Serious panic had gripped people around the LEA Primary School, Nabor, Jos, Plateau state’s capital as a university graduate, Sheriff Charles, was arrested for burying 25 raw eggs between two classroom blocks in the school premises.
The suspect, Charles who resides in the village with his parents and other siblings reportedly went to the school after closing hours on Monday, November 24, 2014 and buried the eggs hoping that things become better for him.
Following the discovery and his arrest, many pupils and even some teachers have deserted the school.
Commenting on the development, the head of the school, Mrs. Deborah Solomon, said “We the teachers are even scared because we do not know his motive. He buried the eggs where the children normally go to play. We do not know whether it could be a threat to the lives of the pupils or it would have effect on their wellbeing.
“Up till now if I say I am happy, it is not true. I am truly worried. To encourage the children to come to school, some of us brave the odds and come to school. Since the incident, we do gather the few pupils who still come to school to pray for our safety. I have been encouraging them to believe in the living God and not the type of god people like Sheriff believe in. I do tell them that our God would not allow evil things to happen to us. So they should not be afraid.”
“When we asked him to drink one of the eggs if they are not harmful, he refused to do so. If they have nothing to do with anybody he could have buried them in his house and if not his house, by the stream behind the school where people rarely visit or by the hills behind the school but not in the school premises. I do not know why he chose this school.
“There are other private schools around here but he chose to come here. Is it because it is mainly patronized by the poor?”
According to Solomon’s narration, a pupil of the school recalled seeing Charles with a polythene bag in school after closing hours.
Unknown to him that someone saw him, he dug a hole in the ground and buried something which prompted the pupil to raise alarm in the village alerting some people and a teacher.
The villagers captured him and took him to the house of the Mai Angwa of Gwom Nabor, Mr. Sani Aware.
But for the intervention of the state treasurer of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, Plateau State chapter, Comrade Marta, the large crowd were ready to unleash serious terror on the culprit as some were already throwing stones and other objects at him. The attention of the police were called and the suspect was handed in to them.
“He was taken to the school where he dug out 21 eggs in one of the holes. We did not see the second hole until the following day when one of our teachers was checking around. After putting the eggs in the holes, he had used dry grass to cover them up,” said Marta.
“Actually the teacher had used her foot to remove the dry grass when one egg popped out. Three other eggs were discovered in that hole. This is why everyone is afraid. If we had not discovered the other hole, nobody would know it was there. Now we do not know whether there are other eggs buried in other spots yet to be discovered. This is why everyone is afraid.
“When the man was questioned even while being taken to Mai Angwa, he wanted to confess but his mother who came to the scene did not allow him to talk. She was busy shielding him. Even when the villagers were throwing objects at him, she was using her body to parry them. At a point, her wrapper loosened from her waist without her knowing. When Charles was finally taken into the custody of Mai Angwa, he confessed that he did it to gain favour from man and from God because he was unemployed.
When he was asked why he chose the school, Charles said it was because it was closer to where he borrowed the digger and the shovel.
Immediately after the discovery, the issued a quit notice to the family which read. One of the villagers said,
“We do not know whether it was their native doctor that gave him the eggs to bury in the school. They could be members of a cult and could pose danger to even the whole village. So they must leave.”
Meanwhile the suspect has been charged to court on grounds of constituting public nuisance and using criminal charm.
