School tragedy: ‘Head boy’ dies after falling from mango tree in Ondo

A Senior Secondary Student and the Head Prefect of Ijo Mimo High School in Akure, Ondo State, Temitayo Oluwole, died at the weekend after falling from a mango tree within the school compound.

Oluwole was reported to have attended a tutorial class organised by the school for Senior Students on Saturday when the ugly incident happened.

According to a source, one of the teachers in the school sent Oluwole to pluck mangoes for him after the lesson but the young student fell from the tree in the process.

He disclosed that Oluwole was the fourth student that would die mysteriously from climbing the only mango tree within the school premises whenever they were sent to pluck mangoes by their teachers.

He explained that the school’s senior prefect who was billed to write his final examination in April slipped from the tree while trying to pluck the mangoes and hit his head on the floor and fainted immediately.

He said efforts were made to rush him to the hospital by the teachers and school authorities but according to information, the boy gave up at the hospital.

The source said, “we all came for a tutorial on Saturday, after the tutorial one of our teachers asked him to pluck a mango fruit, it was while he was on the tree trying to pluck the mango that he fell and died immediately.

“This is the fourth student to die from falling from this particular tree in this school, and our teachers would not hesitate to send us to pluck mango for them, despite the danger attached to the tree because the tree is evil. But we can’t disobey them whenever they send us to climb the mango tree.”

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A family source who also confirmed the incident said the teachers and the School’s Principal have taken to their heels after the incident saying “none of the teachers or the principal could be reached as they have all gone into hiding, switching off their phones.”

The father of the deceased, Pastor Bode Adegoke, also confirmed the death of his son, explaining that the young boy went for a tutorial in the school on Saturday.

He said one of his teachers asked him to pluck mangoes for him around 1:30 pm after the lesson but he slipped and hit his head on the floor.

He explained that he was rushed to a private hospital where they were referred to State General Hospital but the boy was referred to the Trauma Center in Ondo, where he gave up around 6:25 pm

He commended the State Commissioner for Education, Pastor Femi Agagu, for the prompt intervention to safe the life of the boy but said: “it was unfortunate we lost him.”

Agagu was reported to have been visiting the relatives of the boy in the town since the accident happened

However, Agagu said the investigation has commenced to ascertain what led to the death of the Senior Prefect of the school.