Welcome to my blog and another wonderful edition of the Hive Learners' featured post. In one way or another, we have all had either a good or bad experience with the military or police. In my country, when we talk about experiences with the military, they are often unpleasant memories, and we don't want to be reminded of them.
We end up being maltreated and brutalized by the men who are supposed to offer us protection. The people we are supposed to run to when we are in trouble are often the ones giving us trouble. This is why, when we talk about our experience with the military, the unpleasant experience will be more than the pleasant experience.
Some military personnel, once in their uniform, feel like they are gods over all men; no amount of begging and pleading will be enough for them to forgive you for a crime committed. They will make sure they let you know they are your superiors and that you shouldn't have messed with them. Some act like they don't have a heart and show no sympathy when they want to punish a defaulter.
I attended a school within the army barracks, and we had personnel come to the school to make sure there was decorum and order in the school. That was my first experience with the military. This man flogs the hell out of any defaulter he catches, from one military punishment to the next. It felt like we were no longer students but trainees because of how he handled us.
When you feel you have mastered his style of punishment, he introduces a new one. He never runs out of punishment; it is more like his specialty. You will never know what's on his mind, as he was unpredictable.
The funny experience I had with the military occurred about a year ago. I was done with my exams, and I did not want to travel back home because I was scared of going back to face chores and my parents telling me how to go about my daily life while at home. I just wanted to continue enjoying the freedom of school. All my friends with whom we had the same plan traveled, leaving me all alone in school. I got lonely and finally decided to go home.
On that fateful Wednesday morning, I boarded a bus going to Cross River State. On reaching Uturu (a local government in Abia State), a girl landed all of us in trouble. After sucking her orange, she disposed of the peels right at the military checkpoint in Uturu. It was a grief offense, but she claimed she was not aware we were already at the checkpoint.
All passengers on board were asked to step down; we were asked to sit on the floor under the scorching sun while she was asked to sweep the whole checkpoint. They said we are being punished because we failed to tell her we were at a military checkpoint before she dumped the orange peels there.
After sitting on the floor for over 30 minutes, we were asked to go back inside while she continued sweeping. One of the men was standing by the door of the bus and was requesting that we say thank you. You just have to say thank you before you are allowed to enter the bus. After sweeping, she was warned about her actions and told they would not be taken lightly next time.
Thanks for reading.
