Student slits junior colleague’s throat over refusal to run errands

By Akinwande Soji-Ojo

An SS2 student of Elkenemy College of Islamic Theology, in Borno State, identified as Ahmed Umar Goni, has been arrested by operatives of the Borno State Police Command after he allegedly used a razor blade to slit the neck of Jubril Sadi Mato, a JSS1 student of the school.

It was gathered that Goni sent the pupil, popularly known as Ramadan, on an errand on Wednesday, January 18, but the latter refused to go.

Angered by his refusal, Goni was said to have gone to Jubril’s hostel around 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 Ramadan struggled to get to the principal’s office to report the incident but 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).

The suspect is said currently being detained at the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department.

An uncle to the victim, Nasiru Mato, who spoke with journalists, said Goni tried to abscond after Ramadan fainted, thinking he was dead.

“From our own findings, one SS2 student known as Fairoz dragged our child behind their dormitory and used razor blade to cut his throat from different angles.

“Our son eventually fainted and the culprit ran away, thinking that the child was already dead. We received a distress call from the school management on Wednesday morning on the development and we rushed to Maiduguri Teaching hospital and found our child in a sorry state. At the moment, he is surviving on tracheostomy even as the doctors said it is difficult for him to regain his voice after having had some of his veins cut.

“We demand proper medical attention for the child, the school and law enforcement must also take necessary measures to investigate and prosecute the perpetrator,” he said.

Mato also said the family is not satisfied with the way the school management is handling the matter.

He added that the school only told them that the culprit is under police custody but refused to speak much about his identity.

Another family member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the school management has convinced the child’s step father who his their close ally not to take the matter up.