By Emmanuella Opara | November 10th 2026
KEY POINTS
- Bintu Omole is demanding justice after her one-year-eight-month-old daughter, Omole Taiwo, died from a gunshot wound during a police operation in Ajegunle, Lagos.
- The incident occurred on November 5 in Nosamu, where police said officers were responding to a clash between rival groups.
- An Assistant Superintendent of Police, Omotayo Olajide, has been detained by the Lagos State Police Command.
- Another girl was injured in the incident and is receiving medical treatment.
- The deceased child’s family has disputed the police account, insisting there was no fight in the area when the shooting occurred.
MAIN STORY
The mother of a toddler killed by a police bullet during an operation in Ajegunle, Lagos State, has called for justice, demanding that the officer involved be held accountable for her daughter’s death.
Bintu Omole made the appeal in a video interview published by News Central on Tuesday, following the death of her daughter, Omole Taiwo, popularly known as Tayelolu, who was aged one year and eight months.
She recounted the circumstances surrounding the shooting, alleging that police officers fired towards the area where residents were gathered at a shop in Nosamu, Ajegunle.
According to her, she and other people were seated in the shop when they heard the siren of a police vehicle. She said the vehicle subsequently drove into their area before an officer brought out a firearm and fired in their direction.
“I just kept hearing the siren from the police vehicle. We were seated in our shop and were not bothered because we were not on the main road.
“Then we noticed the police vehicle speeding into our area. An officer brought out his gun from the vehicle and fired in our direction. I initially thought they had fired tear gas,” she said.
The incident occurred on Thursday, November 5, between 9.30 pm and 10 pm, during a police operation reportedly prompted by a clash between two rival groups, identified as Nosamu Boys and Alayabiagba Boys, over toll collection.
The Lagos State Police Command had earlier confirmed the incident, announcing the detention of an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Omotayo Olajide, whose firearm discharged during the operation and struck two girls.
According to the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, both children were initially taken to Ajeromi General Hospital. One was later transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, where she died, while the other remained in stable condition.
However, the deceased girl’s family has challenged the police account that officers were responding to a clash in the neighbourhood.
Taiwo’s father, Femi Omole, insisted that there was no fight in Nosamu on the night of the incident.
“No, there was no fight in Nosamu on that day. Even when there was a fight (in previous times), the police don’t go there to shoot,” he said.
Bintu also spoke about the personal loss surrounding her daughter’s death, disclosing that Taiwo had a twin, Kehinde, who died shortly after their birth.
“My daughter has a twin, but we lost the twin (Kehinde) shortly after their birth. The pain I went through during pregnancy was not easy,” she said.
She appealed for the officer involved to face the consequences of his actions, expressing fears that her daughter’s death could go without accountability.
“The police in Ajeromi have made me cry.
“I don’t want the police officer involved to go unpunished. May God arise and fight for Tayelolu. Her death must not be in vain,” she appealed.
Sekinat Abolarin, a relative of the injured girl, also disputed the police explanation, maintaining that there was no confrontation in the area when the shooting occurred.
“There was no fight at all. If there had been any fight, we would have taken our children away from the shop,” she said.
THE ISSUES
The incident has brought attention to concerns surrounding the use of firearms during police operations, particularly in residential areas where civilians, including children, may be exposed to danger.
While the police said the operation was in response to a confrontation between rival groups, the victim’s family and relatives of the injured girl have disputed that account.
The circumstances surrounding the firearm discharge, the officer’s conduct and the events leading to the children’s injuries remain central to the demand for accountability.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“I don’t want the police officer involved to go unpunished. May God arise and fight for Tayelolu. Her death must not be in vain,” Bintu Omole, the deceased toddler’s mother, said.
WHAT’S NEXT
The detained officer’s case and the police investigation will be important in establishing the circumstances surrounding the shooting and determining responsibility.
The family is demanding justice, while the second girl injured in the incident continues to receive medical attention.
BOTTOM LINE
The death of one-year-eight-month-old Omole Taiwo during a police operation in Ajegunle has left her family demanding accountability. With relatives disputing the police account of the incident, the investigation will be crucial in establishing what happened and addressing the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
