See How Senior Student Tortured Little Boy in Command School for Silly Reason

Barely nine months into his stay at the Command Secondary School, Ibadan, Oyo State,  an 11-year-old pupil, Israel Dada, is currently down with illness after alleged serial torture in the hands of senior students of the school.

The Junior Secondary School 1 pupil and his  fellow pupils were said to have been subjected to a immense torture by the senior pupils. It was learnt that each time they were punished by the senior pupils, they would be threatened with stiffer punishment if the torture was reported to the school authorities. According to PUNCH Metro, the matter escalated on Friday, June 23, when Israel’s father was called on the telephone to come and pick up his ailing son.

Israel explained that three days before he fell sick, a Senior hostel mate in SSS I, Stephen had complained about a missing wristwatch and summoned all the junior pupils, including him. He said Stephen flogged them when he could not find the wristwatch on time.

He said:

“Senior Stephen flogged us seriously and vowed to beat us more if we reported to the school management. He later found the wristwatch. Apart from him, other senior pupils, usually beat us. At times they would punish us because we didn’t greet them.”

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Israel was said to have grown lean and had to be rushed to a hospital, where he was admitted and given medication. The father, Olushola Dada, said apart from the illness, he had observed that his son was depressed, but he tried in vain to elicit what was wrong with him until he returned from the hospital on Saturday.

He later found out on a particular day when his son was going to have his bath, took off his shirt and his mother saw the scars at his back. According to Mr Dada, the scars looked like he was beaten for stealing. After pestering him, he said it was senior pupils that usually beat him and other junior pupils. He specifically mentioned Stephen.

Israel’s mother, Mrs Olasunkanmi Dada, said she was furious when she saw the scars, adding that the matter had been formally reported to the school management. The Vice Principal of the school, Mr. James Olatunde, who confirmed the torture, said Stephen had been punished and sent to a ‘guardroom’ to serve as a deterrent to other senior pupils.

He said:

“We are aware of the incident. The pupil is already in the ‘guardroom’ and by Monday (today), he is going home on suspension. He had been given some strokes of the cane on the assembly ground so that others will learn. We are appealing to the parents that such a thing would not happen again. We have counselled all the senior pupils and told them to take the junior pupils as their brothers. If you see the way soldiers punish these senior pupils, you will pity them. Despite this, we still have some who behave badly. We are going to stop such.”

Photo credit: Punch