I was still very new to the whole idea of boarding school. It was my first year in secondary school—JSS1—and everything felt strange, exciting, and sometimes scary. That evening is one I’ll never forget. We had something in my school called “Silence Hour”. It was a time between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. when every student was expected to go to the field to read quietly. No noise, no talking, just everyone scattered across the grass with their books. It was a peaceful moment… until it wasn’t.
On this particular evening, while we were observing Silence Hour, something broke that peace. A small disagreement happened between some SS2 students and one of the SS3 prefects. I don’t know what started it exactly, but the atmosphere changed. Voices were raised, tension was building, and the prefect looked visibly angry. The moment the bell rang for the end of Silence Hour, everything exploded.
The SS3 prefect suddenly removed his belt and started chasing everyone on sight. “Don’t let me catch you o!” he shouted. It was terrifying. I didn’t even wait to understand what was going on—I just ran for my life like the rest of my mates. People were running in different directions, tripping over themselves, books flying in the air. It felt like a war zone.
During that period, One of my classmates, John, slipped and fell hard on the ground. He hit his chest badly. At first, we thought it was just an ordinary fall. He was rushed to the school clinic and then taken to a hospital shortly after. The next day, they told us he was doing fine. We even expected him to be back in school soon.
But that expectation turned into heartbreak.
They later said John had internal bleeding, something the hospital didn’t detect early enough. That was how we lost him. Just like that. I was in shock. How could someone I spoke to a few hours ago be dead now? I couldn’t process it. I had just joined the school, and now I was facing the reality of death—of someone my age, someone I knew.
It left a deep scar on all of us.
The prefect was eventually expelled, but that didn't bring John back. That incident made me realize how dangerous bullying and abuse of power can be. Some people think it’s normal for seniors to intimidate juniors—but it’s not. It can lead to serious consequences, not just mentally, but physically too.
Bullying kills. It kills joy, confidence, and in some cases—like John's—it kills lives.
If there’s anything I took away from that evening, it’s that we all need to do better. No one deserves to be treated like they’re less human just because they’re younger or smaller. Everyone deserves respect.
That evening changed me forever. And I’ll never forget it.