Yet-to-be-identified persons reportedly hacked a 15-year-old boy, Jerome Emeka Akwuene, to death in his room in the Ago Palace Way area of Lagos State.
Emeka, an SS2 student was found bound on his bed with a cut in his neck in his room at 54, Niyi Onilari Street, Grand Mate Bus Stop, Ago Palace Way.
According to Vanguard, an apprentice in Emeka’s father shop called Chubuike said that he came back from their shop at about 5:30pm on Monday, and met their door open.
He said: “While at the shop yesterday, at 2p.m., my I was no longer comfortable. I wanted to leave but it was not yet my closing time.
“So I waited. When it was 3pm, my anxiety to go home became high. I wanted to call Emeka on the phone but I had no recharge card.
“Immediately it was 4:30pm, I started packing goods inside the shop which was unusual for me. I do move goods inside the shop between 5:00 pm-5:30 pm.
“I became so worried that I took Keke NAPEP. I trek on a normal day.
“On getting to the house, I discovered the washing machine was on, and water was flowing without hearing the sound of Emeka in the house.
“I came outside to ask neighbours if they saw Emeka leaving for his mother’s shop and they said no.
“I went back inside and on opening Emeka’s door, his room was scattered, just like a wrestling field, and I saw Emeka laying lifeless with a knife stained with blood beside him. This was between 5:40pm.
“This happened barely one week after our generator was stolen,” he added.
Speaking about Emeka’s lifestyle, Chubuike who seem to be very close to him, said the boy was an easygoing boy with no social life.
“Emeka can be at home throughout the day without anyone knowing. He was good at sleeping and waking up with his laptop.
“His dressing was always very simple. His mother got him flashy wears but you can never see Emeke put them on.
“Whenever he goes to church, he was more comfortable being in simple wear.
“The only time he had ever complained something to me was when he lend a friend his laptop because he had two.
“The friend’s laptop got spoilt while coding, because they were being taught coding in school, and Emeke lend him one of his laptops.
“But when it was due for the classmate to bring it back, he was delayed. Emeke came to me, and I followed him to meet his friend and demanded the laptop, which he gave back.”
One of their neighbours, who pleaded anonymity, said he heard strange voices in the compound but that when he came out and asked the woman that grinds pepper at the entrance of the gate to the compound if anyone was fighting in their compound, and she said no, he returned to his apartment.
Some kids stated that they saw two men, one wearing dreadlocks, entering the compound but did not look closely at the room they entered.
According to the landlord, himself and the father to the deceased, Mr. Jerome, went to Ago Police Station at about 9pm and reported the boy’s death.
Emeka’s remains have been taken to the mortuary while homicide detectives from the State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department, SCIID, Panti, Yaba, have taken over the case.
Vanguard reported that a police source hinted that detectives are beaming their searchlights on possible strangulation based on the wound on the victim’s neck.
The source said the wound is not deep enough to snuff life out of anybody.
“They must have strangled him to death and used the wound as a cover up as if he killed himself.
“We will investigate all the clues including focus our searchlight on not just his friends, but tenants in their compound,” said the source.
Meanwhile, the state police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the incident said no arrest had been made so far, but investigations are already ongoing.
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