Killed While in His Father’s Car: The Alleged Police Killing of Kehinde Alabi and the Hard Lessons for a Nation and Its Parents

Ibadan is in the news again, for all the wrong reasons. Something appears to be fundamentally off in the way this city engages with the rights, dignity, and safety of children. Not long ago, we were confronted with the horrific story of 32 children allegedly killed at a children’s event, a matter now buried under the heavy carpet of silence and injustice.

Today, we are grieving again, this time, for Kehinde Alabi, a 14-year-old boy allegedly shot and killed by the police while they were attempting to apprehend his father for a traffic offense.

The facts are still unfolding, but here’s what we know: Kehinde was reportedly in the car with his father when officers attempted to arrest the man for driving against traffic. A video clip shows the father attempting to evade arrest, and an interview confirms his intent to escape. In the course of the pursuit, police officers reportedly fired at the vehicle, aiming for the tires. A stray bullet struck Kehinde, killing him instantly.

We must firmly condemn this act of reckless violence. A suspected traffic violation, yes, even when confirmed, does not warrant the use of deadly force. Kehinde’s father was not a hardened criminal. He was not armed. He was not posing a threat to public safety. The police’s response was not only disproportionate, it was tragic, reckless, and utterly preventable.

Even in a case involving a dangerous criminal, the use of firearms should always be the last resort, never the first reaction. When law enforcement officers open fire in a populated area to stop a traffic offender, they put lives in danger. And this time, it cost a young boy his life.

Sadly, our confidence in the system to pursue justice is thin. We remember the response to the death of 32 children in Ibadan, not justice, but evasion. We remember the Attorney General telling us that the families chose to “settle” a criminal matter. The voices of parents, silenced. The truth, buried. The pain, ongoing.

And now, another child is gone. Will this case be different?

 While we call for accountability from the police and government, we must also confront the sobering lessons this tragedy teaches parents and caregivers. As a parenting ideologue and advocate for empowered citizenship, I cannot stay silent.

First, we must reflect on the conduct of Kehinde’s father, not to condemn, but to extract wisdom. Wearing my child protection and safeguarding cap, I must say this plainly: a parent has no business endangering their child in the name of evading traffic law enforcement. Kehinde’s father confirmed in his own words that he was trying to escape the police while driving against traffic. That decision, conscious or panicked, put his child at immense risk. Let us be honest: what example are we setting when we break the law in the presence of our children? What nation are we modeling before their impressionable eyes?

Second, those who live in Nigeria understand the harsh realities of our policing system. We know the undertraining, the underpayment, and the volatility. This is not new information. Therefore, we must act accordingly. When you carry a child in your car in a country where guns are placed in the hands of frustrated, unsupported officers, your number one duty is to protect that child with caution, with restraint, and with wisdom. Caution isn’t cowardice, it is parental courage.

Lastly, let us remember that children don’t become who we say they should be, they become who we show them we are. If we want justice from our leaders, we must embody justice in our daily lives. Obeying the law, especially when it inconveniences us, is not weakness. It is moral authority. It is national service. It is leadership.

This tragedy should shake us all. Not only because a boy is dead, but because he didn’t have to be. As we mourn Kehinde Alabi, let us rise, parents, advocates, officers, citizens, and demand a country where children are safe, accountability is swift, and law is applied with both firmness and wisdom.

Enough is enough. Let this not be another name swept into silence. Let this be a turning point.

#JusticeForKehinde #ChildProtection #PoliceReform #Nigeria #ParentingForChange #LawAndCaution #IbadanTragedy #TriggerHappyMustStop