A tragic incident occurred in Jikwoyi, Abuja, on Thursday morning, when a dispute over a plate of noodles escalated into a fight, resulting in the death of a 22-year-old man, Sunday. According to reports, the incident occurred at about 6:05 a.m. at the family’s residence in Phase 4, Jikwoyi, a community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The family’s seven-year-old son, Miracle, witnessed the incident and reported that the trouble began when his younger brother, Kefas Seun, discovered that the Indomie meal he had prepared earlier was missing.
Miracle alleged that Kefas first approached their mother, Mama Sunday, to ask if she knew who had eaten the food, but she denied knowing anything about the meal and advised Kefas to wait until Sunday woke up so he could ask him whether he had eaten it. Mama Sunday subsequently left home for work at about 5:50 a.m., leaving her husband, Sunday, and Miracle behind. About 20 minutes later, Kefas woke Sunday and asked him about the food, leading to an argument that quickly escalated into a fight.
According to Miracle, Kefas picked up a mortar pestle and struck Sunday in the face, causing him to bleed heavily from his nose and mouth before collapsing. Miracle quickly rushed to wake up their father, who found Sunday lying motionless on the mattress. The commotion attracted the attention of neighbours, one of whom reported that Sunday’s father immediately sought the assistance of members of the community vigilante group.
The vigilantes accompanied Sunday’s father back to the house and allegedly arrested Kefas, while his father proceeded to Jikwoyi Police Station to report the incident. A neighbour, Abdulfatai, reported that police officers later arrived at the residence, photographed the scene, and took Kefas into custody. The suspect’s father accompanied the officers to the station to give his statement, while Kefas remained in detention.
A community leader, who asked not to be named, reported that Sunday had faced difficulties in the months preceding his death. The leader alleged that community elders had become concerned about Sunday’s unemployment and decided to help him secure an apprenticeship at a mechanical engineering firm. The community raised N70,000 to support Sunday, but he later stopped attending the apprenticeship and spent the money on drugs.
At Jikwoyi Police Station, a police officer confirmed that Kefas was in custody and that preliminary investigations had commenced. The officer reported that Sunday’s remains had been deposited at a mortuary pending an autopsy and that the case would be transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department of the FCT Police Command for further investigation. The FCT Police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, was unavailable for comment.
The incident has raised concerns about the need for young people to exercise emotional discipline and develop skills in anger and conflict management. In previous public advisories, Adeh had urged young people to avoid behaviours that could expose them to criminality and shun illicit activities, including drug abuse, criminal associations, and vandalism. The family in Jikwoyi is left to grapple with the consequences of a seemingly trivial disagreement that ended in an irreversible tragedy.
Key points
- The incident occurred at about 6:05 a.m. on Thursday morning in Jikwoyi, Abuja.
- The dispute was over a plate of noodles that Kefas had prepared earlier.
- Kefas was arrested and taken into custody by the police.
