David Ntekim Rex, a Nigerian Information Technology (IT) prodigy, has been fatally shot in Lagos by robbers.
He was 22 years-old.
David, the second son of his parents, was attacked in Jibowu area of Lagos, around 8 p.m on Friday, as he was returning home.
Police were alerted after the attack, but they watched as David bled to death.
Even after he was rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, doctors refused to take any action until they later pronounced him dead on arrival.
David’s cousin, Roy Mustang brought the shattering news to Twitter on Sunday, as he also informed that David was in the process of interning with Microsoft.
“He even had an interview with the South Africa office”, he revealed.
Before he was cut short by bandits, David in 2018, as a computer engineering student at the University of Lagos emerged second in the annual “Master the Mainframe” competition, organized by AngelHack, a global hackathon company and the IBM Z Academic Initiative.
He was then 19 years old.
The first position in the Middle East and African region went to 21 year old Salisu Ali of Bayero University in Kano.
The two Nigerians were also among the top 12 finalists globally.
Both students’ entries, according to the judges, showcased innovation and their clear understanding of software security and utility principles, two key attributes of mainframe systems.
The other 10 finalists were from Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Nepal and the USA.
The bandits have now ended David’s dream in the IT field.
Here is the tragic story of David as related by Roy Mustang:
My ‘auntie’ has three sons. She’s always crazy about them. The middle child, David, is the most promising. He’s a tech guy; very young, very brilliant. David was on his was home on Friday night when he was robbed, shot and killed around Jibowu. Please say a prayer for my aunt.
David got shot around 8 p.m. The police were called, David hadn’t died yet. The Nigerian police stood and watched as he gasped for air. They took pictures instead, and were more concerned with why he – a tech guy- was carrying a laptop. Nigeria failed you, David.
David wasn’t attended to by the doctors at LUTH. He was there till the family was convinced he couldn’t be alive because he had no pulse. The doctors refused to administer any test to see if he was alive.
The country failed David.
The doctors failed David.
The police failed David.
The system failed David.
Rest in peace David Ntekim-Rex
Roy Mustang posted later that david’s mum was still in shock on Sunday, up to the time he left her.
“I don’t think it has fully hit her what just happened. She’s still in shock”, he wrote. – The News.
