The town of Otuan in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State is in a state of confusion after a 10-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his 12-year-old friend with his grandfather’s gun.
The father of the deceased, who is said to be a pastor, and the gun’s owner, the boy’s grandfather, were not in town at the time of the incident.
According to a community source who spoke anonymously, the tragic incident occurred after the deceased, his sister, and their friend returned from the bush where they had gone to pick “Ogbono,” a type of bush mango.
The girl sent the deceased to fetch a cutlass from their father’s room to split open the mango. The friend stumbled upon the hidden gun and, while pointing it at the deceased, accidentally fired when he was told to drop the gun.
The fatally injured boy was quickly rushed to a nearby chemist in the community, accompanied by his heartbroken friend who was wailing. However, someone advised the friend to run for his life, and he took off.
The incident has not yet been reported to the police, according to the spokesman of the state police command, Asinim Butswat.