alphaconde:
besides suspense its actually frustrating reading half stories

gaby:
For the benefit of new followers the below post was what "opened" my nyansh and landed me on this hot seat.

This is going to make for a long read though but here we go..

The story about a day i'll never forget..

The year was 1999 and i was just 21,had dropped out of college and decided to migrate for economic reason from my home state in Nigeria.

With no pre-requisites nor sufficient finance to go legal by obtaining a visa and flying,i opted to travel by land through the desert onwards Spain via Moroco. There was however a snag as all i had was a map and a sketch of how and where to change vehicles at specific towns in each country i’ll be passing through. Fortunately on the night i was to board the check out bus from my small town of Benin City enroute Katsina State bordering Nigeria and Niger Republic,half the passengers on the bus turned out to be making the same journey so we all naturally gelled and formed a group.

We got to the border town the next morning and got smuggled into a vehicle that took us further into Niger Republic specifically to a town called Agadez.We did a couple of more days there until we got the next connection to smuggle us through the Sahara desert into a town (Tamaransett) in Algeria. Pertinent to note here that the ultimate target of our journey was to hit Morroco from where we can either Climb accross the razor fences seperating Morocco from either of Spain’s enclave of Ceuta and Mellila both on mainland Morocco.This is actually like crossing from Mexico into the US.

A lot happened on the travel through the Sahara as we did the journey in three days.From co travellers collapsing and been abandoned in the desert to having to survive on our urines. Travelling through the desert we did come upon a couple of human skeletal remains of a couple of unfortunate travellers.

Not to bore you folks with my epistle so i’ll leave out much of what i went through on the journey and continue from when we got into Moroccan territory or the border between Morocco and Algeria in a town called Magniya.Everybody journeying through that route actually get together at this jungle-a valley actually where we set up camps and wait to make up a certain acceptable number for the smugglers to take us on the journey by foot through the woods,deserts and jungles of Morroco to evade the authorities.On a good day with a good guide who knows the route well that’ll be a 2 weeks or thereabouts journey on foot.

So on this day my group and i got prepped to embark on this journey.We had gotten our standard supplies of barguettes,sardines and milk to survive on just enough not too heavy to burden us on the long walk.

We journey only at nights for cover.On the first night we covered a couple of km’s in between some guys and ladies already dropping by the way side not able to keep up pace and exhausted,nobody even cares it’s either you ship in or ship out. So we continued until i eventually took a short rest and afterwards got sperated from the group and i knew not what way to continue on.

Out of frustration,hunger and desperation i decided to come out of the woods in broad day not a single scare of the police as i would have gladly ran to them at this point if for nothing at all just for something to eat and a place to sleep.I started begging for food from some locals who were so kind God bless them.These locals will actually get into trouble with the authorities if it becomes public knowledge that they are habouring or didnt report seeing an alien.But these guys will take me in,make me ‘shai’ morrocan tea and bread then hide me until night time then show me how to go and avoid the cops.

So i continued until i got to Nador.This town actually borders Mellila one of the spanish Territories on Morrocan soil.Meanwhile as a group,our original destination was Rabat where we have a decent population of fellow immigrants on the same journey,where we could gather and map out the next strategy on how to cross into spain either by ferry on. a dingy across the atlantic/mediterranean or scaling the razor fences.

When i arrived Nador i was lost for how to proceed being alone.Mind you it was 2 weeks plus already since i got seperated from my group.I hadn’t showered all these while so you can imagine what i was like. While thinking about my life and how to proceed a bike drove up to me and asked i hopped on,i was hesitant but he insisted and i obliged.He drove me for about 5 kilometres and stopped then asked me to keep left and climb a super mountain across that if i did that and kept to my left i’ll get close to the razor fence.

I thanked him and started on the journey of climbing the huge mountain.From my reckoning i started ascending at about past 8pm when the.man dropped me and when i got to the peak of the mountain where i could see all around Nador and also look into the spanish territory it must have taken me about 3 hours but i became so fired up that at least i’m close to spain.

While i was still basking in the euphoria of my new found luck and planing on where to attack from,the heavens gave way and it started raining cats and dogs with no where to take shelter.

I decided to just keep walking with no particular direction until i happened on a cemetry.When i got to the cemetry at about 12–1 am i couldn’t hold it any longer.I just broke down and started crying my hearts out thinking about my family and friends and how no one knows where i am at what i was passing through. Afterall and the rain had subsided i hadn’t the will to continue that night i just laid on the closest grave to me and prayed for the person resting there.

Pretty tough journey i must confess but had to leave out most parts for easy reading.

Thats it folks a lil story about my life.

Thanks for your time and for reading.

Kojiek:
@gaby, are the pics above like the razor fence?

gaby:
Hello guys,due to the overwhelming support i have received from a seemingly innocent comment on a previous thread and in response to popular demand to create a separate thread to chronicle my experiences,i have decided to do this here.

However,i would like to point out and crave your understanding to the honest fact that i might not be doing a bare it all here. This is so because at the moment no one can tell where or when special interests might come knocking for my story.

I wouldn't want to have bared it all in here and be left with nothing to hand prospective suitors. ( everybody like money)

The experiences i'll be sharing here are going to be straight up first hand as it happened to me some 20 years ago,beyond and present as it might relate to my narrative.

To get a proper perspective i might have to do a background intro so you readers will better understand how i ended up venturing on this voyage of yes/no return as the case may be.

It is imperative to state here for the sake of clarity that i am doing this not for some cheap popularity or attention-seeking-ego-massaging trip,i am taking this up as a first step to finding me healing from all the trauma and also to pass on a lesson or two to you readers on the dangers inherent on this journey.

I'm naturally a pretty well private person who's known to bottle up stuffs a lot,this explains why this is the first time i'll be baring my experiences of some 20 years ago for the first time straight up as it is.

I'll hope you guys enjoy reading as i give the narratives but i'll prefer a question and answer session kind of. I even confuse sef.

Please note that my narrative here is not an expert advise on travelling by road or illegally,neither does it seek to promote or encourage same. I stand against and condemn all illegalities as it relates to travelling and otherwise.

Here's the thread that got us here

https://www.nairaland.com/4403645/share-day-never-forget/13#65950071

FortifiedCity:
Go to the initial thread, take note of all the people that asked you to mention them when you create this and do just that

ladycomfort:
:ohmmmmm

Gaby the real man
And so many Nigerians are still gonna travel through that same route

gaby:


Yeah mostly out of sheer ignorance,for some its a do or die because they already know what to expect.

DonPiiko:
Your story makes an interesting read. welldone, now following

gaby:


You'd think it's really easy to recall events that happened 20years ago and also write them down chronologically with just a snap of the finger don't you?

dairo123:
Chai, this tory dey tickle me well well.

Gaby abeg continue. i will give my offering when they pay my salary next month.

ambs50:


Dnt mind him Op. Nice work jare am following u bumper to bumper...but no be homo things oo

Jigba:
Gaby, I was the one who advised you to open the thread in literature section.

Nice one, following.

gaby:


aww Jigba so sorry i missed mentioning you..many thanks dear..thumbs up

HIGHESTPOPORI:
One thing with illegal,it doesn't last, when ure caught,u would lose more and regret,nice story,I just wish u could put everytin down in writing,but its really a long time,I wish you the best to recover.

gaby:


Spot on bro..thanks

HIGHESTPOPORI:
Another thing,the 150k ur dad gave u then was a very big money,that's why I like we Igbo's,a dad would only give his son that kind of big money to start up a biz,just imagine how big the business would be after 20years if it is managed well.

Welcomme:
Are u in Nigeria presently? If yes, what brought you back to Nigeria?