ONDO, Nigeria – A gruesome tragedy unfolded at the Ijaw National High School in Arogbo, Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, when an unidentified mentally disturbed man strangled a 17-year-old student to death.
The victim, Beke Meretighan, was a Junior Secondary School 3 student sitting his West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) exams.
Eyewitness accounts from Wednesday, July 5, 2023 report that the incident occurred after students allegedly taunted the mentally ill man.
Enraged, he forced his way onto the school premises and into the classrooms where the examinations were being conducted. In the ensuing chaos, students scrambled for safety.
“Meretighan, who couldn’t run fast enough, was caught by the suspect, who held his head under his shoulder and strangled him,” revealed an eyewitness, who asked to remain anonymous.
Several attempts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Ondo State, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, for comments were unsuccessful as of the time of this report.
The tragic event has left the community shocked and in mourning, raising questions about security in schools and the handling of individuals with mental health issues in the society.
This grim incident underscores the urgent need for measures to ensure the safety of students within school premises and the broader societal challenge of addressing mental health concerns.
As the community grieves, the urgent task of understanding how this tragic event occurred and implementing measures to prevent similar future incidents will be critical.
