Ex-Student Breaks Silence on Alleged Abuse at Igbinedion School

Summary: Former Igbinedion Secondary School student Ollachi Holman shares shocking revelations about bullying, assault, and institutional cover-ups that allegedly drove students to suicide attempts and drug abuse.

The recent viral videos showing extreme bullying at Igbinedion Secondary School have opened a floodgate of horrifying testimonies from former students. One of the most harrowing accounts comes from Ollachi Holman, who attended the prestigious Edo State institution and has now broken her silence about what she describes as years of systematic abuse and institutional negligence.

“What You Saw in That Video is Not Even That Bad”

Speaking from her base in the United States, where she now lives as a mother to a teenager, Ollachi made a chilling declaration: the bullying videos that shocked Nigerians on social media only scratch the surface of what students at Igbinedion Secondary School have endured for years.

According to Ollachi, the environment at the school was so toxic that some students attempted suicide just to escape. Others joined cult groups while still in secondary school, desperately seeking protection from relentless bullying.

“Children attempted suicide to get out of that school before they now decided that joining the ranks and beating people up and joining this bad behaviour was the only way to survive,” she revealed.

When Boys Flogged Girls in Broad Daylight

One of the most disturbing aspects of Ollachi’s testimony is her account of how male students physically assaulted female students without any consequences. She described scenes that should never happen in any learning environment, let alone a boarding school where children are entrusted to the care of adults.

“I recall boys slapping girls, I recall boys taking off belts and flogging girls in open spaces in the middle of the day. And honestly, where were the adults?” she asked, highlighting what she sees as a complete failure of duty by teachers and school authorities.

According to Ollachi, the school management made little to no effort to stop the bullying epidemic, creating a survival-of-the-fittest atmosphere where violence became normalized.

The Armed Robbery Incident and the Cover-up That Followed

Perhaps the most shocking revelation in Ollachi’s testimony involves an armed robbery attack on the female hostel during her time at the school. What happened after the attack, she claims, reveals the lengths to which the school management allegedly went to protect its reputation at the expense of students’ safety and mental health.

According to Ollachi, armed robbers broke into the female hostel one night. When a female student ran to report the incident to authorities, the robbers shot at her. Another female student was assaulted, with a robber climbing on top of her with a cutlass.

The next day, instead of calling parents and reporting the incident properly, Ollachi claims the school management refused to allow students to inform their families about what had happened.

“The Principal Called Her a Prostitute”

When one brave female student who had been assaulted tried to warn parents dropping off their children that the school was not safe, Ollachi alleges that the principal’s response was shocking and traumatic.

“The principal slapped her, called her a prostitute and told her that she was assaulted by the robbers because she is a prostitute,” Ollachi recounted.

Following this incident, she claims all students were locked in their dormitories to prevent them from speaking to parents or other visitors about the robbery.

“You want to know what Igbinedion did after that? They locked us in the dorm so that we couldn’t come out and tell other parents not to drop off and so that we couldn’t ask people to call our parents and tell them that we had been robbed and shot at the night before,” she said.

Ollachi revealed that the female student who was assaulted and then victim-blamed by the principal still suffers from night tremors today as a result of that traumatic experience.

“I Jumped Off a Building to Get Out of That School”

In a deeply personal revelation, Ollachi shared that she herself attempted suicide in the year 2000 just to escape the toxic environment at Igbinedion Secondary School.

“I personally jumped off a building and tried to kill myself in the year 2000 to get out of that school. And I have a friend and a classmate who tried to hang himself from a ceiling fan three times to escape life in Igbinedion,” she disclosed.

She also spoke about the long-term effects the school environment had on many students, including drug addiction and violent behaviour that persisted into adulthood.

A Brother Lost to Drugs

In the most heartbreaking part of her testimony, Ollachi revealed that her brother died recently due to a drug problem he picked up years ago at Igbinedion Secondary School.

“Last year, in July of 2025, I went to Mexico and cremated my brother and brought his ashes home. He lived his life with a drug problem that he picked up in Igbinedion that he was never able to shake,” she said, her voice heavy with grief and anger.

This tragic loss has clearly fuelled her determination to speak out about the school’s failings, even when people doubted her stories in the past.

“I’m Grateful for Social Media”

Ollachi expressed gratitude that video evidence of bullying at the school has finally emerged, validating what she has been saying for years.

“Because when I was saying it, it all seemed like I was making things up. When I was trying to tell you people the conditions in that school, it might have seemed like I was exaggerating, so I’m grateful for social media, I’m grateful for videos, so that you can all see what I was talking about,” she explained.

Calling Out School Authorities’ Incompetence

Ollachi also took aim at the official statement released by Igbinedion Education Centre following the viral video, pointing out what she sees as evidence of the institution’s continued incompetence.

“To show you their level of incompetency, one of the names on the list at the bottom is not even alive. From what I understand, Mr Akinko is not even alive anymore, yet, his name is on that document as principal of senior school,” she noted.

A Call to Action for Former Students

Ollachi urged other former students of Igbinedion Secondary School to speak out about their experiences, including those who may have been bullies themselves during their time at the school.

“Former students of the school need to speak out against the level of bullying in the school. Even those who were the bullies during their time should not shy away from also speaking out against it,” she said.