“In my last post, I talked about those strange things happening for some time now at our beloved university of science: UST. Some took me seriously, others didn’t. What saddens me the most is not that people don’t believe me; it’s just that it’s clear everyone is pretending not to see these things happening.

Concerned about my well-being, Mr. Érick, the president of the UST newspaper who understands the situation very well, asked me to keep a low profile for a while. But I cannot remain silent when I see that some situations are simply threatening the well-being of my fellow students. And these things are tarnishing our school’s reputation.

What good is it for UST to be ranked among the top universities in West Africa if the suicide rate among our students keeps climbing? And that, our authorities pretend not to see. I believe that a malevolent force is driving students and even professors to take their own lives.

Last year, we campaigned for a psychologist to be assigned to UST to take care of certain cases. It was done, more or less. But I believe it hasn’t changed much. I conducted some investigations. It wasn’t easy, and I admit I had to bribe some people to obtain certain results.

Did you know that for the year 2021 alone, 80% of students reported suffering from depression? These figures are far too high for a prestigious university like ours. I dare to believe that everyone who comes to this school knows what they are here for. But then, what’s wrong?

Dr. Nina Kama, the psychologist assigned to UST, stated that this increase in depression cases was linked to the previous coronavirus health crisis that completely disrupted our way of life. Okay. Maybe. But it’s been several months since that crisis was brought under control. Besides, we didn’t really experience the horrors of confinement here in Benin, as was the case in Europe or America. Our way of life hasn’t changed that much. I think there’s another reason. The wave of depression at UST was also accompanied by a wave of suicides, and that’s what worries me.

If we say that the coronavirus is the cause of the depression and suicides, then what do we make of the various cases of schizophrenia detected in young students in their prime? People with no psychiatric history suddenly find themselves afflicted with schizophrenia to the point where a student named Karl (I changed the name for obvious reasons) ended up sexually assaulting another student by making her drink a beverage containing a date-rape drug.

To commit his crime, Karl was patient and devised a simply diabolical plan. Poor Natacha, according to her testimony, was deflowered that night. Karl was arrested, but he claimed he had heard voices telling him to do what he did. The voices even guided him on where to find the drug. Again, those voices. And that’s my concern. These voices are not normal, and everyone knows it.

During the previous school year, there were three suicides and one homicide (remember that fight where our friend Kevin lost his life after receiving a violent bottle blow to the head during a party near the school?). They’ll tell me these are just isolated incidents. But there are far too many of them.

I return once again to the issue of the pentagrams in the school. Personally, it bothers me a lot. I asked to meet with the UST director about this, but I couldn’t.

On September 23rd, before the start of this new academic year, the cleaning staff reported seeing something that looked very much like blood on three of the pentagram signs scattered around the school. They were asked not to make the matter public. I’m talking about it now because I feel like everything is connected.

I’ll stop here for today. All I want is for everyone to become aware of this problem so that we can all find a solution to this growing issue. Insecurity is increasingly settling at UST. I love this school, and I believe you love it too. In 10 years, UST has succeeded in making Benin known at various levels around the world. But apparently, someone wants to destroy what people have worked so hard to build with tears, sweat, and blood. I WILL NOT REMAIN SILENT IN THE FACE OF THIS CARNAGE. You too, don’t stay silent! The more we talk about it, the more it will attract attention. That’s why I refuse to be quiet.”

HRK THE SENTINEL

***

Joseph Alayé, 20 years old, was a second-year math/computer science student. He had been admitted to UST on a scholarship after successfully passing the entrance exam. His mother, who had raised him alone, was overjoyed to learn that her little boy had been admitted to the country’s prestigious science school.

Joseph’s father died when he was only 8 years old. His mother then raised him alone with his little sister. Joseph loved mathematics. In middle school, he had always been the best in this field. Some teachers suggested that the young boy might be a prodigy or something of the sort.

Jo’s dream, as his friends called him, was to one day continue his studies at MIT in the field of artificial intelligence. It was a domain that fascinated him. Physically frail and fragile, Jo was very quiet. He had few friends but still had some. Towards the end of his first year, Joseph met Anicette, who became his girlfriend. She was more outgoing than him, and they got along quite well.

At the end of his first year, Joseph finished at the top of his class. He was invited to meet Mr. Jack Richardson, a dean from the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences. Joseph passed the test with flying colors, beating his fellow Beninese Robert Amètépé, Nigerian Kane Obajo, and Ivorian Aminata Koné.

Joseph began this new school year preparing for his trip to the United States. His biggest dream was coming true.

On the night of Thursday, December 2, 2021, Joseph attended a party with friends. At 10:30 p.m., he left feeling unwell. He was found dead the next morning in his room.

According to analyses, he died from potassium cyanide poisoning. Investigations revealed that Joseph had been planning his suicide for several months.

This was the first death at UST during the new academic year.

***

Wednesday, 6:30 a.m.

Emeline Padonou, 20, woke up with a terrible hangover. She vaguely remembered attending a party the night before. Still dazed, she found her clothes scattered around and slowly pieced together what happened.

Feeling nauseous and filled with disgust for herself, Emeline tried to recall the night’s events and wondered what had happened to her friend Alex.

Unable to find her, Emeline decided to leave. As she left, she exchanged a few words with a fellow student before heading home, praying to find a motorcycle taxi.

This text is an excerpt from the book “SENTINELS: FIRST WATCH TOWER” by Charles SANDAH.

We invite you to read the following article: “THE GIRL AND THE TWINS.”

DARKNESS. DARKNESS. DARKNESS. DARKNESS. DARKNESS.

DARKNESS. DARKNESS. DARKNESS. DARKNESS. DARKNESS.