Ekiti secondary student hacked to death during juju contest

NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIADecember 7, 2018

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A 16-year old secondary school student in Ekiti State, Favour Mathew, died Thursday evening after being hacked by another student, Kehinde Timilehin within the school premises.

Favour, a Senior Secondary 2 of Ado Grammar School before his untimely death, was said to have been in juju contest with the suspect on who actually has superior power during which he was hacked in the chest and later died at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado Ekiti.

Several sources confirmed to journalists at the school on Friday that Favour, who was of Ebira extraction in Kogi State, brought the weapons but was killed after the axe and knife wrapped with white and red scarf could not pierce the suspect who overpowered him and stabbed him in self defence.

The school has now been taken over by police with the main gate under lock over fears of alleged reprisal attack, which emanated from threat issued by the deceased’s family that they would invade the school in protest on Friday.

A police Hilux van with over ten policemen was stationed at the gate with few teachers allowed entry into the school, while students who reported as early as 7am were turned back.

However, before the crisis degenerated to the level of stabbing each other, the two were said to have had an altercation over the ownership of a football earlier in the day.

Narrating how the incident happened, the School Principal, Mr Ebenezer Falayi and his Vice, Mr. Olurotimi Olaoluwa, explained that the incident occurred around 2.15pm at a far section of the institution after dismissal time.

Falayi said the students had held its closure assembly and had dispersed before noise emanated from that troubled section where the boy was hacked, after which teachers were mobilized to the place to whisk the victim to EKSUTH.

“This incident really saddened us because it could have been avoided. What I gathered from students who were at the spot of the gory incident was that the duo was arguing over who had superior power and the deceased had earlier gone home to bring all those weapons which could not pierce the suspect when used on him.

“I was told that the suspect later overpowered him and collected those weapons and stabbed the victim in the chest. Our teachers, including myself, my Vice and Registrar alongside other teachers who were resident on campus here rushed him to EKSUTH. We even took the suspect along.

“The victim was put on life support, but that could not help the situation. He died in the hospital. I had to quickly call the DPO of Odo Ado Police Station who reinforced his men and contacted police station at Oke Ila to prevent the suspect from being killed by highly enraged deceased’s family members.

“The hospital insisted on doing the autopsy before releasing the corpse but the family resisted it. They later released the corpse to the family when it nearly caused trouble in the hospital.

“The police also took the suspect to custody. But I had to beg for security beef up around the school when there was the threat that 30 students will be killed in reprisal attack today (Friday),” Falayi stated.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu , confirmed the incident, saying the matter would be investigated.

He said “the suspect was immediately taken to the Criminal investigation Department (CID) at the Police Command shortly after the deceased was confirmed dead”, he revealed.