Operatives of the Ogun State police command have arrested a 16-year-old SS2 student of Itokin Community High School, following the death of his classmate, Habeeb Adeosun.
The PUNCH reports that Adeosun, 17, and the suspect simply identified as Ayo, engaged in a fight during school hours on October 11.
It was said that Adeosun’s family claimed Ayo confronted him for stepping on the toes of his (Ayo’s) girlfriend inside the class, while the deceased said they were struggling over a schoolbag.
The teenager reportedly ran away after Adeosun slumped.
He was, however, later arrested the next day by a team from the Agbado division, led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) CSP Kuranga Yero.
One of the relatives of the deceased student who gave his name as Ewenje said:
“We were at home when someone rushed to tell us that a pupil punched Habeeb (Adeosun) on the chest and he slumped. We learnt he had been rushed to a hospital. We reported at the police station and some policemen followed us to the school. Some pupils who witnessed the incident said the boy confronted Habeeb for stepping on his (Ayo’s) girlfriend. He ran away when he saw that Habeeb could not stand up”
The relative stated that some angry youths mobilized to the school the following day blaming the authorities for allegedly allowing Ayo to escape.
He said it took the police intervention to restore normalcy to the area.
“People were running helter-skelter. The school was eventually shut. The family didn’t know about the attack. We have accepted what happened in good faith and buried him according to Islamic rites. Police said they wanted to carry out an investigation but we insisted we could not delay his burial.
“We are not interested in the case. Some pupils claimed that he hit Habeeb with a charmed ring. If he actually did, God will reward him accordingly. Habeeb was 17 years old and he just completed his Quranic study,” he added.
Meanwhile, when interrogated, Ayo said Adeosun was dragging his bag with him when a fight broke out.
He claimed that the deceased first hit him on the chest and he returned the punch, which caused him to slump.
“I am 16-year-old. I live at Abule Ijoko and attend Itokin Community High School. Habeeb and I were both in the same class. That day, he came to my seat and took my bag. I asked him to return my bag but he refused. I thought he was playing with me. As we were dragging the bag with each other, he hit me on the chest. I returned mine and he fell,” he said.
“I thought he was joking. Our classmates poured water on him and rushed to call teachers. The attendants at the school clinic came to check him but he didn’t respond. They then rushed him to the hospital.
“I didn’t hit him with any ring. We were friends and we used to play with each other. I didn’t run away. It was our teachers who asked someone to take me away because some thugs were threatening to kill me. I was crying when I learnt he had died.”
Confirming the incident, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, spokesperson of the state police command, said an investigation has been launched into the matter.
“The suspect and the victim were classmates. They had a disagreement in the classroom which resulted in a fight. He (Ayo) reportedly hit the boy with a ring said to be diabolical. The victim slumped and died afterwards. Investigation is ongoing,” a police source was quoted as saying.
