Tragedy struck on Saturday at Oke-Iro Street, Ilesa, Osun State, as a local hunter allegedly shot an infant who died during a burial ceremony.
According to local sources, the hunter, alongside his colleagues, was invited to attend the burial ceremony by one of the deceased’s children.
The sources noted that one of the local hunters, who was from Jos, Plateau State, accidentally discharged while rendering a gun salute, resulting in the death of the baby, while four others were injured. Eyewitnesses said the injured were rushed to Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, for treatment.
It was also gathered that the local hunters and the person who invited them were arrested by the police.
“A guard was allegedly involved in the shooting. Three other people sustained injury. But two of those injured were discharged from the hospital this morning. “The two people arrested are in our custody, and the investigation is ongoing into what happened at the event.”
However, while speaking under condition of anonymity, sources close to the scene of the incident in separate interviews explained that the guard who fired the shot is a member of the Nigerian Forest Security Service who was on guard duty at the event.
They said the shooting was an accidental discharge, adding that the funeral ceremony came to an abrupt end, following the shooting.
One of the eyewitnesses said, “The incident was an accidental discharge because the man involved, an operative of the Nigeria Forest Security Service, was on guard duty with some of his colleagues when he released the shot.
“One person was hit, and he died immediately. Some people were also injured. The shooting led to serious panic as people ran in different directions. The event came to an abrupt end after the shooting.”
When contacted for further clarifications, the Osun State Commander of the Nigeria Forest Service, Hammed Nureni, said the operative involved came from Plateau State. Nureni, who said the police had taken over the investigation into the incident, described the shooting as accidental discharge and called for calm to allow a diligent probe by the appropriate security agency.