A vehicle reportedly part of the convoy of the First Lady, Remi Tinubu, allegedly crushed a 7-year-old girl, Saratu Lawal, to death in Akure, Ondo State.
Multiple eyewitnesses confirmed the incident, which occurred Thursday morning near the Oba Ile Central Mosque as the convoy traveled from Akure Airport to a government event.
However, Ondo State Police Command has dismissed reports.
The First Lady was in Ondo State to launch the Renewed Hope Initiative Health Programme and distribute 10,000 professional kits—including Crocs and scrubs—to midwives across the South-West region.
According to sources, the young girl, a pupil of Islamiyar Arabic School in Shasha, was hit by a butter-coloured Hilux vehicle in the motorcade.
“A seven years old girl by the name Saratu Lawal, and a pupil of Islamiyar Arabic School, Shasha, was knocked down by a butter-coloured Hilux in the government convoy of Her Excellency, the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is on official visit to Ondo State,” one source stated.
Efforts to save Saratu were unsuccessful despite rushing her to a nearby primary healthcare centre in Oba Ile.
Her father, Malam Lawali, a trader at the Oba Ile Market, confirmed the death of his daughter, saying he has “handed everything to God.”
The child’s body has been returned to the family for burial according to Islamic rites.
In a statement, the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Olufunmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, described the report—originally 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,” the statement read. “It alleged that the convoy of the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, was responsible for the tragic death of a young girl in Akure.”
However, the Command clarified that the fatal incident was caused by a hit-and-run driver in an unregistered white Lexus vehicle, not by any car linked to the First Lady’s convoy.
A witness who saw the incident reportedly pursued the fleeing vehicle on a motorcycle shortly after the crash, which occurred in the Oba-Ile area of Akure. This account, according to police, was corroborated by other eyewitnesses and the victim’s parents.
The police also pointed out that Sahara Reporters had misrepresented the age of the deceased. “The deceased was seven years old, not nine as reported. This highlights a clear lack of factual accuracy in the publication,” the spokesperson said.
The Commissioner of Police in Ondo State reportedly visited the grieving family and promised a thorough and transparent investigation into the matter.
“At no point was the First Lady’s convoy involved in this tragedy,” the police reaffirmed.
As of the time of this report, police have not released an official statement regarding the incident.
