A 16-year-old boy, Ifeanyi Okafor, has killed his sister, 10, with his father’s long-range single-barrel gun in Delta State.

The tragic situation occurred while his father, a hunter, Christian Okafor, 50, was at his farm.

Ifeanyi is said to be fond of tampering with his father’s gun, and he admitted to it in footage shared by the spokesperson of the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, on X (formerly Twitter), on Saturday.

“My dad is not aware I play with his gun,” he said, claiming to only tamper with his father’s gun in his absence and had no defined reason to do so.

Ifeanyi further revealed how the incident occurred. He said, “I was inside playing with the gun, and I was not aware that my sister was walking through the corridor of our house. It was while I was playing with it that a gun fired and hit my sister.”

The boy said he was sad over the outcome of his action.

However, Edafe said that the law does not acknowledge sentiment. “An investigation has to be carried out, and justice has to be served.”

Ifeanyi, who falls under the young person category (14-17 years old), is assumed fully responsible but is typically tried in juvenile courts.

The Nigerian juvenile laws are primarily governed by the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPL), aimed at protecting the welfare of young people and providing for their treatment as offenders.

The CYPL distinguishes between children (under 14) and young persons (14-17) for legal purposes.

A child under seven is presumed incapable of criminal responsibility, while those between 7 and 12 are generally not held responsible unless they can prove they understood the nature and consequences of their actions.

Children over 12 are regarded as fully responsible