Ebube Offo, a 15-year-old secondary school student from Ezeagu local government area has poisoned himself to death after allegedly drinking sniper insecticide.
Offo was said to have taken his own life after the management of his new school, Malex International School in Enugu expelled him over his alleged poor record from his former school.
Reports say that he was earlier expelled from his former school, Evangel Secondary School, Achara Layout Enugu, owned by the Assemblies of God Church Nigeria.
However, on Sunday, following his expulsion, his parents, Mr and Mrs. Cosmos Offo, enrolled him in Malex School.
When the principal of Evangel school heard about his enrollment, he rushed to the new school to inform them that the boy was a bad influence. On this basis, Malex School expelled Offo without any opportunity to monitor him.
A member of the bereaved family, Onyedika Offo confirmed the incident adding that the family is still reeling from the shock of Ebube’s demise which happened on Wednesday.
“I was in school when I got the information last Wednesday that Ebube, my younger brother, drank a substance suspected to be snipper, after which he was confirmed dead.
“He was depressed because of the suspension his school Malex International School gave him.
“The suspension was because the principal of his former school, Evangel Secondary School, went to tell the principal of Malex all manner of lies and unprintable things against him.
“But instead of taking some time to monitor and watch if what the Evangel principal told them about my late brother were true, the management suspended him from the school, leading to him suffering depression”, Offo, the elder brother of the deceased lamented.
He explained further that before his brother’s death, the family members, especially their mother, a petty trader, had noticed that the deceased was exhibiting some strange attitudes, adding that he was always sulky and sad.
“Whenever you ask him what the problem was, he would tell you nothing, that all was well with him. We, his brothers and sisters kept asking him if there was any issue, but he never told us that anything was bothering him, until that Wednesday.”
The management of both schools is yet to respond to inquiries during the weekend. Also, the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Daniel Ndukwe has not made any formal address on the matter.
