Disclaimer: I am a Nigerian. Incidentally not even my parents have an idea what had transpired,to them I was in school learning !!I would also plead to you guys pardon me as I intend sprinkling out this story of mine gradually,so that by the rxns of NLders I could decide to withdraw sensitive info and besides I'm at work now. Lemme begin!! Don't worry I won't tell long stories,I learnt that as a child soldier .
As a 12yr-old in 1994/5 I was in JS 2 and a student to badagry grammar school,I sneaked out of school to go visit my friend who was a day student,he owned a SEGA video game,then and his aunty had travelled,so I could wait for d holidays.It was a friday night,Tennyson(surname witheld) and I went out to buy foodstuffs that evening when all of a sudden some men,I think they were more than 3,with a mix of Nigerian/foreign english accent put a hood of our heads,covering our eyes and put some strongstuff over our noses and I fell unconscious!!.....

Till today I don't know why they skipped closer countries-ghana,Benin,togo and decided to get us in Nigeria. Some say its as revenge 4 Nigeria's involvement(ECOMOG) in peacekeeping efforts in Liberia.
When I regained consciousness,it was a road trip all the way from badagry to Liberia,we were put in the back of a van,about 10 of us. When we finally got to a house in town somewhere,one of our abducts told us 'welcome to Liberia'.
Our the times I've put up my dp on nairaland,you'll notice that I wear glasses which I've always done since '93,my abductors during the process of putting a hood over my head,made my glasses to fall off my face and that blurred my sight. In the camp there was this white man(probably a mercenary or a diamond smuggler) who was nice to us and asked us our names.6 of 10 of us where crying,I didn't,I never cry

Listening and strongly following bro, *spreads mat*

Oga, I'm waiting...

darnley16:
Listening and strongly following bro, *spreads mat*

I'm not jimmy solanke Nigerian storyteller o

He noticed how I was shrinking my eyes & asked if I wore glasses,I explained to him what happened,although he criticised his men for bringing a boy(myself) with eye problems,the other boys were taken away,for recruitment obviously,while I remained with the white man(probably thinking of what to do with me),he after like 2 minutes of staring at me,told me that he has a spare set of glasses but he would've to know my 'lens' number',fortunately his was a number higher dan mine(-6 myopic lens) and I was able to manage it,he however reminded me sternly that I wasn't here for jokes!!

This white man,by name Bob plus a few other multi-nationals and of cause his Liberian goons were neither pro-charles taylor(an idiot),pro-naija(ECOMOG) or any of his factions,Bob was as I said earlier well from my understanding is a mercenary,fights for the highest bidder & like Charles Taylor probably had eyes in the diamonds of sierra leone,I dunno.
I was trained by the best,from how to use a sword/machete by a chinese or japanese dude I can't say,and of cause how to use a gun,it was funny with my glasses on,but Bob liked me and unlike my naija brothers,I was trained personally & ruthlessly ,2 weeks tops and fed once in 2 days as a 12-yr-old,meanwhile my parents dey Lagos dey think say their pikin dey school!!

I've a scar on my left shoulder as a result of my training,I could send a pic 4 doubters (pics or I donbivit crew),Bob wanted me as his righthand man or assassin,and with my gentle nature & approach,since I wear glasses I would least suspected,after 2 weeks I was a hardened 12-yr-old and like most children that has a gun or machete in his hand,I was dangerous.!!
Bob wanted to take advantage of the turmoil in Liberia to wipe out all his business and political rivals,with regret and with the brain of a child I followed his orders to the latter and I did even more. However I did have a sentimental attachment to Nigerians,for the obvious reason of being one myself,and that was how I got to meet a few Nigerian soldiers in the middle of battle!!
One of the Liberians militias(I don't what side anyways) preached 'hate' to the locals/citizenry against Nigerians & our soldiers were targets,on one fateful night as I returned from an 'operation',I met two nigerian soldiers,one of them was injured while the other was trying to carry him to safety meanwhile a mob with sticks,stones,machete and torches and a few dead bodies(probably naija soldiers they've killed) lofted high could be seen from a distance,I was in a 3-storey building and saw what was brewing,the 2 nigerian soldiers are certain goners if I don't act!!

okay

Op come and continue this story oh, we believe you.

I ran down the stairs of the abandoned building and caught up with the injured. Nigerian soldier & his colleague,both of them where unarmed,maybe at best a small dagger. As they saw me of course they must'ave skipped a beat,thinking I was a Liberian,until in Naija accent,I told them that they should hide in a small building that the mob were gaining on them. As they both got into a small building to hide for the mean time,the mob appeared from a corner,as they did they saw me standing alone with my machete & small piston so there was a degree of respect/fear for we child soldiers,and they asked (most likely to confirm my accent as well) if I had seen any Nigerian soldier,my reply was.... ‎​ ‎​"yes,but I will NOT tell you where they are and anyone who dares cross me to get to them will die" (we youngsters we very direct)
The head of the mob grinned and sent 3 of his men to attack me where I stood,bastards!I'll send them all to their maker

Not that I'm a racist but blacks are usually more or brawn than brains,bullies,or maybe with my glasses on and my 12-yr-old body frame they thought I didn't stand a chance?na wa o....with 2 swings of my machete I brought down the 3 men.
Their oga @ d top decided that the whole mob should rush me & disarm me,they were over 50 I think.
As they rushed me I just swung my machete and brought out my piston,flooring them at random,when started coming close their oga,a few guys with local guns arrived,when they shot and I block the bullet with my machete,they knew I wasn't normal,of course since they had decided to rush me the guys with guns couldn't get a clear shot. When the smoke cleared I was still standing tall,unscratched,with a bloodied machete the rest of the mob ran away. I had killed that their mumu oga though he begged for mercy,sorry dude,child-soldiers don't keep prisoners. The two Nigerian soldiers saw everything. One of these two soldiers would become chief of defence staff in the future over the course of Nigeria's fight against boko haram.
As all 3 of us tried and manoeuvred that night,passing through people's backyards to avoid being seen we finally met a battalion of ECOMOG fighters,that was when I was taken to the Nigerian temporal barracks and briefed.
Question number 1: what's your name?do your parents reside here?do u school here?
Answer: Nedu2000 ......no & no
Question number 2: then how did you get here?
I had to lie,I can't just tell them I sneaked out of school,so my reply was...
Answer: It was during prep one night inside my school(BGS) and some men close to the fence came and kidnapped us
All this events from my actual abduction to my rescue happened in less than a month,visiting day in BGS,Badagry Lagos is the 1st saturday of the month,what would happen if my parents don't find me in school!!Lemme cut the story short,I was taken back to Lagos,my school in particular by soldiers,they met with the principal and told him what had happened to me & how its the responsibility of the school to take care of its students within its walls,the principal of cause was scared and didn't what the news to get to the PTA through my parent's knowledge,the army/immigration/customs also didn't want the news of Nigerian children being abducted for war purposes known,so everything was hidden.
Within one month,my life changed!!on the first saturday of the month my parents came to visit me and my ate rice,my mum noticed my wound on my left shoulder but I told her that I fell of the stairs she accepted my reason and all went well.
In conclusion,I did averagely that term,I was even surprised to see Tennyson,he said he was found my some men close to the liberian border with er,was it ivory coast he said & brought back to Nigeria just a week after his abduction,b4 his aunty arrived
and noticed he was missing. By JS 3 I changed schools...I needed the change,for those of you that could trace my history and get to know who I am,I won't tell you the name of my new secondary schl

As we all know these experiences don't just disappear,violence has refused to leave me!!schooling in Uniport(during the militant surge) and serving in Borno state (yup in 2009) plus a call from the chief of defence staff to help in the boko battle and my reply is a story for another day.
Meanwhile,your questions and reactions

Hmmmm

proudly233:
Hmmmm

I was actually hoping not to be believed,I enjoy the low profile ,may I ask why you feel I'm lying?....your scepticism is why I'll confidently spill out my Nigeria aftermath of my Liberian experience

nedu2000:
I was actually hoping not to be believed,I enjoy the low profile ,may I ask why you feel I'm lying?....your scepticism is why I'll confidently spill out my Nigeria aftermath of my Liberian experience

At first I believed you, until I read the longest post you made,.... you know the part where you turned to a gladiator and Rambo at the same time to save the 2 naija soldiers, that would soon be the defense minister or whatever, na so I take know say this one na story for the gods.

But continue sha, tell the story of uniport, 2009 etc, I might just believe you then.
Any pics to buttress the gist, would go a long way.

proudly233:



At first I believed you, until I read the longest post you made,.... you know the part where you turned to a gladiator and Rambo at the same time to save the 2 naija soldiers, that would soon be the defense minister or whatever, na so I take know say this one na story for the gods.

But continue sha, tell the story of uniport, 2009 etc, I might just believe you then.
Any pics to buttress the gist, would go a long way.

lol @rambo,I wasn't facing a group of commandos,I was facing merely a group of untrained people with weapons and of cause,they under-estimated me since I was just a nerd who wears glasses.....the scar of a gunshot wound to my left shoulder that I got during training still existss & I still wear glasses,I could show u that

bros easy na,12yr old took down abt 50 men?,,, nna u remember say na 9ja we dey

nedu2000:
lol @rambo,I wasn't facing a group of commandos,I was facing merely a group of untrained people with weapons and of cause,they under-estimated me since I was just a nerd who wears glasses.....the scar of a gunshot wound to my left shoulder that I got during training still existss & I still wear glasses,I could show u that

Continue with the gist naw. Add some pics too

bidexolumanish:
bros easy na,12yr old took down abt 50 men?,,, nna u remember say na 9ja we dey

don't mess with the heart of a child,whether for good or evil,do u mean to tell me u've not heard of child soldiers before?....at my age now,I wouldn't dare!!pray your life is never at the mercy of a small child,he/she will show no mercy,a 12-yr-old can kill you 'cos u didn't reply his good morning!!

proudly233:



Continue with the gist naw. Add some pics too

what pics?my gunshot wound on my left shoulder is all I've got.
Its healed well,but if one looks well,one sees the scar

nedu2000:
what pics?my gunshot wound on my left shoulder is all I've got.
Its healed well,but if one looks well,one sees the scar

Continue with the gist naw. What else happened

I resumed school, my new school that is!!as I mentioned early,I just had to leave BGS,to my parents I just wasn't coping.
Of course my experience in Liberia in addition to being molested as a kid when I was 7yrs,by our househelp then,aunty Ngozi,it set me up to being shy and nervous towards the larger society esp towards fine girls nevertheless I made good friends thanks to my abilities as a good football(I was called Edgar Davids) and mathematics,My secondary school was great,go SSCE result...JAMB & I entered Uniport in 2000.
1st day in uniport right there in front of Aminu kano hostel,I saw a guy being butchered by about 7 guys,na wa o,baptism of fire...1st day of registration

You and this your slow motion updates

There was of course pandemonium,everyone ran helter skelter and with 5yrs+ since my last my last violent encounter in Liberia plus the fact that I'm now older and sensible,I ran like the others. but!!although the butchers had hats/hoods on I noted the chin shape of one of the guys I would later find out to be,according to uniport hearsay "the 2nd in viki in the whole of ph".Fate would ultimate bring this man and I together.
For those living in ph or schooled in uniport you can attest to the level of violence at least 4rm when I enter in late 2000 tlll about 2003,uniport was hot.

NB: As this part of the story is closer home, names of people,my dept will be changed.
In my dept we had few chics,and one got close to me,l sincerely didn't find her attractive and besides she just wanted a school boyfriend to help her with assignments. I obliged her,I've not had course to chat or get close to any girl over the years so she was my first,l would eventually find out that Rosemary has links to cultists.
My friend Patrick was tripping for Rosemary's roomie,Joy and had taken her out on dates a few times.
On this fateful day,Patrick,Rosemary,joy and I were returning from somewhere together,when four guys including the dude with the peculiar chin stopped us in our tracks,of course I was surprised,Patrick scared before I could say Jack Robinson one of the bullies slapped Pato

As soon as that was done I stretched my hand and pushed d chin guy (the oga-in fact let's give him a fictional name of Andy) and held the right hand of the guy by his side,'cause I knew he had a weapon,the other two guys just stood there,probably they were new recruits. Still holding his 'bodyguard's' right hand,I knew most of the cultists even with the guns/weapons they possess aren't double-handed and he'll 'ave difficulty drawing his weapon let alone using it. Andy looked in surprise at this glasses wearing dude,he looked straight at me,right into my eyes of course I was frowning & looked serious...

My mind went back to my encounters in Liberia but a swift thought made me regret this action and I asked myself a few questions...what if it truly gets violent,won't my friends get hurt or even killed?if I hurt these guys would the police understand if I tell them it was merely self-defence? Or maybe I'll run,but a fugitive in my own country?
But now that I've pushed this guy now,how I go do?hmmm....half a second to sort things out before it gets even messier

I stumbled on your experience, i wish you'd continue. Thks.

@frrank,okay,I actually forgot about it
Andy(the 2nd in viki command in Ph) just grinned,saying "make I just leave you" & he went away leaving me to attend to my friend pato
Andy,a cultist ‎​yes but very smart,he knew when to get into a conflict wasn't necessary,Uniport over the next few months would then be engulfed in violence that was never witnessed before,from beheadings to student classroom men by masked men....there was tension in the air. As for Andy,we became acquaintances when he stopped me one day and he asked that I buy him a bottle of star of which I obliged,he got expelled from the school after d authorities started a crackdown on cult activities and I never heard of him again,till I heard he now works for the SSS!!!(This country er,dem no dey do background checks?)....

Tuesday,june 22nd 2004 remains a day I would never forget,I go into a lot of corners with cultists,policemen,robbers but this was my closest to something really happening...

After ASUU's 6months strike,everything was rushing,2nd semester exams were here and my friend & coursemate who happens to stay in a 'former'(emphasis on former) man-o-war room asked that we study together for ENG 209 thermodynamics,now I must mention that this was a ex man-o-war room for obvious reasons as from its window one could view the entire classroom blocks & its immediate environs....like a watchtower. Around 7:30pm students filled the classes studying for exam when all of a sudden people started running,this wasn't a surprise as I mentioned earlier the school was tense such that a girl running away from a rat that climbed her feet had previously caused a stampede!! This time was different 'cause the nightmare had arrived!!...tuesday,june 22,2004