A 16-year old secondary school student, Mathew Favour, was on Thursday evening sent to early grave in a contest of juju power display held at the Ado Grammar School, Ado Ekiti , state capital, Ekiti State.
It was learnt that Favour was allegedly cut down by another student, Kehinde Timilehin within the school premises.
Timilehin was said to have had superior power over the deceased who was stabbed in the chest and later died at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital(EKSUTH), Ado Ekiti.
Several sources confirmed to journalists on Friday at the school that Favour, who was from Ebira extraction of Kogi State, actually 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 tragic development had caused a stir in the school as security agents have occupied its premises. The main gate was under lock and key due to fear 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 were 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 altercations over ownership of a football earlier that 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 the school had closed .
Falayi said the students had held closing and had dispersed before the noise emanated from that troubled section where the boy was stabbed before 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 were 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 threat that 30 students will be killed in reprisal attack today(Friday)”, Falayi stated.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu , said he has not been officially briefed about the killing.
But a police source confirmed that “the suspect was immediately taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Police Command shortly after the deceased was confirmed dead”, he revealed
