‘He was just a baby’- Relative of child killed in Zeelugt attack seeks justice

“That man is a baby. He ain’t do nobody nothing”.

Those were the heartbreaking words uttered by Hafeez Maimoon as he stood outside the Zeelugt New Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo house where his seven-year-old grandson, Adriel Aftab Mohamed, was killed during a violent attack early Friday morning.

Still struggling to comprehend the tragedy, Maimoon questioned how anyone could harm a child who, according to relatives, spent his days supporting his ailing great-grandmother.

“Me want fah know who can come in this house and kill that youth man. That man deh seven year. That man ain’t do nobody nothing, no harm. That is a person without conscience, feelings to do something like that. Fah kill one lil, that man is a baby,” Maimoon told the News Room.

Aftab, a student of Zeelugt Primary School, was at home with his 72-year-old great grandmother when a lone intruder allegedly entered the house at about 04:45 hrs Friday.

The elderly woman, who reportedly suffered a stroke and was unwell, was attacked after the suspect allegedly demanded money. She was stabbed twice, including to her neck, and remains hospitalised.

According to relatives, Adriel was more than just a grandson. Though only seven years old, he had become one of his grandmother’s caregivers.

“Aftab sleeps with his grandmother to take care of her. In case she want water and thing he does get up and give she,” Maimoon said.

Aftab woke up and noticed the intruder and screamed. It was then that he was attacked and killed.

For Maimoon, the devastating news came through a series of phone calls early Friday morning.

“He (Aftab father) call me back again and he seh nah forget and the last call the man call me he seh you can’t worry go fah Aftab because he dead…and the man start cry hard hard on the phone,” he recalled.

The child’s father was away, working.

When he arrived at the scene, his grandson was lying in a pool of blood on the floor. The injured grandmother had already been rushed to hospital.

The tragedy has left the family shattered.

Shabaan Mohamed, the injured woman’s daughter, said she was preparing to visit her mother and grandson on Friday when she received news of the attack.

“I scream. Right away…I take a taxi and when I come I see police and a crowd.

“It is so hurtful,” she said.

As police continue their hunt for the suspect, relatives are remembering Adriel not only as a victim, but as a little boy who carried responsibilities at a young age.

Maimoon wants more for the family.

“We need justice,” he said.

Police have recovered a knife suspected to have been used in the attack and investigations are ongoing.