Police refute reports linking Oluremi Tinubu’s convoy to Child’s Death in Ondo

The Ondo State Police Command has denied reports that a vehicle in the convoy of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, was responsible for the tragic death of a young girl in Akure on Thursday.

Senator Tinubu was in Ondo State to launch the Renewed Hope Initiative Health Programme and distribute 10,000 professional kits—comprising Crocs and scrubs—to midwives across the South-West zone.

In response to the circulating claims, the Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Olufunmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, issued a statement labelling the report, 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, which alleged that the convoy of the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, was responsible for the tragic death of a young girl in Akure,” the statement said.

Contrary to the report, the police clarified that eyewitness accounts and their preliminary investigations indicated the incident was caused by a hit-and-run driver in an unregistered white Lexus vehicle.

A witness reportedly pursued the fleeing vehicle on a motorcycle immediately after the crash, which occurred in the Oba-Ile area of Akure. This account was corroborated by several bystanders and the victim’s own parents.

“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 Ondo State Commissioner of Police also visited the bereaved family to offer condolences and pledged a thorough and transparent investigation into the incident.

“At no point was the First Lady’s convoy involved in this tragedy,” DSP Odunlami-Omisanya reiterated.