Accident in Akure: Vehicle Not Part of First Lady’s Convoy – Ondo Police Commissioner

The Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Olatokunbo Afolabi, has dismissed claims that a vehicle from the convoy of Nigeria’s First Lady was involved in the tragic death of a 10-year-old girl in Akure.

During an interview with Arise News, Afolabi clarified that although he was part of the First Lady’s convoy on the day of her visit, eyewitness accounts confirmed the vehicle involved in the accident—a white Lexus Jeep—was not among the official vehicles.

“Yesterday, the First Lady was around, and she was received at Akure airport,” Afolabi explained. “I was among the officers that were at the airport to receive her, and I was equally also in the convoy that took her from the airport to where she had her first event.”

He went on to describe how the incident happened after the convoy had passed through the area. “After her convoy had passed, we had an unfortunate incident: a white Lexus Jeep hit a ten-year-old girl at Obale,” he said. “The DPO drew my attention to that, and I went there in person, and while there, I met eyewitnesses and the relatives of the deceased.”

Afolabi noted that those he spoke to at the scene were clear about the identity of the vehicle. “The eyewitnesses I met there confirmed that the vehicle wasn’t in the First Lady’s convoy and that they even made efforts to pursue the white Lexus, but unfortunately, being a fast-moving vehicle, they could not catch up with him.”

Reacting to media reports that linked the First Lady’s convoy to the incident, Afolabi firmly denied the allegation. “It was a bit surprising in the evening when somebody sent some publications to me revealing that one of the vehicles in the First Lady’s convoy went out of its way to hit that innocent girl. That is a blatant lie. Nothing like that happened,” he said.