Ivan, and injury to his younger sibling, Eromonsele.
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“This incident is tragic, painful, and grievous because of the loss of a child and injury to his younger sibling.
“I condemn this unfortunate incident because no matter the provocation, armed security men must operate within the ambits of standard procedure as enshrined in their rules of engagement.
“Any action taken outside these international best practices could be catastrophic as in this case.”
Recall that stray bullet from NDLEA operatives, who were chasing drug peddlers during a raid on notorious joint in Okpanam neighborhood, Thursday, hit the child on his abdomen.
The child died in the hospital.
