2-year-old boy shot dead, brother severely injured as NDLEA raid drug joint in Delta

A 2-year-old boy named Ivan Onose Omhonrina shot dead, while his younger brother, Eromonsele, sustained injuries during a raid conducted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Delta State.

The incident took place on Thursday, July 13, 2023, when NDLEA operatives targeted a notorious drug joint located in Okpanam, within the Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state, according to a report by Daily Trust.

Eyewitnesses at the scene recounted that the children were present in their mother’s shop after school hours when they were tragically struck by stray bullets. Eromonsele was grazed by a stray bullet on his eye, while Ivan his elder brother, suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

Both children were immediately rushed to the Federal Medical Center (FMC) for urgent surgical intervention. Unfortunately, Ivan could not survive the ordeal.

Confirming the incident, Mr. John Tunde, the Delta State Commandant of the NDLEA, emphasized that his men did not intentionally fire at the children.

According to Tunde, as the operatives surrounded the notorious drug joint, they noticed a parked Toyota Camry within the vicinity. In an attempt to immobilize the escaping vehicle, shots were fired by the NDLEA operatives.

In his words;

“What we cannot tell now is whether the children were inside the car at the time of the shooting. 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 in the night with the father of the child. We are investigating it.”

Meanwhile, activist Comrade Isreal Joe provided an update, stating that a successful operation had been performed on Eromonsele, the injured sibling.