‘Juju’ contest ends in tragedy as student stabs colleague to death

Tragedy struck at Ado Grammar School, Ado-Ekiti where a student allegedly stabbed his colleague to death during a juju contest on Thursday.

The culprit, Kehinde Timilehin, reportedly killed a schoolmate, Matthew Favour, on Thursday  in a bid to test the efficacy of a charm that can prevent the penetration of sharp weapons like knife and cutlass.

Favour, who was of Ebira extraction, was rushed to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH)  to save his life but he gave up the ghost despite being placed on life support.

The duo were said to have had an altercation over ownership of a football earlier in the day before the stabbing incident occurred.

Following the tension generated by the murder, the school was  closed down as the family and kinsmen of the deceased had threatened to kill thirty students in retaliation.

A police Toyota Hilux van with over ten armed officers was stationed at the gate

with few teachers allowed entry into the school while students who reported as early as 7am were turned back.

Sources told reporters on yesterday at the school that Favour 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 School Principal, Mr Ebenezer Falayi and the Vice Principal, Mr. Olurotimi Olaoluwa, explained that the incident occurred around 2.15 pm at a far section of the institution after the school had closed .

He disclosed that the school had officially closed for the day before the screams of the victim was heard from one end of the school where the incident happened.

Falayi said: “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 Principal 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 into custody. But I had to beg for security to be beefed 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, Mr. Caleb Ikechukwu, a Deputy Superintendent, said he has not been officially briefed about the killing.

But an officer who asked not to be quoted confirmed that the suspect was immediately taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Police Command shortly after the deceased was confirmed dead.

(The Nation News Nigeria)