Thread by @bengbenro

WHY I RETIRE FROM PROTEST

The was nothing that gave me kick like protest growing up. All my teenage & early adulthood was under d military rule & there is always one reason or d other to take to the street. I grew up reading abt pple like Gani Fawehinmi & I wanted to b like them

I was always against injustice, in my secondary school days, I don't usually mind serving punishment alone by tearing the noise makers list if I feel someone's name is unjustly penned down. I stupidly see myself as a sort of Messiah

I remember when June 12 was annulled, I felt the whole country should be burnt down. I remember my joy with hardship caused fuel scarcity resulting from Frank Kokori led PENGASSAN strike. Though far from Lagos the centre of all protest, my parents were so scared of me

In my University days, though an "Efiko" & church boy but you can always count on me in any ALUTA. I may not give speeches but I will definitely be amongst the first to arrive & the last to leave

And when you need voice to lead
🎶 How many students soldiers go kill o.... 🎶
You can count on me. Protest, demostrations, ALUTA or whatever you call it was like aphrodisiac to me

Then came the day MKO died, I vowed if nobody cause any trouble in town that day I will single-handedly do that. Dressed in my black top, trousers & jungle booth, I went out to join like manded people & the protests started. For about seven days, we held the town to ransom

The military came in about the second day & all hell was let loose. Initially, they will allow us to do our madness in the day & go from home to home rounding us up at night. If you are caught, you are on your own. People started sleeping about in unusual places

Some colleagues died. I remember a lady now 😔, may her soul continue to rest in peace. May the generation she never gave birth to not hold it against her on the last day

By the fifth day it was already too dangerous to congregate together, you just gather in your area & whoever feel courageous enough leads the protest. I & a friend became leaders by default from our area.

Our protest was going on fine until we met a detachment of the military. D crowd took to their heels & only I & my friend were left with gun pointed at us. Right there in my presence, my friend brought out something from his pocket, put it in his mouth and disappeared like a mist

Wow! I was left all alone with Sojo. I turned & took to my heels with Sojo in hurt pursuit, thank God they didn't shoot. Anytime I drive passed the fence I jumped that day, I still wonder how I managed that feat.

I landed in an opened grave on the other side & my ankle immediately give way but with Sojo on hurt pursuit, I managed to dragged myself to safety. That was the end of protest for me. In two days time, everything was calm. Soldiers took over the town & enforced tranquility

Life gradually started going back to normal. The political arena was opened & right there in our front, those who never raised a finger in all the struggles became the highest beneficiaries

Long story short, OBJ became the president & used the state apparatus to weep everybody into line. Our contemporaries that were considered saboteurs became allies of politicians & grew tremendously rich that we can't take on them even today

I borrowed myself brain, retire from protest & pursue a career. Thank God for where I am today. However, whenever I look back, I asked if it worth all the risk we took. Yes, we do the right thing but our strategy was wrong mainly because we didn't know when to stop

The essence of my story is for all the young people out there to #EndSARS . If you don't strategize well, others will reap from your sweat as its already happening. SARS has ended, it's time to be part of the future

God bless Nigeria