From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
A female student of Akanu Ibiam Memorial Seminary (AIMS), Secondary Education, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Miss Peace Ezeugwu, is battling to live at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (FETHA), following a stray bullet that hit her on the head.
The school principal, Donald Oluigbo said the incident occurred at the children’s hostel around 11:00pm of the particular day after the students had gone to bed from “Prep,” adding that the entire premises was peaceful before the misfortune: “On the fateful night, I received a distress call from one of my staff with the information that the girl was hit by the stray bullet and without hesitation, I rushed to the school and immediately took her to the hospital for medical treatment.”
He added that the said bullet suspected to have come from outside the premises had pierced the roofing sheets and ceiling before landing on the victim’s head while she was already sleeping on her bed.
The principal disclosed that he contacted both the Kpirikpiri Police Division and the State Police headquarters, Abakaliki, respectively who visited the scene of the incident and commenced investigation.
He further said that before now, his students and the staff had on several occasions picked some shells of expended bullets which landed in the school compound from unknown places.
He, then, called on the security agencies to come to their aid to forestall a reoccurrence.
Oluigbo, however, debunked the rumour making round that the problem was a result of a suspected cult clash which allegedly ensued between two factional groups. According to him, the school being a mission institution could not in whatsoever reason indulge in such unholy act: “In most cases, when there were government functions at the stadium that situates adjacent to our school, the shells of the used bullets were seen entering our premises from tahe sporadic shootings of the security men.
“Though we have not experienced this type of problem until now, however, I am calling on the authorities to look into the situation for the sake of the children.
“As I have said earlier, we do also hear sporadic shootings regularly within the neighbourhood without knowing the sources of the bullets or the supposedly event capable of causing such act.”