Sunday, January 27th, 2002 is a day that I will not easily forget. It was the day when the armory of the Ikeja Army Cantonment exploded. Hundreds of people lost their lives that day not from the bomb explosion but because they panicked. It was reported in the news that period that many people fled into canals just because of assumptions of war that were not substantiated. May their souls rest in perfect peace, Amen.
We(my family) were at home that Sunday evening when we started hearing the explosions. We could even feel the impact of the bombs going off all the way in Ojodu Beger. We were still trying to figure out why the earth was vibrating and the sudden eerie change in the atmosphere when our neighbor, Mr. Umoh came home shouting 'there is war!'. He then proceeded to his flat to start packing his things. He said then that he was going to find his way back to Akwa-Ibom. My parents, siblings, neighbors and many other people had already started gathering outside their compounds trying to peep into the main road to check what the commotion was all about. My father was with his small box radio trying to tune into radio Nigeria to find out what the commotion was all about but when he couldn't get any clear information,he suggested that we go into the house.
Indoors, my father suggested that we pray. The prayer session was a bit confusing to me because he asked us to pray for Gods protection and forgiveness. I remember thinking to myself, protection from what and forgiveness for what? We already went to church that day and we had prayed there. Grudgingly I went down on my knees thinking again that by the time this long prayer session would be over, Channels Tv would have finished showing cartoons. Then it hit me! what if RAPTURE HAD TAKEN PLACE! Immediately, my attitude changed and I began to ask God to take me with him to heaven if he indeed had come. hahaha!
Later that evening on the seven o'clock news, the then Governor, Asiwaju Bola-Ahmed Tinubu, announced to Lagosians that the explosions that we were hearing was as a result of an accidental detonation of a large stock of military explosives. This was after earlier announcements by the then police commissioner asking everybody to remain indoors and be calm while they investigate. It was a relief to hear that it was a bomb explosion in the Ikeja armory. Sequel to this announcement, general movement was restricted. I was at home for two weeks... maybe even more, because my secondary school was in the barracks.
The long break was highly welcomed by me. I didn't even want to go to school the next day because I was yet to finish my mathematics assignment. My maths teacher, Mrs Affia had promised me especially, six strokes of the cane if I failed to meet up. I can still remember her voice in my head,' Winnifred Ekwere! ( Ekwere pronounced as a- werre), I will ask Mad dog to flog you if I don't see your assignment by Monday!'. Mad dog was one of the soldiers at school. He was revered by all the students then for his flogging and punishment skills i.e he literally flogged liked a mad dog. In fact, he would flog shege out of you. So somehow the bomb explosion was in my favor because I knew that after the long break, Mrs Affia would have forgotten about the home work. Unfortunately, she didn't. She ended up becoming my lesson teacher in mornings before school resumed at 12pm. I never forgave my mother for that move because she knew how much I hated maths. Never the less, I still chop the home work cane!
I had attended Command day secondary school for two years and didn't even know that the armory was our next door neighbour. Years after the blast, my school's former site wasn't still safe because bomb capsules were still being detonated. Thankfully, I finished my Jss going to afternoon school, 12pm - 6pm. We had to share location with Command Children's School (they were the morning crew) because our site was destroyed by the blast. I remember then how we used to sit with our school bags still strapped to our backs just in case we needed to run. Imagine, bombs would be going off and with every explosion, everything from our desks to the building would rumble violently and we would be ready to take off. Sometimes, if you were standing, you had to hold on to something. Lol. What an experience!
It was fun attending afternoon school for me but my parents were always on edge because I came home from school at 10pm almost everyday! I remember the first time I came home late, they had already gone to Ojodu Police Station to report that their daughter was missing. Imagine the look on my father's
Jerry Ekwere face when I got to the bustop of my house. Lol. I was waving my trekking partners goodbye (as it was the practice amongst us CDSS students then to trek in groups when we couldn't find public transport to go home. When it rained it was even worse! we would trek in the rain and in Lagos traffic just to get home). My dad hugged me like it was my birthday and my mother was almost in tears when I got home while my siblings were busy snoring away! I was brimming with excitement, eager to tell them about my adventures for that day but they were too shaken to even hear me out. Then, I wondered what their stress was sef. Afterall, I was home. So, as soon as my Junior Waec results were released, my mother bundled me off to Air Force Secondary School Ikeja to finish my secondary education there so that she could drink water, drop cup and sleep well! Lol.
Ekwere Eno
As much as I'm grateful for the gift of life, I'm also grateful for all the adventures that were attached to going to afternoon school. Seeing them evacuate all those missiles and my morning expeditions inside the barracks with Chinyere n co will forever remain precious to me. Lol.
Thank you God for today. Imagine if January 27th, 2002 were a Monday, I wouldn't be here today to type this post. Thank you
Bastos Temitayo Stephen for reminding us (ex CDSS students of Ikeja) to remain thankful for the gift of Life today.
Xoxo
E.w
