Ferocious lightning struck dead an eight-year-old pupil, Master Stephen Akanama of Matha Day Secondary School, Imiringi in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the incident occurred on Wednesday when Stephen was allegedly playing a football match with his mates under the thunderstorm during a downpour.
Stephen, who is from the Kolo community but residing with his aunt at Imiringi, was said to be in the company of his age-mates when the lightning struck him dead.
A community source, however, claimed that the Junior Secondary School 1 pupil was trying to retrieve the ball from where it was trapped somewhere across the land used as football pitch when he was struck by the lightning.
The deceased, Stephen and his friends were said to be playing the football match behind a popular pub in the area before the incident occurred.
A close family source, who spoke anonymously, told The Nation that prior to the incident, the deceased was indoors all through Wednesday until probably when a heavy rainfall started.
The source said: ”I can’t say if he left home as the rain was about to begin. To our surprise, a woman rushed to the house to tell us that our brother is dead. I could not believe it and rushed to the scene.
“Upon sighting him on the ground, we rushed him to Christ the King hospital and he was confirmed dead on arrival.”