Gangsterism in Sec. school: 16-year-old student kills in self-defence

Often times in Lagos public schools, there have been cases of inter-school fights, some of which occur during Inter-House sports.

As you read this piece, a 16-year-old boy, Ayuba Adewale, is now being detained by the Police in Lagos, for allegedly stabbing a student to death during a fight at Ijaniki area of Lagos.

During an encounter with the Senior Secondary School 1 student of Attorari Grammar School, Ijaniki, Lagos, he said in an emotional laden voice that he never thought in his wildest dream that he would be spending his school hours in detention, let alone to being detained for a murder case.

Narrating how his journey to the police and possible longer years in detention, if found guilty by the court, would be, he said, “ On October 17, 2019, being a Thursday, I went to the Lagos State Government School to pick up my brother . But I didn’t see him. As I was asking one of his female classmates of his whereabouts, a boy called Fowoshere, came around and beckoned on the girl. I told him that I had not finished with the girl .

“To my surprise, he charged at me and hit me on the face with his fist and I started bleeding from the nose. As we engaged ourselves in a fight, his friends came and assisted him in the fight. But for the intervention of some youths who came and separated us, I would have been killed. I later saw my brother and took him home. When my parents asked what happened to my face, I told them what happened and they promised to visit Lagos sate Government school the next day.

“ But the next day being Friday, October 18,2019, I didn’t go to school. When it was my brother’s closing time, my mother woke me up to go pick him up. By the time I picked up my brother, I saw that same Fowoshere boy again. He approached me, saying he wanted to continue from where we stopped the previous day. But I told him that I didn’t want a fight. I hurriedly took my brother and left , to meet some of my friends who were close by. As I was explaining to them what transpired back in my brother’s school , I sighted Fowoshere and friends approaching.

Immediately they got to the spot we were, they attacked us . I held on to my sick brother, preventing him from being hit.

Stab
“As they were fighting with my friends ,a boy from their team who was with a knife grabbed me by the neck and beckoned on Fowosere to come and finish what he started. As he was approaching from behind, with a knife in his hand, one of my friends alerted me and threw his knife to me, to defend myself. As soon as I held the knife, I flung my hand backward and the boy holding me fell. We all fled the scene and Immediately I got home, I took my brother to my auntie’s place at Ishasi because I was scared they could come and attack me at home. But the next thing I heard was that the boy that fell had died. I did not intentionally kill him. I did it in self defence” .

(Credit: VANGUARD)