MOHAMAD Thaqif Amin Mohd Gadaffi, the 11-year-old pupil of a religious school in Kota Tinggi, Johor, died of his injuries at 2.05pm today. 

On Friday, Thaqif’s legs were amputated at Sultan Ismail Hospital, Johor Baru. He was scheduled to undergo another surgery at 8am today to amputate the right arm but it was cancelled because of his weak heart condition. He died at the same hospital today.

The family regrets that they did not detect his condition earlier.

His aunt, Nurul Nabila Ahmad said the boy had previously told his mother that he was always beaten, but her mother thought it was a small matter. 
 
“This is until his grandfather visited him in March, where Thaqif sought his grandfather’s help to tell his mother to bring him home or else he was going to run away from the school,” Nurul Nabila Ahmad told The Malaysian Insight. 

Thaqif began his schooling at Madrasah Tahfiz Al-Jauhar in Kota Tinggi, Johor, on January 27, and his mother, Felda Wani Ahmad, 40, stopped his schooling on March 31.

Nurul said the parents were not allowed to see their children in the first 40 days.

“Thaqif’s school is just 20-30 minutes’ drive from home. That’s why my sister had a bad feeling when Thaqif was so determined to change schools and run away, and she decided to stop his schooling on March 31.
 
“My sister said she couldn’t blame the school and teachers because they didn’t know what the assistant warden did. The headmaster visited and apologised to my sister.”

She said the family never met the warden, whom Thaqif called “Abang Shafiq”.

“Thaqif told us his friends also received the same treatment but maybe not as bad as him. Thaqif said the (assistant) warden always beat him even though it wasn’t his fault.”

The Malaysian Insight’s calls to Thaqif’s mother were unanswered.
 
Asked why it took them so long to send Thaqif for treatment, Nurul said her sister did not expect the condition to be so critical. 
 
“After quitting the school (March 31), Thaqif had a fever, but he recovered. Thaqif did say he felt aches and pain in his legs but nothing happened at that time,”
 
“Perhaps because Thaqif walked or played a lot, so at first there were no signs, (and) it was under his feet so we didn’t see it.” she 
 
Nurul said her sister never forced her nephew to attend religious school and it was Thaqif’s choice to go there.
 
“Thaqif is a good boy, he’s never had any major illnesses before this, and he wasn’t like other kids who had weak bodies. Thaqif was strong. And it was Thaqif himself who wanted to enrol in the school. My sister never forced him,” she said. 
 
The assistant warden was arrested on Saturday for allegedly beating Thaqif and his classmates with a water hose.

It was earlier reported that the remand of the 29-year-old individual, which ended today, had been extended until Saturday. – April 26, 2017.