A teacher in Donga, Taraba State, Pavalis Yebduya Joshua, has been reportedly stabbed by a newly recruited soldier, Barau Ishaq.
The incident reportedly occurred after Joshua punished Ishaq’s brother, a student, for arriving late to school.
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According to Joshua, he was the supervising teacher when Ishaq brought his brother late and refused to allow him to be punished by senior students.
An argument ensued, with both men exchanging harsh words, with the soldier, according to Joshua, threatening to return to the school with his colleagues.
“As the teacher on duty, I interfered that the student should come back to be punished by me and this time I asked the young soldier if he was at the checkpoint and I refused to stop, will he be happy?” Joshua questioned,” Channels TV quoted the teacher as narrating.
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“The soldier said this is different then I said I will punish the student now and I flogged the student four strokes then the young soldier came down from the motorcycle and said I disrespected him.
“I replied to him that by age I was not his mate. And since I graduated from university, if I had joined the army through Direct Short Service like my friends who succeeded in the army, he wouldn’t have been here talking to me. He said I couldn’t join the army and that he too could never attain my level of education.
“We exchanged words to the extent that I asked him to leave my duty post, which he angrily left and promised to come back with his colleagues.”
True to his word, Ishaq returned with two others, one a soldier and the other disguised as one.
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The teacher alleged that the ‘soldiers’ chased students and confronted Joshua, with Ishaq attempting to stab him.
Joshua sustained cuts while trying to ward off the attack.
The principal reported the incident to the police, who arrested Ishaq’s companions while Ishaq himself fled to a nearby military camp but later returned with a team of armed special forces, causing panic among students.
Two students were reportedly injured in the chaos.
He said, “20 minutes later he came back with two of his friends – one a soldier and the other a civilian wearing army camouflage pretending to be a soldier.
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“They came to the school, pulled out a jack-knife, and chased away students while looking for me. Immediately he saw me, he tried stabbing me but by God’s grace, I tried dodging the knife severally and finally held him together with the knife and the knife gave me cuts on my palm and fingers.
“Seeing that the students and my colleagues were trooping to the scene, the soldier escaped abandoning his two colleagues.
“My principal ran to the police station and reported the case, shortly after the police sent an officer who came and took me to the station together with the abandoned soldier.
“The DSS came and took their statement and I was taken to the hospital by the police officer for treatment. the culprit escaped to the Special Force camp in Akate Donga’s local government area and reported the incident.”
Back at the police station, Joshua recounted the incident and claimed Ishaq threatened him again with a knife, even in the presence of officers.
The soldier’s team allegedly promised to cover medical bills but hasn’t followed through.
“After the treatment in the hospital, as I came back to the police station, I met the young soldier there with a team of young special force recruits and right there, I said if not because of the knife he was holding he would not have done this to me,” the television station reported the teacher as saying.
“There and then live in the police station as witnessed by the police officers and crowd, he again removed the knife and said he would stab me again and nothing would happen even in the presence of the DCO. One of the young special forces threatened to face me personally after the case, the DCO and other two police officers are my witnesses. The special force promised to offset the hospital bill but did nothing up to this moment.”
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Joshua is appealing to authorities, including the state government, police, and military, to intervene and ensure justice is served.
No official statement has been released by either the military or the state government regarding the incident.
