Gardener Allegedly Beats 15-year-old Student to Death in Lagos School

Ololade Adeyanju/

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.

NewsmakersNG learnt that the gardener, identified as Femi Aderonmu, is being detained at the Iponri police station.

The suspect had reportedly accosted the deceased, who was returning home with some his mates, at Oke-Olu road, Iponri, about 5pm.

He reportedly accused the deceased of having insulted him indirectly earlier and subsequently engaged him in a brawl till he slumped.

The deceased was subsequently taken to the school clinic and later to a private hospital, Smith Medical Hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

NewsmakersNG learnt 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 deceased’s 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: “According 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.

“The 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.

“He was immediately rushed to the school and was taken to the school’s 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.

“One 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.

“But 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.”

A delegation from the management of the school had reportedly visited the deceased’s family to commiserate with them.

Police spokesman in the state, Bala Elkana, a deputy superintendent of police, said the suspect had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba.

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