CONFUSION broke out yesterday at the premises of Oni Memorial Children Hospital in Ibadan when a "frustrated" policeman descended on some kids on admission, killing two and injuring three others.

The policeman, Raymond Egbongbonwuyi, was said to have gone berserk when news of the death of his three-year old daughter, also on admission at the state hospital, was broken to him.

An angry Egbongbonwuyi, who is attached to Iyaganku Central Police Station, allegedly fired teargas canisters at the children on admission and medical personnel attending to them.

In the ensuing melee, two of the children died while three others were placed on oxygen machines to revive them.

The aggressive policeman, who lamented that he was not armed, also wounded three doctors in the hospital. Egbongbonwuyi said he would have killed the admitted children alongside the medical personnel if he had a gun with him.

Three children, identified as Ekundayo Promise, Lawal Awal and Lawal Mariam, were put on oxygen when The Guardian visited the scene.

The irate policeman was said to have brought his three-year-old daughter, Destiny Raymond to the hospital on Tuesday for treatment of severe malaria, chest infection and burns, but the girl died in the night.

He was said to have lost a child at the University College Hospital (UCH) in similar circumstances a fortnight ago.

Upon learning of his daughter's death, the angry policeman stormed the ward and removed drips from five of the children, who were being treated for respiratory disorder and tear-gassed them.

The intervention of policemen from the nearby Oluyole Police Division brought the situation under control.

Parents of the affected children fought back tears over the development and called on the police authority to take necessary action against the officer.

One of the medical personnel decried the insecurity at the hospital and called on the state governments to protect the employees and patients in the hospital.

When contacted, the Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Baba Bolanta, said he was yet to be briefed on the incident

RICHIE BOI:

what a sick society we live in.

bibiking1:

He can conveniently plead temporary insanity.

The policeman who was alleged to have killed two children in retaliation of the death of his daughter at Oni Memorial Children Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, has been dismissed from the force, the Oyo State Police Commissioner, Adisa Bolanta, has said. He will also face trial for misconduct. But Bolanta, who spoke with THISDAY on the phone yesterday, insisted that no child was killed, contrary to media reports. The policeman attached to Iyaganku Central Police Station, Ibadan, Mr. Raymond Egbongbonwuyi, with service number 303529, was reported to have removed drips from recuperating children on admission in the hospital and thereafter tear gased the ward where children, relatives and medical personnel were, leading to the death of two of the children. His frustration reportedly stemmed out of the loss of another of his children at the University College Hospital (UCH) in similar circumstances a fortnight ago. The intervention of policemen from the nearby Oluyole Police Division brought the situation under control. Parents of the affected children fought back tears over the development and demanded justice. One of the parent, who gave her name as Mrs. Rukayat Lawal and whose child was in critical condition, said that her child was receiving treatment when the policeman stormed the ward and teargased the children on their beds. One of the medical personnel decried the insecurity at the hospital and called on the state government to protect the employees and patients in the hospital. The police chief stated: “It was sheer sensationalism. I have been briefed of the development in the hospital. The action of the said policeman was unfortunate but nobody and no child or children were killed in the incident. The children from my reports are still responding to treatment. “I have ordered the immediate arrest of the policeman who has since been dismissed. He has by that conduct attempted to rubbish the image of the force and to portray the force as a nest of killers either irrational or otherwise. His action negates the new image the force is trying to court for itself.” The erring policeman was said to have beaten up the nurses and told them that they were lucky that he was not carrying a gun, if not he would have killed them. His daughter, Destiny, was said to have been diagnosed with acute malaria, burns and chest infection.