MY 150-Minutes ENCOUNTER WITH DARE-DEVIL RIOTING YOUTHS ALONG ILARA-MOKIN / FUTA NORTH-GATE LANE

Fellow Nigerians, Having an encounter with Hoodlums is devastating and can last for a life time on people's memory.
Nothing in the world prepares you for this kind of encounter. Not the fact that you grew up in middle-income Surulere, Lagos or that you know the whole of Akure like the back of your hand. Not the fact that you spent holidays with your cousins in Mushin and played ‘set’ or 'monkey post' on the streets of Ajegunle.
Not that you spent time in the gym training, boxing and keeping fit, not even the fact that you have read so many Chase thrillers or watched many movies could give you an inkling of what happened to me at about 3:55pm on Tuesday, January 27, 2015.
Earlier that day, After lectures at 12pm, every student trolled out of the lecture hall in numbers, I was up and about greeting people and gisting with my guys, and we later had a meeting with our class representative, he gave us an update about one of our course-mates 'Emmanuel' that is recuperating from an ailment. I pray God Upholds his health, Amen.
Thereafter, around 12:35pm, I was about leaving for my room when one of my course-mates "Charles" asked where I'm going to, I replied and he request I go and know where he stays, so far we are through with lectures for the day, I agreed.
We set out on the journey to ilara, we were around FUTA north-gate looking for a vehicle to board, we even seek free shuttle down to Ilara "normal students routine" but we were unable to get the free shuttle. We later boarded a commercial vehicle to Ilara.
The journey was smooth and uneventful, I was on my head-set listening to my compiled music library.
We got to the last bus-stop not long and trecked down to charles's house. On getting there, we met his elder brother at home, I greeted him as courtesy demands. Charles asked "Which food is available ?" his brother showed him the rice and charles complained that its too small, nevertheless, we both ate the rice like that while he was boiling water to make eba. In a very short-time, the eba was done and I was served, I dined over the food which was gingered with Okro soup and a very Big Fish. While eating, I thought about my former course-mate in the polytechnic "Ajadi Sodiq", who loves eba like anything on earth, I reminisce on how he is always happy while feasting over a big bowl of eba.
After eating, we had a lengthy gist on football, school, girls and the just concluded "Headies award" in which his elder brother also contributed. Charles brother later went out, in a twinkle of an eye, we the remaining occupants of the room " I and charles" slept off. I woke up by 3:55pm. I prepared to take my leave pronto and Charles escorted me to the junction.
I boarded a bus going to FUTA north-gate and we set out on the short journey. We did not drive for 5 minutes before we encounter a very long hold-up of cars and the road being a federal road that many commuters ply, trucks and trailers were many and the small cars held up were uncountable. I later got down from the bus to catch a glimpse of what's wrong. It was then I realized that hell has been let loose. The road was blocked because one of the indigents of Ilara died in a collision with a speeding vehicle on the lane. We were stranded, no car was moving, no car was coming. Had I know, I should have trecked back to where I was coming from, but the side of my mind told me it will be resolved and moreso, I don't want to miss a tutorial for that day.
The policemen were later invited, the DPO talked to these dare-devil youths amicably, they did not yield to any plea. That was how I heard a frightening sound, I initially thought it was gun-shots, not knowing it was tear-gas, yet the hoodlums were not scared away. It was when the anti-cultism squad came that every scenario seems like biafra war, they shot indiscriminately at the sky, the youths were still coming at the anti-cultism squad with stones and other weapons, everybody ran for his/her life. Infact, the Policemen took to their heels when the youths were running towards their direction with different kind of weapons, I was running behind a Nigerian police, the man was looking at me with fierce while running with his gun, I knew the thought of maybe I'm among the rioting youths rampaged his mind, not knowing I'm just a citizen trying to save his life from danger. We had cover few kilometers still the youth were after us, Then, my street sense kicked in, even if you are taller that Kilmanjaro, you definitely have to fall like kamikaze drivers, Remembering that I had read somewhere that you needed to run in a zig-zag manner when sprinting away from someone with a loaded gun. I hit the pavement of the road-side, heads down like Usain Bolt, I powered on. I was now confident, I was getting tired and I later changed my direction into the nearby forest, or bush as per say. I searched for a safe place to stay for the main time before I sighted a bamboo tree, I sat just beside it, not knowing an Old woman was there also, I knew she found herself there while seeking an escape route from the hoodlums. I greeted her and she seems frightened with the sporadic gun-shots that filter our ears at that moment. I sat beside her for about 50minutes and soon it was getting dark. Many thoughts fill my mind. How I'm I going to get out of this place ? Are they going to kill me? What are their plans? What will happen to my family? Hundreds of other thoughts flowed through my dazed head. I just began to mumble prayers and kept calm. If I decide to go back to my friend's house "Charles". The policemen are at the junction and they might think I'm among the rioting youths and arrest me in the process, whereas FUTA is yet to give we the new students ID-Card, there's no way to identify myself if I'm detained. Also, I should put calls through to many people and inform them about the happening, but unfortunately, my phone's battery was reading 0%. I got more than I bargained for, I was lost in thought. The old woman beside me was begging for help whereas, I'm still acting cowardly. It was 6:15pm already.
Suddenly, the boldness came from nowhere and I summoned courage, I held the woman and we walked out of the forest. We got to the main road and everywhere was dry except the youths that were still parading and destroying cars, no bird was singing, no goat was bleating but I was confident I was going to escape safely.
We were approaching the point where the youth stayed with their weapons and smoke was coming heavily from the burning tyres on the main road, I was with one mind, before you kill me, you will definitely kill this Old woman enough to be your grandmother first, of which I know no sane being will kill an innocent old woman out of anger, I told the woman "Your old age will scale us through" . Suddenly, two of the armed youths were coming in our direction with their weapons, I heard them Utter a statement "Even if Mimiko, the Governor is passing through this road this night, we are going to die together" I was frightened as well as the woman, but in order to curry the guys' delicacy and support their motion, I said, "Those policemen are the cause of the pandemonium, after a vehicle kill somebody, they still shot at people that were protesting peacefully". To my greatest surprise, they uttered, "Leave us with them, we are all going to meet God at home tonight" they did not even thought about attacking us. I was happy inside of me but still kept my cool, I was getting tired due to the old woman's load I was carrying but I have got no choice. During the course of our trecking, we saw burnt cars, many goods in the commuter buses were looted, we saw blood stains on the main road like its the muslim sallah "Odun Ileya". just a replica of how blood flows endlessly while we slaughter our rams, but the blood I'm talking about is that of humans. I was wowed!
My God is a miracle working God, the old woman developed strength from nowhere, she did not for once complained that she was tired of trecking a very long distance, infact she was ready to treck with me to Golgotha.
The ever busy federal road was silent all along, it seems like a war just ended. As we walked past ilara-mokin, the woman was relaxed that we finally escaped, I was extremely happy likewise, that was when the woman resumed her prayer session, she prayed for me till we got to the FUTA North-gate and my head was aroused like soaked garri. She was heading to Owo initially but considering the time and the shock of what happened, she decided to go to one of her relations' place inside Akure main town, she boared a taxi at FUTA north-gate and I waved her goodbye!
I trecked from the FUTA main gate to the Student Union Building where I boarded the shuttle going to southgate Oba-kekere within FUTA main campus. It was 7:05pm already, I alighted and branched at the mosque so as to observe my Solat. After praying, I went to the tutorial class in the mosque, I saw the questions solved on the board which I had no knowledge about, I was very sad to know what I have missed for the day, I was numb in thought, emotionally bruised and battered, I was too weak and depressed to think straight.
Suddenly, I was nudged from my reverie, I said to myself "AFOO, what is your problem ? You came out of a deadly scene safely and you are still thinking about missing a tutorial class" . That was when I looked at the positive side of this encounter, simmered down and began to thank God. It was a nasty scenario. Thank God for the Gift of Life! Alhamdulilah!!!

"in Jakie Chans voice ... "pinshures nko...

the whole thingy kinda happen within 150 minutes...


your story made it look like it happened within 150 days


anyway thank God for ya life

I join you to thank the Almighty God for His protection over you. This is a sobering narrative. Well done sir.

Hope you are doing fine! I don't know if you still remember me.

How's Ratafar?

grayht:


"in Jakie Chans voice ... "pinshures nko...

Were you blind to the extent of not reading through the lines properly??

vault:
the whole thingy kinda happen within 150 minutes...


your story made it look like it happened within 150 days


anyway thank God for ya life

Werey OMO!

damesilver:
I join you to thank the Almighty God for His protection over you. This is a sobering narrative. Well done sir.

Hope you are doing fine! I don't know if you still remember me.

How's Ratafar?

WOW..... I Still don't recollect.. But I saw ratafar this Saturday, The girl like politics tho, she was campaigning for one of her friends going for a post at the Student Union Government level... BTW, I never enter her package Ooh

Lalasticlala Oooooo Help us move this to Its right place Ooh Mynd44 Oya food don done Ooooh

KingAfooBaba:

WOW..... I Still don't recollect.. But I saw ratafar this Saturday, The girl like politics tho, she was campaigning for one of her friends going for a post at the Student Union Government level... BTW, I never enter her package Ooh

Remember the guy whom you told not to use epistle take your wife. Futa thread 2015/16.
smile..

KingAfooBaba:

Werey OMO!

mi o kin se werey ba yen na

I like ur narration

But i doubt if it is anything compared to what boys faced in ago iwoye on june 16 2005

Even the obas palace was set ablaze by the students

Thank God for life tho

damesilver:


Remember the guy whom you told not to use epistle take your wife. Futa thread 2015/16.
smile..

YEAH... Gotcha.. How you been ??

vault:

mi o kin se werey ba yen na

LOL

vault:

mi o kin se werey ba yen na

LOL

vault:

mi o kin se werey ba yen na

LOL

KingAfooBaba:
YEAH... Gotcha.. How you been ??

I'm fine sir. Hope you are good too!

damesilver:

I'm fine sir. Hope you are good too!

Yea.. Sure. I'm good... Jacking like never before!

KingAfooBaba:

Yea.. Sure. I'm good... Jacking like never before!

Hope you don't mind meeting you in person!

Where will you be on Monday 12noon?

damesilver:


Hope you don't mind meeting you in person!

Where will you be on Monday 12noon?

As you also know... FUTA na werey, Got lectures 12pm till 4pm on monday! SAAT timetable!
But don't worry, time still yapa, we will definitely link up someday!