From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
There was pandemonium in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, yesterday when stray bullets from the shooting range of the 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Adekunle Fajuyi Cantonment, Ibadan, devastated a nursery and primary school, piercing the head of a five-year-old male pupil.
The news of the incident, which occurred in the Idi-Omo area of Ajobo, along the Ojoo-Igbo Oloyin Road in Akinyele Local Government Area, reportedly caused panic, with many parents rushing to the school to withdraw their wards.
The bullet was said to have pierced the roof and ceiling of Nursery One class, where the boy and other pupils were writing their third term examinations, and went through the upper part of his head. The incident immediately halted the examinations.
The boy was rushed to the Military Hospital, 2 Division, Nigerian Army, where he was receiving treatment at the time of going to press.
When Daily Sun visited the school yesterday afternoon, blood stains dotted the corridor of a block of classrooms, the entrance to Nursery One class and the classroom. The impact of the stray bullets was also seen on the ceiling and the wall, with other signs that stray bullets from the shooting range had perforated the creche and some other parts of the school.
Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 2 Division, Col. Ezindu Idima, who confirmed the incident, said the General Officer Commanding, Major General Chukwunedum Abraham, had ordered an investigation into the incident.
He stated that the 2017 annual range classification started at the division on July 10, 2017, saying: “The exercise will end on July 17, 2017. The range we use is located within the barracks. We did not start using the range today. Before the commencement of the exercise, we sent out press release, informing communities around about the exercise and to steer clear of the range area.
“The distance between the range and the nearest community is about 2,000 metres.”