Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State on Saturday condemned the killing of a two-year-old boy, Ivan Omorhiakogbe, allegedly shot by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
His reaction was contained in a condolence message by his Chief Press Secretary, Festus Ahon, to the boy’s family.
According to the Governor, it was reported that the young Omorhiakogbe was hit by a “stray bullet” during an operation by the Delta State Command of the NDLEA at Okpanam area of Asaba, the State capital.
Oborevwori said the tragic incident was regrettable and avoidable if the officers had operated based on their rules of engagement.
He called on the NDLEA authorities and the Delta State Police Command to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the boy and injury to his brother, with a view to bringing the culprits to book and avoiding a future occurrence.
He said: “On behalf of the government and people of Delta, I commiserate with the family of Fidelis Omorhiakogbe 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 standard procedure as enshrined in their rules of engagement.
“Any action taken outside these international best practices could be catastrophic as in this case.
“I, therefore, call on the NDLEA and Police authorities to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident and bring all the culprits to book.”
