Yobe Student Dies After Alleged Bullying Assault by Classmates

POTISKUM, Yobe State — A secondary school student has died from injuries sustained in an alleged bullying attack by his classmates, prompting a police investigation and calls for justice from his grieving family.

Hassan Ahmadu, 17, a Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3) student at Government Science and Technical College (GSTC) in Potiskum, died on Sunday after a violent confrontation at the school. According to sources close to the family and a schoolteacher, the assault was the tragic climax of years of sustained bullying.

A Pattern of Harassment Ends in Tragedy

Family members stated that Ahmadu had been a target of harassment since his SS1 year. They had hoped his transition to a senior student would bring relief, but the persecution persisted.

“He went through a lot from his fellow students since SS1,” a family source revealed. The situation turned fatal on Sunday when Ahmadu reportedly pleaded with a group of students to stop bullying him. Instead of relenting, the situation escalated into a severe physical assault.

“Some students had been bullying Hassan for a while,” a teacher at the school confirmed anonymously. “On Sunday, when he asked them to stop, they turned on him and beat him severely. He later died from the injuries.”

Following Islamic rites, Ahmadu was buried the same day in his hometown of Gadaka, located in the Fika Local Government Area.

Calls for Justice and Official Silence

In the aftermath, school authorities handed over several suspected students to the police. Yobe State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed to the Daily Trust that an investigation has commenced to determine the precise cause of death.

The family is now demanding accountability. “We want justice and prosecution of those involved to serve as a deterrent to others,” the family source stressed.

However, the incident has been marked by a lack of detailed official communication from the state’s education ministry. The family source noted that while the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Professor Abba Idris Adam, offered condolences, he provided no explanation of the events.

“There has been no official communication from the state government or the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education,” the source said. Attempts to reach the Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Science and Technical Education Board, Dr. Dauda Muhammad Atiyaye, were unsuccessful. Commissioner Adam, when contacted, promised a later response but had not provided one by the time of reporting.

The case highlights urgent concerns about student welfare and anti-bullying measures within the state’s educational institutions as the police investigation continues.