BREAKING: Nigerian First Lady, Remi Tinubu’s Convoy Kills Seven-Year-Old Girl In Ondo State

On April 17, 2025, a devastating incident unfolded in Akure, Ondo State, casting a shadow over an official visit by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

According to exclusive reports, a vehicle from her convoy struck and killed a seven-year-old girl named Saratu Lawal while the First Lady was traveling from the airport to the venue of a scheduled event.

The tragedy occurred in the Oba Ile area, near the Oba Ile Central Mosque, leaving the local community in mourning and raising serious questions about the safety protocols of high-profile convoys in Nigeria.

Senator Tinubu was in Akure to launch the South-West phase of her Renewed Hope Initiative, a program designed to uplift the lives of women and girls across the country.

As part of the event, she was set to distribute 10,000 professional kits, including Crocs and scrubs, to nurses and midwives in the South-West region.

However, the day took a tragic turn when a butter-colored Hilux vehicle in her convoy reportedly hit young Saratu, a pupil of Islamiyar Arabic School in Shasha.

Despite efforts to save her life at a nearby primary healthcare center in Oba Ile, the child could not be revived.

Sources close to the incident shared that Saratu’s father, Malam Lawali, a trader at the Oba Ile market, expressed his grief but stated he had “handed everything to God.”

In accordance with Islamic traditions, the girl’s body was released to her family for burial.

Attempts to reach the Ondo State Police Command for comment were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to DSP Ayanlade Olushola, the command’s spokesperson, went unanswered at the time of the report.

The incident has sparked renewed concerns about the safety of VIP convoys in Nigeria, where speeding vehicles and inadequate traffic control have long been a public safety issue.

Data from the Federal Road Safety Corps highlights that VIP convoys are often linked to fatal accidents, contributing to a significant number of road deaths each year.

This tragedy underscores the urgent need for stricter regulations and better safety measures to protect pedestrians, especially vulnerable children, during such movements.

As the nation grapples with this loss, the incident serves as a somber reminder of the human cost of negligence on the roads, even amidst events meant to foster hope and development.