In this paper, I discuss childhood trauma as a persistent phenomenon in Nigerian literature, taking a cue from the clearly problematic experiences of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Eugene in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus. This paper is my way of reflecting on the general ill treatment of children in Nigeria specifically and in Africa generally. Although readers of both novels are likely to see Okonkwo and Eugene as violent misogynists driven solely by the desire to impose their will on others, I have often wondered if perhaps their cruelty is traceable to how they were raised - if, in fact, they actually imbibed cruelty as they grew up, given that most human tendencies are learned. This paper is just a product of my own curiosity. In it, I examine the ways in which Okonkwo is contorted by years of deprivation and social ostracism due to his father’s improvidence. I also examine how Eugene’s sad experiences under the tutelage of draconian Catholic priests lead to his traumatisation and eventual radicalisation. This is not to say that they could not have done better. Certainly, there are people who did the right thing, despite having similar upbringings. However, I feel that it is unreasonable of society to turn a blind eye to the dehumanisation of children, only to demand humaneness from them when they become adults. That is why I argue in this paper that traumatised children sometimes grow up to become inflictors of trauma. I first submitted this paper to Dalhousie University in August 2024 as my master’s thesis, but it was later published in Planeyo Journal of Arts and Humanities in November of the same year. I have attached links to both sources in case you might be interested in my views on two of Nigerian literature’s most engaging characters.