16-year-old secondary school student dies in juju contest

A secondary school student at the Ado Grammar School, Ado Ekiti, Mathew Favour, died on Thursday following injuries he sustained in a superiority contest with a colleague on the efficacy of their charms.

Sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the incident occurred in the evening within the school’s premises.

The 16-year old was said to have been engaged in a friendly dispute with a colleague over the ownership of a ball before it degenerated into an argument over who had more portent charms.

NAN reports that the late Favour, who was in Senior Secondary Class Two before his death, was allegedly stabbed in the chest and later died at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH).

The suspect, who allegedly killed Favour, has since been taken into police custody.

Sources said Favour, an Ebira indigene from Kogi, was said to have initiated the encounter when he brought out a small axe and a knife wrapped in a white and red scarf and dared his colleague to a fight.

However, his colleague was said to have overpowered him after a while trying, stabbing him in the chest with the knife and fatally injuring him in the process.

It was learnt that the development brought activities in the school to a halt as other students and teachers alike fled the premises.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, said he needed time to react to the incident after getting a clearer report on the incident.

Police officers from the nearby Odo Ado Division were, however, sighted at the main entrance into the school which had been shut.

NAN learnt the police deployment followed alleged threats by the family of the deceased to embark on reprisal attack at the school.

Confirming the incident, the school’s  Principal, Mr Ebenezer Falayi, said the incident  occurred at about  2.15pm after the school had closed .

Falayi said the students had dispersed before the incident attracted teachers who  mobilised to the scene  to convey  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, collected the 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 the police station at Oke Ila to prevent the suspect from being killed by highly enraged family members of the deceased.

“The hospital insisted on doing the autopsy before releasing the corpse but the family resisted this

“They later released the corpse to the family when it nearly caused trouble in the hospital

“The police also took the suspect into custody. But I had to beg for security beef up around the school when there was a threat that 30 students will be killed in a reprisal attack Friday,’’ he said.