PUNCH
Young pupils in military secondary schools across the country and cadets, who undergo training in military camps to become officers, have met their untimely deaths while pursuing their dreams due to tough military drills and intense disciplinary actions by seniors, GODFREY GEORGE writes
The corridors of the Air Force Comprehensive School, Kaduna, were shattered by a tragedy that has left a young life extinguished and a family devastated.
Blaise Aliyu, a 15-year-old student, was reportedly punished to death by two of his senior colleagues in an incident that has plunged the institution into mourning.
Blaise, who had already faced the cruel blow of losing his parents in 2013, found solace and companionship in his twin brother.
Both boys, navigating the harsh realities of life without their parents, were students at the military boarding school in Mando, Kaduna.
They had only each other to cling to in a world that had already shown them too much loss and hardship.
According to several reports, the tragic incident unfolded when two SS3 students summoned Blaise to their room.
What was presented as a mere punishment soon escalated into a fatal encounter.
The circumstances of that evening remain shrouded in mystery, but the outcome is heartbreakingly clear:
Blaise Aliyu, full of potential and dreams, was no more.
His lifeless body, a testament to the brutality he endured, now lies cold in the mortuary, a stark reminder of the cruelty that can exist within human hearts.
The Nigerian Air Force, reeling from the shock, has pledged to uncover the truth behind this senseless act.
The spokesperson for the institution, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet, conveyed the profound sorrow felt by the Air Force community.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Gabkwet emphasised the gravity with which the incident is being treated.
“The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, and indeed the entire NAF family are saddened by the painful and unfortunate incident of the untimely death of one of our students at Air Force Secondary School, Kaduna, on June 19, 2024,” Gabkwet said, his words heavy with grief.
“To avoid all sorts of speculations, a thorough investigation is currently ongoing to unravel how, why, and what led to the death of the victim. Rest assured that this matter is receiving the utmost urgency it deserves, and we won’t rest until it is unravelled,” he added.
The investigation seeks to bring clarity to the horrific circumstances that led to Blaise’s death. The pain is unfathomable for his twin brother, left alone in the halls that once echoed with their shared laughter and dreams.
The school, a place meant to nurture and protect, has instead become a site of his most profound sorrow.
As the investigation unfolds, the haunting image of Blaise’s untimely death will remain etched in the hearts of all who hear his story.
It is a stark reminder of the need for vigilance, compassion, and a re-evaluation of the systems meant to protect pupils in Nigerian military colleges.
Several activists have said the memory of Blaise Aliyu, an innocent soul taken too soon, is one tragedy that should never befall another child again.
Amnesty Intl seeks justice
Amnesty International Nigeria has strongly condemned the recent killing of 15-year-old Blaise.
Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, stated, “Amnesty International is deeply concerned by the increase in such awful cases of students losing their lives in school. For our children, education should not be a matter of life and death.”
Sanusi stressed the need for a thorough investigation into Felix’s death, declaring, “This incident must not be swept under the carpet and justice must be served.”
The human rights organisation, therefore, called for urgent measures to address bullying and ensure the safety of students in schools.
“Given the increasing incidents like this, the authorities must develop and implement zero tolerance for bullying in schools,” Sanusi urged.
A promising life cut short
Blaise’s death is not the first time a young pupil will lose their lives in a military school due to harsh punishment.
In June 2022, a student of Command Secondary School, Enugu, Eneh Chinemerem, was reportedly flogged to death by a soldier-teacher whose identity was not revealed.
The student who was in SS1 was caned repeatedly on the head for allegedly having bushy hair and not having a haircut before School Day.
The mother, Adaeze Chibuzor, broke the news in a Facebook post on the Nkanu People of Enugu State Nigeria platform with pictures of the deceased showing a swollen eye and head before his demise.
Sources told The PUNCH that the boy’s head started swelling, causing the parents to move him from one hospital to another until his untimely death.
The mother of the deceased, on her Facebook page, wrote, “It is still very hard to believe that you are gone, my son. But one thing I know is that God will surely fight for us. Rest in peace, my son.
“An Army man flogged my son in school to death in Command Secondary School, Enugu. RIP to my first fruit in life!”
