The chairman of Akpabuyo local government area of Cross River state, Emmanuel Offiong Bassey, has confirmed that a female secondary school student of about 15 years old, in his council area, actually attempted to shoot her teacher with a pistol, but for timely intervention of another teacher.
According to reports, the girl, whose name was not disclosed as at press time, is a student of Government Secondary School, Ikot Ewa, in Akpabuyo.
However, in a telephone chat with our reporter, Bassey said the girl was still in the custody of the Nigerian Army which arrested her.
He said, “What I learnt is that she is still in the custody of the army. What happened is still part of insecurity we are fighting against and which we have done extremely well in reducing to the barest minimum.
“How she got the gun, I do not know but the information I have, which may not be very accurate, is that at the point that she wanted to bring out the gun to shoot at the teacher who was her target, another teacher who was behind her suddenly grabbed her.”
The council boss warned parents and guardians to be “very watchful and pay attention to activities of their children and wards as well as be aware of the company they keep.”
Confirming the report, spokesman for the Cross River Police command, DSP Irene Ugbo, who spoke through her second in command, Igiri Ewa, said, “We heard about it just as you in the media did.
“The girl is yet to be delivered to us. When we have access to the matter, we shall invite the press and investigation would commence as soon as the girl is handed over to us.”
An eyewitness, Charles Edem, said the teenager wanted to shoot her teacher for telling her to cut her hair.
The girl went to school with a gun to shoot her teacher for telling her to cut her coloured hair. The girl resumed back to school and was asked by her class teacher to go home and barb her coloured hair. She got furious and sneaked a gun to the school to repay her teacher. This is the society we are living today and it is not healthy,” he said.
