In a heartbreaking turn of events, a grieving father has recounted how his nine-year-old daughter, Saratul Lawal, was allegedly struck and killed by a vehicle during the visit of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to Akure, Ondo State.
The tragedy unfolded near the Oba Ile area on Thursday, sending shockwaves through the community. In an emotional interview, Saratul’s father described the devastating moment he learned of the incident.
“Yesterday, I was on the road,” he recalled, his voice laden with grief. “I saw the convoy going to the airport to pick up the First Lady, and I saw them returning. But I wasn’t at the exact spot when it happened.”
The father said it was concerned bystanders—many from the local Yoruba community—who rushed to inform him that a vehicle from the First Lady’s convoy had allegedly crushed his daughter.
“I didn’t see it happen. I can’t accuse anyone because I wasn’t there. But those who witnessed it said it was the convoy,” he explained, adding that by the time he arrived at the scene, his daughter had already been rushed to the hospital.
Saratul, a bright student at Islamiyar Arabic School in Shasha, Akure, was just nine years old. Her father, speaking with the dignity of a man anchored by faith in the face of unimaginable pain, said, “I fear God. I won’t lie. All of us will die one day, and I can’t accuse anyone without being sure.”
The accident reportedly occurred as the First Lady’s convoy made its way from Akure airport to an event venue where she was launching the South-West phase of the Renewed Hope Initiative—a program focused on empowering nurses and midwives with professional kits.
Eyewitnesses claimed that a Hilux vehicle in the convoy hit the young girl near the central mosque in Oba Ile. She was quickly transported to the Oba Ile Primary Healthcare Centre, but sadly, she did not survive. Her body was later released to the family and buried according to Islamic rites.
However, the Ondo State Police Command has pushed back against these claims. In a statement, police authorities insisted that the First Lady’s convoy was not involved in the fatal incident. According to the spokesperson, preliminary investigations and eyewitness accounts pointed instead to an unregistered white Lexus SUV as the vehicle responsible—allegedly a hit-and-run driver unaffiliated with the official convoy.
As the community mourns and questions continue to swirl, the tragic loss of young Saratul has become a painful symbol of the dangers that often accompany high-profile political movements in Nigeria. Whether it was a reckless hit-and-run or a case of convoy negligence, one fact remains: a life full of promise was lost far too soon.
