An 11-year-old student of Federal Government College Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State, UfokObong Godwin, has died under controversial circumstances.
The family and the college authority say investigations are ongoing to unravel the circumstances behind the boy’s demise.
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The boy’s death, which reportedly occurred in the early hours of 5 April, has drawn public attention, following claims circulating on social media alleging that a senior student assaulted him.
According to one such account, a senior student allegedly struck the victim on the neck after he had refused to hand over his provisions to the senior student, which led to his being rushed to a medical facility.
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The post further claimed that the school authorities treated the victim without informing his parents and that they later allowed him to return home without disclosing the incident to his parents.
According to online accounts, on 1 April, the boy reportedly complained of neck pain and received medication. But in the early hours of 5 April, he reportedly died from complications associated with blood clots around his throat.
School authorities speak
However, the school authorities have offered a different account.
When PREMIUM TIMES visited the school on Tuesday, the Vice Principal (Administration), Hassan Adamu, declined to comment, stating that he was not authorised to speak.
The School Principal, Ezeogu Jude, said by phone that the matter was under investigation.
“He went to the college clinic, was checked and returned to the hostel. He continued his examination and went about his normal activities,” the principal said. “The information I got was that he was hit by a senior student, but he got well and went back home.”
He added that the school would issue an official statement after a meeting with the School-Based Management Committee on 9 April.
Some teachers, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak on the matter, told PREMIUM TIMES that the incident reported at the school clinic occurred on 14 March. They said the boy complained of being hit in the stomach by another student. He was examined at the school clinic, found to be stable, and subsequently completed his school examinations.
They noted that all students, including the deceased, vacated the school on 17 March without report of any complications.
The teachers expressed uncertainty over how the boy developed health issues two weeks later.
Family cautions against unverified reports
When contacted, the boy’s father, Edwin Godwin, referred PREMIUM TIMES to a family spokesperson, Didi Francis, who cautioned against relying on unverified reports.
In a statement, Ms Francis said ongoing investigations would establish the facts, noting that much of the information circulating online was “distorted” and published without the family’s consent.
She urged the public to refrain from sharing unverified details and to be patient while the family investigates the matter.
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“Be assured of a detailed story behind the untimely demise of Ufokubong Edwin Godwin… This will help to avert a reoccurrence in future,” the statement said.
The family also called for holistic efforts to address bullying, even as it insisted that justice would be pursued.
The Akwa Ibom incident occurred a few weeks after a college in Edo State expelled a student after a viral video circulated online showed some senior students bullying a junior. The Edo State Government later ordered the arrest and prosecution of the students.
