There wasn’t any sign of danger before the election. The security before the election seemed good, but after it, it became bad. Everything turned upside down.
I was able to vote, but I ran for my life. I wasn’t sure if I was targeted because of my ethnicity, because they were flogging everybody. I cannot remember any similar incident in previous years. What happened that day stayed with me because it lasted for a long time and created fear.
The thugs don’t even care or bother to know or look at faces if you are Yoruba or any other tribe. Some people might have been the target of others because of where they think they are from or how they look, but I cannot confirm that was the reason. I ran as much as I could. That was how I was able to escape being flogged, and because it wasn’t far from my place. That also served as a saving grace for me.
I have never experienced such a thing before. That was the first time I witnessed it. It was bad. I cannot remember any similar incident in previous years. What happened that day stayed with me and created fear. There was the presence of thugs who arrived with canes and were flogging people. That really scared a lot of people. I wasn’t flogged. They said, “Run for your life,” and I obeyed and took to my heels.
I could not identify the exact number of people who were affected because everybody was running for safety. When you are trying to save your life, you cannot stay back and start counting people or observing what is happening to others. Someone can’t remain there looking at who was affected while trying to escape danger. At that moment, the priority was survival.
There was no verbal abuse thrown or said to anyone. It was just that people were being flogged. There were security personnel on the ground, but they were not many. They were not up to five. I was unable to focus on the security present. All I was after was settling down.
The incident happened close to me, so it affected me emotionally. I became very scared because of what happened that day.
I lost my peace of mind throughout that day until the day after. I was so scared and worried due to what happened. It did not take up to one hour, but it was as if it had happened the whole day.
I have been in Lagos for a while. Work brought me to Lagos. There are many challenges faced. Before, things were going smoothly, but now, things are changing. Regardless, we thank God. Before the election, unity, love and care existed among everyone, but now, everybody is on their own lane because of several instances of abuse.
As narrated by: Adeola Adejoke (Lagos, Nigeria).
This snippet is published as part of the series, Not Your Lagos.
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