A serving member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was arrested on Wednesday morning for the mindless destruction of property belonging to a primary and secondary school in Lagos.
The NYSC member, named Salami Ibukun Imoleoluwa, visited Noble Vine School located in Aguda, Lagos on the first week of January 2023 with a rejection letter purportedly issued to her by her first place of primary assignment. She then demanded an unconditional absorption into the school as a teacher for the duration of the one year compulsory programme, RovingNaija learnt.
The School principal, Mr. Abomezy Degualle, who believes in following school protocol, engaged her in routine pre absorption chat and asked her to return to the NYSC Secretariat and get a formal letter redeploying her to the school before she could be allowed to start her service as a teacher.
She agreed to the wise counsel of the school principal (or so it seemed) and promised to return the next day with the required documentation, but she failed to come in with the redeployment letter. She then returned on Tuesday the 24 January to inform the school of her readiness to commence work but still without the redeployment letter. When this was pointed out to her, she promised to return the next day, Wednesday 25.
However, unbeknown to the school management, the preference of the school for due diligence as a condition precedent to accepting her as a teacher with the school struck the wrong cord in her and something snapped.
Ibukun did returned to the School on Wednesday 25 as promised but she came earlier than scheduled and it was not in furtherance of the NYSC programme as expected, but to cause trouble.
According to eye witness account, she made a beeline back to the school in the wee hours of Wednesday 25 January, 2023, after the school had shut down for the previous days’ work and security had signed off. She then allegedly scaled the school wall and proceeded to systematically smash all the windows of the classrooms, library, computer centre and administration buildings.
She also damaged the school buses/cars parked within the precinct of the school and took her anger out on any other thing of interest.
She allegedly operated solely and freely for about an hour or two before she was eventually restrained and subdued by the community security after she put up a spirited fight to perpetuate her orgy of destruction and avoid arrest.
In a video seen by RovingNaija, the NYSC member could be heard threatening to unleash another round of violence on anybody or anything within her line of sight in the school premises, vowing to return and burn down the whole school.
She anchored her pent up anger on the audacity of the school in not absorbing her unconditionally when the NYSC Scheme had prevailed on employers of labour in the country never to reject, interview or question any “Corper” posted to serve out the compulsory National service regardless of any misgivings they may have about the suitability or otherwise of the Corps member.
While the management of the school is still reeling in shock over the unthinkable act of destruction, members of the Nigerian Police have stepped into the matter to unravel the mystery behind the strange development.
A visibly shaken proprietress of the school, Mrs Cynthia Eze who did not wish to go public with the incident, could be heard rueing her luck and wondering what could have happened if the corps member had succeeded in her desperation to be absorbed into the school faculty to teach innocent and defenceless students who are mostly teenagers.
While at the scene, RovingNaija could see a few students and some concerned parents ferreting their wards out of the school premises after a hurried one-day holiday was declared to ensure the safety of the students.
A copy of the message posted on the School’s forum and signed by the principal is reproduced below:
”Good morning Noble Parents, there would be NO school today due to some circumstances beyond our control and we apologize for any inconvenience today may cause and we ask to bear with us as school will resume back fully tomorrow. Thank you for your understanding.”
A Case Of Drug Addiction?
At the scene of the incident, members of the teaching and none-teaching staff could be seen making frantic efforts to salvage what could be rescued from the destruction which estimate runs into millions of naira but it was an exercise in futility.
However, some eye witnesses who spoke off camera speculated about the disturbing escalation in the abuse of illicit substances by youths nationwide.
They point to the impudence, audacity and devil-may-care disposition of the Corps member even after she was restrained as tell tale signs of possible drug abuse.
One of the community security/vigilante said it took a lot of effort to restrain “such a diminutive lady who appeared stronger than three men.”
The matter has since been reported to the Area C Police Command when RovingNaija left the scene.
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