By Izunna Okafor
A 17-year-old student sitting for the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Miss Beke Meretighan, has died in the hand of a suspected mentally-challenged man, Oke Loya, who strangled her to death.
The incident happened at the Arogbo Axis of the Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, where the suspected mad man attacked and killed the student while writing JSS-3 student.
Eyewitnesses revealed that the deceased and few other students writing WAEC in the school had earlier mocked the mentally-challenged man and called him ‘Mad man’ when they saw him on the road; which made him find his way into the school premises, where he eventually caught one of them.
It was gathered that the students ran helter-skelter when the suspected man man forced his way into the classes where they writing their examination, in the process of which he caught Meretighan who could not run fast. The suspect reportedly placed the students’ head under his shoulder before strangling him to death.
The report said: “It started like a joke. The victim and other students were coming to school for their junior WAEC examination when the rain suddenly started.
“They all ran to take shelter at the school security gatehouse. They met other people at the gatehouse.
“This particular student challenged the suspect and asked what he was doing at the school security gatehouse.
“After much exchange of hot words, he called him a mad man and other students also joined to mock the suspect.
“The suspect later went to the victim’s classroom where he attacked him while he was writing his exams.
“He grabbed the victim, put his head under his armpit and strangled him to death.
“Everyone in the classroom including the teachers, scampered for safety leaving the victim.
“By the time they returned with the school principal, it was the lifeless body of the student that they met.
“The suspect escaped from the scene of the crime but was reportedly arrested later by the police detectives.”
When contacted, the Spokesperson of the Ondo State Police Command, Funmi Odunlami, confirmed the incident, and said that the principal of the school reported the ugly incident at the police station.
“The Principal of the school came to the station and reported that one Oke Loya, aged 27 who took a shed at the school security gate during rain strangled to death one Meretighan Timibra, aged 17 years of Arogbo lbe.
“She added that the suspect who has been arrested, claimed during interrogation that “the students called him a mad man.””
The PPRO said that the suspect would soon be charged to court with murder after thorough investigations.
