Jonathan Odikanwa, a 70-year-old indigene of Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State has expressed grief over the death of his 19-year-old son, Paul, who was allegedly shot while attempting to retrieve a ball from a landlord’s compound near his school in Owerri.
Speaking with Sunday Punch on the circumstances surrounding the incident, Odikanwa who described the act as ‘animalistic’ recounted that he was at home last Monday afternoon when a group of teachers and students from his son’s school – Urban Development Secondary School – visited him with the sad news.
“They told me that my son had a problem. When I asked them what kind of problem it was, they were hesitant, but I insisted they tell me exactly what happened.”
He learned that his son, a JSS 1 student who started school late, was playing football with his schoolmates when the ball landed in a neighbour’s compound. Paul, with the help of his friends, climbed the neighbour’s fence to retrieve the ball but was allegedly shot by the landlord.
“In the process, they heard a gunshot, and my son fell from the fence. The other students rushed to where he had fallen. It was then that they noticed he had a bullet wound, and there was blood all over his body. They immediately rushed him to the hospital, and the matter was reported to the school management.”
Upon receiving the distressing news, he rushed to the hospital where Paul was taken and then proceeded to the police station where he met the landlord.
“The police organised a meeting between me and the man. The purpose of the meeting was for him to narrate exactly what happened. He tried to deny it, but it was clear that he shot the boy because the students who were there also gave statements at the police station, confirming that he shot the gun.
“Moreover, after shooting the boy, he fired more gunshots sporadically into the air, which indicated that it was deliberate. That was what I was told.”
While the landlord denied shooting Paul, claiming he only tried to scare him by making a noise with a polythene bag, Odikanwa strongly refuted this version of events.
“The man also said that while my son fell, a stick on the ground caused an injury to him. But that was a lie because the position of the wound on my son’s buttocks showed that something had pierced through from one side to the other.
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“I told him to pray for my son to recover. That was my only concern – that my son would get better,” he recalled.
He lauded the school authorities and the police for making frantic efforts to save the boy’s life. “One of the teachers even called her husband, and he rushed down to intervene,” Odikanwa added.
Medical efforts were, however, not enough to save Paul. Multiple scans and X-rays were conducted as doctors suspected internal injuries beyond the initial wounds. “On Wednesday, they took him into surgery and said he had a cut in his intestine,” said the bereaved father.
“I can’t imagine anyone, especially someone who is about 65 years old, acting in such a way. I feel pained that my son was shot just for going to retrieve a ball from a man’s compound,” he added.
When asked if he suspected the bullet caused the internal injuries, Odikanwa’s response provided a twist to the issue, indicating the risk his son took to reclaim the ball. “I am not a medical expert, but given the height of the wall, if someone falls from it, it could damage their spinal cord or bones. The impact could cause internal injuries. Also, my son lost a lot of blood.
“It is now a police matter, and the government is involved. The school authorities and the State Education Management Board are handling it, and even the Imo State Commissioner for Health has contacted me. They assured me that they were looking into my son’s case. After he was pronounced dead, I informed the Commissioner for Health about the development. I believe that since it is a police matter, an autopsy will be carried out.”
On the whereabouts of the landlord, Odikanwa said the matter has been transferred to the Homicide Unit of the Police Criminal Investigation Department in the state. “I can’t say for certain if he has been released; I am not involved in those details,” he said.
He described his late son as a well-mannered and passionate teenager. He said further of the deceased, “He was a very good boy. He was intelligent, respectful, and loved football. Even at his young age, he had football boots and was passionate about the game.”
Paul was a student at Urban Development Secondary School, World Bank, Owerri. His father said the boy aspired to continue his education and possibly learn a trade after completing his studies.
Odikanwa, who has been single-handedly raising his son following the death of Paul’s mother, acknowledged that the landlord’s sister had been supportive. “To be honest, the man’s sister has been contributing to my son’s medical expenses. She has shown a lot of concern.”
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However, he did not state whether he wanted the matter taken to court.
Nurudeen AKEWUSHOLA
Author Page
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.
