My friend Ade Adefeko was the one who taunted me – ‘Duke, you no go comment on this one now oo. Na the one wey no concern you, you go comment.
As a distinhuished Alumni, I had been sent the footage by so many well-meaning Nigerians
The young student of my great Alumni was beaten to a pulp by a Bursar.
The image wasnt nice at all as the back of her thighs blackened and also reddened from the ferociousness of the beating
The story also said that the School Authorities had refused to release the child to her parents for proper care
But as Ade taunted me, someone else sent me a report from The Guardian saying that the Army authorities had decided to investigate the matter
This is the second time in recent times that my school from where I failed form 4 three times is in the news for this same reason
I really didn’tnt want to say anything despite pressures from my regular readers that I comment or forever remain silent
I bear no loyalty to the school on this matter as what is alleged and judging from the reports and images remains heinous and wicked
As a Form 4 student, I was also a victim of such barbarism
One male teacher had taken me to his apartment in the school compound near the old cafeteria where he had cooked some delicious food and asked me to help him deliver to a female student who was my junior
Those days, the school ration was a little bit better than prison rations and it consisted of cold Eko, watery beans and dry loaves of bread which we were mandated to take with stale stew and which we washed down with tea served from huge aluminium kettles
The fact that the school accommodated children of Soldiers within the highest levels of command of the Armed forces didn’t stop them from feeding us like people in Nazi war camps
So here I was in front of the fucking biology teacher’s apartment with delicious food and being instructed to go give a young female who was probably underage and not allowed to have such dilliance with adult teachers
I took the food and did what any sensible James Bond would do – ate up the danm thing
Immediately, I became marked. The teacher sent in signals that he was looking for me and I made finding me as tedious as I could for them
I stopped sleeping in my dormitory as they would invade during lights out.
They would see me at the Assembly but can’t touch me. They would come to class and ask me to follow them and I would refuse
I started attending classes with only female teachers for obvious reasons cos the male teachers could be in their cabal
Finally, they got me. It was dark and I will never forget that day
They grabbed me. There were two. The fucking Biology teacher and the Game Master.
They dragged me to block B and gave me the beating of my life
They beat me the way they beat organ snatchers in Oshodi and left me with bruises, boils and contours
I bled and barely walked back to my hostel.
I was trained not to talk. So I took my bruises as a man and didn’t tell a soul except my closest
That day, I knew my time was over in that school and since my parents were so proud that despite their lowly stature, their first son was in school with Aikhomus children, they who would not listen, I decided to fail out of the place
I stopped attending classes and didnt care if they kicked me out or not
Eventually, I got kicked out and I left after failing the class three times
Suffice to say that the next year, I passed my WAEC with flying colours, scoring an A in three subjects
Bullying or fagging as we used to call it was the order of the day and we had the mental strength to take it
We were mostly soldiers’ children who grew up in and around the barracks
If you were not beaten in school, you can be sure that your soldier father will give you the bullying of your life
In my case, my mum was the soldier and the left handed bare back slaps were part of my growing up years
So taking beatings and flogging at Command was something we came to be used to and we almost loved it
Everything was regimented and if u missed a roll call or prep, it was strokes of the koboko
They even flogged you for coming late to eat or going to church
It was kinda fun for us and even I loved collecting the strokes and only rebelled cos those miscreants who called themselves teachers beat me up with no rules of engagement-they beat me like a thief
Our principal would call you up at the Assembly for a well annointed offence-usually noise making, not doing manual labour not looking neat etc
He will prescribe the punishment and in front of the whole school they would flog you on your back-always on your back with the many mouthed Kokoko
They never went anywhere else, they understood the rules of engagement and stuck to them.
Sometimes a whisk can touch your ears but you can be assured it was not intentional
We kinda loved it as the ‘notorious’ boys got the finest girls
Bullying in the hostels was another thing – the bullies had glamorous nicknames and it was always the odd slap, but mostly, errands to fetch water or take a love note to a love interest at the dining room near the female hostel which in itself was risky cos of the teachers and guards lurking around
We had a different mental strength those days – these were the 80s
Today I think the teachers have gone mad. The two idiots who beat me up that night have reincarnated in this bursar who beat this girl like he was trying to exorcise her from some ghost
What really is disturbing me is what is the interest of a bursar who is not a teaching staff member with a female student
There is definitely more to it and I am happy an investigation has been ordered and I hope it will uncover the real reason for this brutality on the young girl
Command was bittersweet for me. I met and made lifelong friends and also suffered which imbued me with the rude determination that has guided me through life as it were
But turning the respected school into a poster school for brutality and naked abuse of power as it is turning out to be should not be tolerated
It is in this regard, that I state very boldly that should the investigation turn up reasonable culpability on the part of the Bursar, he should be handed over to civil authorities for prosecution
This was nothing but a reckless show of absolute brute force on a child.
A strong signal must be sent not only to the staff of Command Ipaja but to all minders of our children nationwide cos this is definitely not the way to bring up future leaders
Thanks
Duke of Shomolu is of the class of 84, Command Secondary School Ipaja, Lagos
Duke of Shomolu
Last modified: March 5, 2026
