A 16-year-old student, identified as Paul, has died barely 24 hours after undergoing surgery, following a gunshot wound inflicted by a landlord in Owerri, Imo State.
Paul was shot on Monday after jumping over a fence to retrieve a football that had entered a private compound while playing on his school field at Urban Secondary School, Area N, World Bank Housing Estate.
The unidentified landlord reportedly took offence and shot the teenager in the waist.
Paul’s guardian, Mr. Jonathan Odikanwa, a septuagenarian, confirmed the tragic news on Thursday, stating that doctors at the Specialist Hospital, Umuguma, Owerri, had pronounced him dead in the afternoon.
“He has passed away. My son has passed away. The doctors just said they lost him. Even after the surgery yesterday, we were hopeful he would pull through. My boy, who had lived with me for over seven years, is gone,” Odikanwa lamented.
Paul underwent surgery on Wednesday after doctors discovered that his bowel movements were obstructed. While an initial X-ray did not reveal the presence of a bullet, further medical examination necessitated an operation.
Though not his biological son, Odikanwa had cared for Paul for nearly eight years, enrolling him in school and raising him as his own.
The Imo State Police Command, through its spokesperson, DSP Henry Okoye, confirmed the incident and the arrest of the landlord responsible for the shooting.
Authorities have assured the public that investigations are ongoing.
