Jerome Akwuene, the father of a 15-year-old boy, Chukwuemeka, who was killed on Monday in his room in the Ago-Okota area of Lagos State, has demanded justice.
He said the deceased was his only child and was preparing for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination when he was killed.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the victim’s father, after returning from work, found his lifeless body in his room with two knives beside it.
During a close observation, the aggrieved father was said to have discovered that Chukwuemeka’s hands were tied and his throat slit.
The bereaved parents, who were mourning when our correspondent visited their home on Thursday, expressed shock over the incident.
Jerome said his son saw him off in the morning when he was leaving for work on the day he was killed.
He said, “I woke him up that morning and told him to wash his school uniform. He said I should not worry that he was going to wash it. I told him that I was going to work and he followed me to the door. But before I left, I asked if there was any problem and he said there was none, then he shut the door when I left.
“I have a boy who stays with me. His name is Chibuike. He came home before me. When he got home, he said he knocked but no one answered. He later pushed the door and saw it was not locked.
“When he entered, he heard the sound of the washing machine. Then he started calling my son’s name but he did not answer. That was when he entered the room and saw him on the floor with his hands tied and a cut on his neck.
“He raised the alarm and that was how people got to know and everyone started screaming in the compound. His mum was in the shop that very day. She did not know what happened. She had called him on the phone but his phone was switched off.”
Jerome disclosed that the victim did not have a social life and was always indoors with his books and computer, as he was practising coding.
According to him, it was only during holidays that he rode his bicycle on the street.
He said, “He was in SS2 and preparing for his WAEC exam next year. So, he was very serious with his studies. He did not mingle and his social life was calm. He read his books and played games, that’s all. Whenever I returned home from work, he would be the one to open the door for me.”
The victim’s father, however, stated that the perpetrator of the act must be close to the family.
He said, “They must have called him before he opened the door to them. I want the police to carry out their investigation, but I believe it is somebody close to him. They stole his two laptops and phones. We found two knives beside him. The two knives were from my kitchen and one of them was used.”
He called on the police and the Lagos State Government to find the killers and prosecute them.
Efforts to speak with the victim’s mother proved abortive, as she wept uncontrollably over the death of her son.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident, adding that investigation was ongoing.