The two pupils of Ado Grammar School, Ado-Ekiti were said to have engaged each other in a juju contest after which Matthew, a Senior Secondary School 2 pupil, reportedly went home to bring an axe to attack Timilehin.
Sources said Timilehin, who was in SSS 3, overpowered Matthew, collected the axe and struck him in the chest, leaving him in a pool of blood.
Matthew was rushed to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, where he died.
In the wake of Mathew’s death, the Ebira community along Ado-Federal Polytechnic Road reportedly threatened a reprisal against the Yoruba community in the area.
Consequently, parents of pupils of the school did not allow their wards to attend the school on Friday. It was learnt that the few pupils who showed up in the school were turned back at the gate.
Policemen were deployed in the neighbourhood to prevent a breakdown of law and order while a police van was stationed at the school gate.
The school principal, Mr. Ebenezer Falayi, and the vice principal, Mr. Olurotimi Olaoluwa, explained that the incident occurred around 2.15pm after closing hours.
Falayi said, “This incident really saddened us because it was avoidable. What I gathered from students who were at the spot was that the two were arguing over who had superior power and the deceased had earlier gone home to bring weapons, which did not have any effect on the suspect when used on him.
“I was told that the suspect later overpowered the victim and struck him in the chest with the weapon. Our teachers, including me, the vice principal and registrar who reside in the school rushed him to EKSUTH. We even took the suspect along.
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“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 Divisional Police Officer of the Odo-Ado Police Station who deployed his men in the area. We also contacted the police station at Oke Ila, Ado-Ekiti, to prevent the suspect from being killed by highly enraged family members of the deceased.
“The hospital insisted on conducting an autopsy before releasing the corpse, but the family resisted it. The corpse was later released to the family when it nearly led a crisis in the hospital.
“The suspect is in police custody. I begged for more security operatives to be deployed in the school area when we heard that 30 students would be killed in a reprisal today (Friday).”
A police source said the suspect had been taken to the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department of the state police command.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti State Police Command, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect was in police custody while investigation had begun.
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