15-year-old Muslim boy kills neighbour, 26years

The police in Lagos have arrested a 15-year-old
Arabic pupil, Sodiq Isa, for allegedly beating a
neighbour, Johnson Adeboye, 26, to death with a
stick.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the duo had a
disagreement after the deceased complained
that the suspect was making a noise with a plate.
The suspect was alleged to have abused the
deceased, which led to a fight.
In the course of the scuffle, Isa, who is the third
of four children, beat the deceased to death with
a stick.
He was said to have been arrested by policemen
from the Amukoko division before he was
transferred to the State Department of Criminal
Investigation, Yaba.
The incident happened on Townhall Street in the
Amukoko area of Lagos.
The suspect, who hails from Ayereke in Kwara
State, said Adeboye, a Keke Marwa (tricycle)
driver, had first attacked him, and he was forced
to retaliate.
He said he was returning from the school on
December 5, when his food plate fell from his
hand.
He said, “I was returning from Arabic school at
about 5pm that day. The plate I used in taking
food to school fell from my hands. I picked it up
and went to a shop close by to clean it up.
“There was a table in front of the shop; so, I hit
the plate on the table to remove the sand inside
the plate. Johnson (Adeboye) was in front of the
shop, and he told me that I was making a noise
with it.
“I told him I was only trying to clean up the sand
in the plate. He asked me if I was mad, that why
should I be talking to him like that. I responded
and told him I was not mad. He warned me that
if I continued to talk back at him, he would beat
me up. I ignored his threat and walked home.”
He added that the victim followed him home
and continued the threat.
Later, Isa’s grandma, who was at home at the
time, reportedly intervened and asked what the
matter was. The suspect claimed that he was
explaining what had transpired to her when the
victim attacked him from behind.
“Johnson came from behind and started beating
me. Some people around separated us and he
left, but he returned some minutes later to
assault me again.
“People separated us for the second time, but
he went to call one of his friends. Both of them
started assaulting me.
“It was at this point that I felt the urge to defend
myself. I picked a stick on the ground and hit
Johnson on the head.
Immediately, he fell and became unconscious.
Neighbours gathered and rushed him to the
hospital. But it was too late as he was already
dead,” he added.
The suspect, who said he wanted to be an Islamic
cleric, begged for forgiveness, saying it was not
his intention to kill the deceased.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joe
Offor, confirmed the incident, adding that
investigations were ongoing.