A 41-year-old gardener at the Jubril Martins Memorial Grammar School, Iponri, Lagos has allegedly beaten a 15-year-old SSS3 student of the school, identified as Rafiu Adagun, to death.
The incident reportedly happened on Wednesday after the students, including the deceased, had finished writing their Senior Secondary Certificate Examination for the day
It was learnt that the gardener, identified simply as Femi, is being detained at the Iponri police station.
The gardener had reportedly accused the deceased, who was chatting with some his mates, of indirectly abusing him and proceeded to manhandle till he slumped.
The deceased was subsequently taken to the school clinic and later to a private hospital, where he was confirmed dead.
It was further gathered that the authorities of the school initially attempted to protect the gardener by telling the family that the victim had suddenly slumped and died.
But some of the deceasedâs fellow students revealed the truth to the family after which the incident was reported to the police.
A relation of the deceased, who identified herself as Adebusola, told NewsmakersNG what happened on the day as disclosed to them by some of the students that witnessed the tragic incident.
She stated: âAccording to the students that were present at the scene, they said after the exam they were on their way home, and they were having a conversation among theirselves, when all of a sudden the gardener said he was being indirectly insulted by late brother, Rafiu Adagun.
âThe students said that that led to him beating Rafiu to the extent of using his head to hit the brick wall three times and punching him hard till he slumped and passed out.
âHe was immediately rushed to the school and was taken to the schoolâs nurse, who tried to see if she could revive him but later suggested they rush him to the hospital. On getting to the hospital, he was confirmed dead.
âOne of the students that was present at the scene called the father that he should come that Rafiu just slumped after he was beaten by a gardner. But when we got there we got there, they tried to hide the true cause of his death by feeding him with the wrong information that he just slumped and died immediately.
âBut a brother of the deceased, who with us, argued with them until he was able to trace some marks on his body. He then asked them why there were marks on his chest and neck. We then called the student, who initially informed us of his death to give full details of all that happened and he confirmed that it was the gardener that beat him to death.â
A delegation from the management of the school had reportedly visited the deceasedâs family to commiserate with them.
