Shalom Omoniyi, one of the students who was accused of bullying Don-Davis Archibong at the Deeper Life High School, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has spoken up.
NEWSGIST recalls that Don-Davis on Facebook Live alleged that senior students of the school, including Shalom and one Ola, assaulted him while he was in their hostel.
In the live video, the 11 year-old boy claimed he was scared of reporting to the school authorities because the senior students threatened to “kill” him if he ever reported them.
In an interview with Vanguard, Shalom, a 13-year-old SS1 student from Ekiti State, said their boarding master, Nseabasi Joseph, only asked him and Ola to help Don-Davis learn how to be near.
Shalom denied molesting and bullying Don Davis. Read his statement below.
“Don-Davis was my bunkmate. I resumed at the school on November 1, 2020, to meet him as my bunkmate. But I was told that he was removed from the Junior Students Hostel and put in the Senior Students Hostel because the boarding master of junior school, Mr Akpan, was sick.
“We (Ola and I) did not bully him. I did not molest him. The boarding master, Joseph Nseabasi, asked us to make sure he was always clean because when he pooped or peed on himself, he didn’t clean up. And when he smelled, and we asked him if he defecated, he would say no.
“But when we asked him to pull down his boxers and bend down, we would discover that he defecated without cleaning his anus. We would now ask him to go and take his bath or clean himself. And when we noticed that his clothes were smelling, we would tell him to go and wash the clothes, but he would refuse. Instead, he would go and put the smelly clothes in his cupboard.”
Shalom added that Don-Davis was moved back to the Junior Students Hostel when the house master returned before the end of the term on December 19, 2020.
He also revealed that the house master helped Don Davis to brush his teeth, bathe him and wash his clothes
“Mr Akpan used to wash his clothes, bathe him. He also helped him to brush his teeth.”
“Mr Akpan returned to School before school closed on December 19, 2020. When he returned, Don-Davis was also moved back to his former hostel. He was moved to the Senior Students Hostel because when Mr Akpan was sick, the Junior Students Hostel did not have a boarding master. He was moved out of our hostel on November 15.”
Omoniyi also said a female nurse used to come at 6:30 am to give Don-Davis drugs every day on an empty stomach.
Asked if the School punished him and Ola for allegedly bullying and molesting Don-Davis, Omoniyi said he was never punished.
“Don-Davis reported us to the school principal, (Mrs Ndidi Solomon, already suspended) that Ola and I bullied him. The principal invited us to her office and told us that she was going to punish us. Even when we tried to explain things to her, she refused to listen. But she did not punish us.”
Father to the accused student, Olusegun Omoniyi, said his son is innocent and that he doesn’t believe the story.
He said he was therefore surprised when Don-Davis mentioned his son’s name in the matter.
He explained that even when the school principal, Ndidi Solomon, contacted him, saying she was going to punish his son, he was not given details of the offence he was said to have committed.
He said, “So, when I saw the story and the alleged involvement of my son, I decided to call my son and ask him why he bullied and molested the boy, but he said he did not do such a thing.
“I cannot force my son to tell a lie. And I also allowed him to make a statement to the police last Thursday.
“I am not worried about anything because I believe that my son is telling the truth and I know the truth will prevail, no matter how long it takes. In fact, the whole story is too shallow for me to believe.”
