According to a report retrieved by Freelanews, an SS2 student of Elkenemy College of Islamic Theology in Borno, identified as Ahmed Umar Goni, allegedly used a razor blade to slit the neck of Jubril Sadi Mato, a JSS1 student of the school.
It is understood that on January 16, 2022, Goni sent the pupil, popularly known as Ramadan, on an errand but the latter refused to go.
Angered by his refusal, Goni was said to have gone to Jubril’s hostel at 8:30pm to forcefully take him away.
In a bid to punish the junior student, Goni was said to have cut him on the neck with a razor blade, which affected some veins.
While in pain, the 11-year-old struggled to get to the principal’s office to report the incident.
He, however, became unconscious before he could get to the principal’s office and was later rushed to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the University Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).
According to reports the senior student has been arrested and handed over to the police.
Muhammed Sani Idris, director of the college, refused to comment on the incident but asked the source from which this report was acquired to forget about the story.
“What good is this story giving you? The school and your medium have the same objectives (rendering services to the public),” Idris said.
“I will love it if you forget about this story while we move forward, but if you think it is mandatory to report this issue, then go ahead and do it.”
A family member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, explained that the victim has begged his parents not to allow him to return to school.
The source alleged that the school management tried to cover up the incident by saying Jubril got injured after falling.
“Mummy, I’m scared. Don’t take me back to that school, he will kill me. Jubril said that when he regained his consciousness,” the source said.
“No child should ever scream out these words. No parent should ever have to hear them. Unfortunately, this is a reality for Jubril who was a direct victim of violence at school, which is still supposed to be a fundamental pillar of every society and a safe haven for learning.
“We are happy that the Network for Civil Society Organisation Borno Chapters, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), The National Human Right Commission(NHRC) and the Federation of International Female Lawyers(FIDA) have vowed to investigate the case to ensure that the perpetrator is brought to book.
“In Jubril’s file, they wrote that the child fell and got injured instead of saying he was attacked by another person.
“For us as a family, we want justice for the poor child as we are also planning to take him to Egypt for proper medical attention.”
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
