Shocking allegations: Bullying at FGC Akwa Ibom linked to student’s death – What really happened

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There is public outrage following the tragic death of 12-year-old Junior Secondary School student, Ufokobong Edwin Godwin, of Federal Government College Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, on Easter Sunday.

It was reported that the late Ufokobong was allegedly tortured by a senior student in Senior Secondary three (SS3) in the school hostel just before the Easter holiday.

A student who shared a hostel with the deceased described the incident, saying that the senior student had approached Ufokobong for his provisions during the terminal examinations, but the victim refused, insisting that he didn’t have enough to share.

He said, “A fellow student (a senior student in SS3) asked the boy for provisions, but he refused.

“The senior hit him on the neck, after which he went into a coma, and other students raised the alarm prompting the compound master to come. He was rushed to the hospital.

“He later regained consciousness in the hospital and was returned to school. When the holiday came, the parents picked him up without being informed of any incident involving their son. (Perhaps the school did not think the injury was that serious.)”

He continued, saying that when the parents picked up the boy on the closing day, the school management failed to inform them about the incident, preventing them from continuing the necessary medication at home during the Easter break.

Reports indicate that at home, the boy began experiencing severe neck pain, and his parents administered pain relief drugs, unaware that the situation was more serious.

“When the incident became more severe, the father rushed the deceased to the hospital, where he died on Easter Sunday.

“Back home, the parents said the boy started complaining of throat pain on Wednesday, and they got medication for him.

“On Saturday night, the father called some of his friends (one of whom shared this story), asking them to pray for his son, who had been taken to the hospital. By Sunday morning, around 1:00am, the boy passed on.”

“The hospital later confirmed that he died from complications associated with blood clots around his throat (neck area),” as reported by Oga Yenne on Facebook.

Meanwhile, investigations have revealed that bullying incidents have occurred previously at the college, but little has been done to address the issue.

One parent, speaking on the condition of anonymity, shared that last year, a senior student in SS3 used a box iron to hit a junior student on the head, causing the boy to faint.

The parent stated that the school management quickly rushed the student to the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), where the boy spent over a month undergoing treatment after the school had spent over N200,000.

He further alleged that bullying has continued in the college, while the Parent-Teachers Association and school management have turned a blind eye.

He revealed that bullying has persisted in the school, even in the girls’ hostels, where students subject their juniors to torture and other forms of punishment, with the management seemingly ignoring the issue.

“Last year, some girls put their junior girls in a bag and zipped it until the child suffocated.”

The family of the deceased student has called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to their son’s death.

The father, though deeply affected by the incident, called on the federal government to intervene for justice to prevail.

“I cannot talk now. I am calling on the federal government to intervene for justice. I will talk at the appropriate time,” he said over the phone.

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