A raid on a  drug joint in Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) turned tragic on Thursday as  a two-year-old boy, identified as Ivan Omorhiakogbe , was shot dead, according to multiple reports.




We gathered that the sibling of the victim, Eromonsele, who was also hit by the bullet, is now gasping for breath at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba.


Sources which witnessed the incident said the victims were in their mother’s shop after school hours when they were hit by stray bullets fired by the NDLEA operatives.


The stray bullets hit Eromonsele in the eye while Ivan was hit on his abdomen. Both boys were rushed to the hospital, and the latter was confirmed dead upon arrival.


The Delta State Commandant of the NDLEA, Mr. John Tunde, who confirmed the incident, however, insisted that his men did not open fire on the kids.


Tunde explained that when the operatives of the command stormed the notorious drug joint to raid and dislodge the place, there was a Toyota Camry parked within the precincts.


“Our men did not open fire at any shop. As we speak now, our man, who the car ran over, is at the Central Hospital in Ogwashi-Uku,” he stated.


“Our attempt to stop the car was not successful, as he escaped. So I can confirm that it happened, but this is the true account that I have told you; we can’t be that unprofessional to open fire on a shop. I was at the hospital at night with the father of the child. We are investigating it.”


The agency in a statement on Saturday signed by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd) has after receiving initial briefings from the Delta State command of NDLEA, set up a panel of top officials from the national headquarters in Abuja to immediately proceed to Asaba for an on the spot investigation of the unfortunate incident with a view to establishing the actual facts of the case.


Meanwhile, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has condemned the he killing of the two-year-old boy and called on the NDLEA authorities and the police in the state to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the boy in order to bring the “culprits” to book and prevent future occurrences.


In a condolence message to the deceased’s family, the governor described the loss of the child as “tragic, painful, and grievous.”


“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,” the governor said