A chance encounter between the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi B. Babaseyi, and a 15-year-old boy struggling to survive as a roadside photographer at the historic Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, has culminated in a major humanitarian intervention aimed at returning the teenager to school.
The teenager, Ridwan Bolaji, born on November 3, 2010, had been forced to stay out of school for more than three years after completing his primary education in July 2023, owing to financial difficulties.
His fortunes, however, changed dramatically during the 2026 Annual Week of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Ogun State, tagged: “Olumo 2026.” What began as an encounter with a young boy taking photographs of visitors at the tourist attraction soon developed into a story of compassion, community intervention and renewed hope.
From the classroom to the streets
Ridwan completed his primary education at Ijaye Community Nursery and Primary School, Gbangba, Abeokuta, in July 2023. However, despite his determination to continue his education, his family could not afford the cost of secondary education.
With school no longer an option, the young boy began searching for ways to survive. He reportedly started learning barbering but was unable to complete the training.
He subsequently found his way to Olumo Rock, where he began taking photographs of tourists and visitors for a fee.
Although born out of necessity, the activity gradually exposed Ridwan to photography and content creation. Without the benefit of formal professional training, he began developing an impressive ability to handle a camera, position subjects, and capture photographs.
It was that talent that eventually became the key to changing his circumstances.
The moment that change everything
Members of the Ogun State PCRC were at Olumo Rock for activities marking the annual PCRC Week when Ridwan volunteered to photograph some of the participants. His confidence, dexterity, and professional manner immediately attracted attention.
Among those impressed by the young photographer was Babaseyi, who represented the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, CP Bode Ojajuni, at the event. But beyond the photographs, the PPRO became interested in the boy himself.
After discovering that Ridwan was not in school because his family could not afford his education, the encounter took an unexpected turn. Moved by the young boy’s circumstances and impressed by his determination to survive, DSP Babaseyi pledged to personally take responsibility for his schooling and ensure that Ridwan returns to the classroom.
The intervention immediately attracted the support of PCRC leadership and members present at the event.
PCRC leaders rally round him
What began as a personal commitment by the Ogun State Police PPRO quickly developed into a collective intervention. The National Safe School Club Project, under the leadership of Ambassador Prince S. O. Akintoye, donated ₦200,000 towards Ridwan’s education. The Chief of Staff to the PCRC National Chairman, Hon. Taiwo Akinlabi, on behalf of all Special Advisers to the National Chairman, contributed ₦100,000.
The PCRC South-West, under the leadership of Prince Sunny Yemi Adenowo, donated ₦50,000, while the PCRC Zone 2 Chairman, Ven. Arch. Samson Popoola, contributed ₦100,000. The Ogun State PCRC, under the leadership of Comrade Abdullahi Babatunde Lawal, also donated ₦50,000. The Ogun State Coordinator of the PCRC Safe School Club Project, Pastor Olanrewaju Joshua, together with his Central Unit, contributed another ₦25,000.
The listed institutional contributions alone amounted to ₦525,000, excluding additional individual donations made by PCRC members. In an additional major gesture, the PCRC National Chairman, Alhaji Mogaji Ibrahim Olaniyan, pledged to personally shoulder Ridwan’s second-term school fees.
PCRC members also made individual cash donations to assist Ridwan and his mother with their immediate welfare and daily upkeep.
Mother sheds tears of joy
The emotional high point of the intervention came when Ridwan’s mother could no longer hold back her tears. Overwhelmed by the unexpected support and the prospect of seeing her son return to school, she reportedly broke down in tears of joy.
She expressed profound appreciation to the Nigeria Police Force, PCRC leadership and members for coming to the family’s assistance and offered prayers for everyone who contributed to changing her son’s story.
For the mother, the intervention was not merely financial assistance. It represented the restoration of a dream she had feared might never become reality—the opportunity to see her son continue his education.
A testament to community policing
The intervention has also been described as a practical demonstration of the philosophy behind community policing and the partnership between the Nigeria Police Force and members of the public through the Police Community Relations Committee. Rather than simply seeing Ridwan as another young person hustling for money at a tourist attraction, the police and PCRC members looked deeper, discovered his circumstances and identified the potential within him.
The incident therefore underscores the fact that effective policing extends beyond crime prevention and law enforcement. It also involves protecting vulnerable citizens, identifying social challenges, supporting young people and building stronger relationships between the police and the communities they serve.
Commendation for IGP Tunji Disu
The development has equally provided another opportunity for stakeholders to commend the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, for the emphasis on professionalism, community engagement, and a people-oriented policing culture under his leadership of the Nigeria Police Force. The Ridwan intervention offers a practical illustration of what the principle of “Police is Your Friend” can mean in the life of an ordinary citizen.
The compassion demonstrated by DSP Babaseyi, supported by the leadership of the PCRC, shows that the relationship between the police and the public can go beyond conventional security responsibilities to include humanitarian assistance and social intervention. The response is particularly significant because children and teenagers who are pushed out of school by poverty can become vulnerable to exploitation, criminal influence, drug abuse, trafficking and other social vices.
By helping Ridwan return to school, the intervention is therefore not only supporting one child—it is potentially protecting a young life from a future of vulnerability. It is also consistent with the broader objective of creating safer communities by investing in young people before they become victims or perpetrators of crime.
A boy, a camera, and a second chance
Ridwan’s story carries an important lesson. At Olumo Rock, he was simply trying to make ends meet with a camera.
But behind that camera was a child with a story, a dream and a talent that only needed someone to notice. Someone noticed.
The Nigeria Police Force responded. The PCRC leadership responded. PCRC members responded.
And suddenly, what had appeared to be a dead end became a new beginning.
The young boy who once stood outside the classroom because of poverty now has renewed hope of returning to school, developing his photographic talent and building a meaningful future.
From Olumo Rock to the classroom
Ridwan’s journey from the rocky slopes of Olumo Rock to the classroom is symbolic. It represents the power of compassion to change lives and the impact that can be achieved when government institutions, security agencies, community organisations and individuals unite around a vulnerable child.
His experience also sends a powerful message to Nigerians: behind many young people seen hustling on the streets are talents, dreams and potentials waiting to be discovered.
Sometimes, all that is required is for someone to stop, listen and care. For Ridwan, that moment came at Olumo Rock during Olumo 2026.
His story, which began with hardship, is now being rewritten as one of hope, compassion, community responsibility, and a second chance.
And as he prepares to return to school, the young photographer from Olumo Rock now has an opportunity to turn his talent into a profession and his difficult past into a testimony.
Credit: The Eagle Online
