Thursday, February 28, 2008

The Whipping


“Onyi it’s almost 2pm, are we not going to supervise the J.S 1 students washing the toilets today?” I asked my friend. She was the school health prefect and her duties included overseeing the daily washing of the school toilets which was usually done by the J.S 1 students.
“Oh that’s true, thanks for reminding me. Lets go then” She said as she got up from her seat.
I loved to go with her on these daily supervisions. It was cool to be a senior girl and deal with those silly J.S1 kids who didn’t realise that this was no longer primary school where they could behave as they liked. Here, there were seniors and we ruled!

So we headed to the back of the school where the toilets were located to discharge the day’s responsibility.

We were seated some distance from the toilets. God! The stench that came from that direction was something else! We loved to exercise our power over the juniors but we hated the stench more so we would do our bullying from a distance.

“Hey you! Junior girl…what’s that you’re doing? You call that washing toilet abi? Oya come on…brush it very well…see how she’s holding the brush sef…as if you don’t go to toilet and you over there, you are holding ur nose abi? So its smelly enh?? Is it not your shit that that is causing all the stench…you want to deny…enh?? Nonsense…you better wash it properly o…if not…no going home for you kids today!”
We laughed at them. It was fun to be seniors. After all we had done our share during our time and now it was their turn.

As we sat there gisting away. I saw something gleaming on the grass. It was a small gold hoop earring. I picked it up and showed it to Onyi. It was a fine one…someone had probably lost her earring. We admired it and then i suddenly thought it would make a nice nose ring, Onyi agreed too. So I wore it on my nose and she complimented me saying I looked like a Fulani maiden. We agreed to take turns at wearing it. I would wear it for a while then it would be her turn to try the Fulani maiden look. Just then, the bell signifying Closing parade (assembly) rang.

My school was a military school and we held parades every morning before classes began and in the afternoons before school dismissed. The parades were compulsory, you dared not miss it. Every soldier (we were taught by soldiers) and student must be present at the parade ground. Any student caught in the classroom during parade was dealt with severely and in my school they definitely knew how to deal severely with students. The parade was usually headed by the school commandant and in his absence the A.O took charge. Now, our A.O was a terrible man. He was a sadist and he particularly loved dealing with female students especially the fine ones! Rumours had it then that he was jilted by his fiancée and because of that, he took out his frustrations on the girls. I was fortunate not to have fallen into his trap yet and I prayed never to. Unfortunately for me, it was only a matter of time before I did.

There we were standing at the parade ground. We usually lined up according to our classes from the Juniors to the Seniors and the A.O was leading the parade that day. He stood there at the front of the parade ground addressing us students. As usual he was making threats and talking about how he’d deal with any student who misbehaved. As he talked, he walked from row to row till he stopped at the seniors end.
“Ah..ha! Yes I have seen a scapegoat today…You there…come out!” he was pointing to our row. We all looked at each other wondering who the unfortunate person was.
“You wearing the nose ring…I said come out!”
I was jolted. I had completely forgotten I was still wearing the nose ring. My God…I was in real hot okro soup!
My friends whispered “princesa its you”
I nodded and slowly stepped out to the front of the parade ground.
The wicked man smiled. He was very happy. He had found a scape goat to take out his sadistic tendencies on. I wanted to just die. The shame of being publicly flogged on the parade ground was just too much. The WHOLE school was going to watch me being disgraced. Senior like me…ha!

“You there, come!” He gestured in the direction of a group of soldiers standing nearby. He was pointing directly at one of them. I looked up. It was my further maths teacher. He was my friend. Maybe things won’t be as terrible as I thought.
“I want you to teach this girl a proper lesson” The A.O handed over his koboko(horse whip) to my teacher.
My Further maths teacher looked very uneasy. How was he going to deal with me? I was his friend, in fact the closest to him in my class. I used to help him record exam scores. It wasn’t fair for him to be the one to carry out this task of dealing with me.
Anyway, an order is an order especially if it was coming from your superior. He had to obey.
“Lie down!” he barked at me.
I was scared. The koboko looked really menacing! I hated to be flogged. Hell! Who likes to be flogged??
So I laid down flat on the ground.
Twai! The first lash landed on my back.
I squirmed.
Twai! The second one.
I noticed he wasn’t lashing very hard but even at that, koboko na koboko and I was in pain!
Twai! The third lash.
“Stop!” It was the A.O. What?! Did the evil man have a change of heart??
“What do you think you are doing?” he was looking at my further maths teacher.
“You want me to show you how to flog…enh? Okay watch me”
The next lash cut into my skin. My back was on fire. It felt as if a knife had been used to cut my flesh. Twai!! It landed again. I screamed.
The A.O went on lashing at me with the koboko. Now I was sure I was going to die. The pain was crazy!
Then he stopped and handed over the horsewhip to my friend, the further maths teacher.
“I hope you saw how i did it, now deal with her properly!”
That day i saw hell. My further maths teacher went at it like his life was at stake. He really dealt with me. By the time he was through my blouse was stained with blood. The skin on my back had being torn by the tortous whipping.

That wasn’t even the hardest part. Parade over and School dismissed. I still had to face the glares of the other students. All eyes were on me. Every one was talking about the girl that was flogged on the parade ground. It wasn’t funny at all. I tried to keep a straight face and pretend i wasnt hurting but when the “Eh ya...sorry o” started pouring from my friends, i couldn’t hold it back. I broke down and cried like i had never done before. What i had gone through was too much. Just because of nose ring, i had been flogged like a thief. I felt sorry for myself.

When i got home that day. My parents were livid. The welts on my back were horrendous. My mum cursed the devil that did this to her daughter. She swore that she was going with me to the school the next day to confront the A.O but my Dad dissuaded her. He told her she would only end up being flogged out of the school premises if she tried to make any trouble with the A.O and i would be sent out of the school. He was right too.
My parents were only bloody civilians...they could do nothing. If my dad were a major-general or something senior officer in the army, he could get the A.O dealt with seriously. He could even cause him to be demoted in rank. He could do so much! But unfortunately he wasn’t, i could only lick my wounds and pray i never fall into the devil’s trap again...ever!


My Further maths teacher later apologised to me but things were never the same with us again till i left school.


Check out my brother's wedding website. Please sign the guest book, thanks.

57 comments:

♥♫♪nyemoni♫♪♥ said...

FIRST!

♥♫♪nyemoni♫♪♥ said...

EHN! 2nd too?

♥♫♪nyemoni♫♪♥ said...

3rd? No...not possible...not possible ra ra!

♥♫♪nyemoni♫♪♥ said...

4th ke? let me go and read the post o jare!

bumight said...

pshew! see me thinking top 3, Nyemoni! warn urself o!!!
as I was reading this, I was feeling ur pain *shivers*

...so u were one of those wicked seniors abi?

♥♫♪nyemoni♫♪♥ said...

Are you for real? what kind of nonsense was that..Nobody could have dared to flog me or anyone in my school till the person bled...that was reall babaric! I hope you don't have scars to show for it... I am very angered by this nonsense, serious...

♥♫♪nyemoni♫♪♥ said...

LOL @ bumight....no vex o! I consider myself officially warned!

Brilliantly Me said...

These koboko stories always make me squirm...do you have scars from the ordeal?

I used to have a nose ring and this post just brought back some great memories...until I was forced to take the thing out.

onydchic said...

What's with all this comment spamming people have started doing in blogsville???

That was quite gruesome. Till today, it fascinates me what some people can do to their fellow beings. All these soldiers sef, i HATE the way the use their occupation to be barbarians. I could never send my child to a military school. Too many horror stories...

princesa said...

@Nyemoni, What was in that lunch of urs?? You get a BIG bear hug for coming first. I saw you on my bros webbie, thanks babe.
@bumight, I wasn’t wicked o…okay maybe small,lol!
@ Nyemoni, you didn’t go to military school babes. Hmmm…what we saw…enh…
@rayo, the scars have faded now. It’s been like what? 12 years or more now!
@onydchic,lol@comment spamming. I guess ther’s something about coming first that gets one excited. Military schools also gat their good sides too. The discipline for instance.

Unknown said...

Jeezz girl, i'm really feeling your pain here...can't imagine it being me... worse i ever got were hard strokes on my palm even at an FGGC for that matter...

Jennifer A. said...

*Ouch* That must have really hurt...the Further-math teacher must have felt really bad! To the extent that blood oozed out of ur skin...Yikes!! Experiences!

Off to feast my eyes...congrats on ur bro's behalf! Aww...

Mommy said...

Ouch girl..... I'll be right back!

darkelcee said...

whaooo!were there scars?

one of my teachers tried it once with me with cane (just for coming late)I went back straight home and my father followed me to school and show them madness. Crazy teachers.

Unfortunately i was not not good at keeping mum while been flogged. i wept like a baby all thru.

i cant allow that ever allow any one to do that to my kids.

Unknown said...

moni: ehn..move jare. Princess: why must this your naughty friend's name be onyi. LOL!! that is all I am saying.

ehya sorry. I used to dream of going back to the school and giving all those teachers that flogged me, the floggings of their lives.

Sorry o!! :-(

Unknown said...

hehehe....onyi is......lol!! u know!!

:D


Some of those teachers that used to cane with vigor were caning out of anger and hunger.

I used to have a nose ring.

desperate lady said...

Whoaaaaaa my goodness, r u serious? Wut kind of wickedness is that? Even as he saw blood he didn't stop? Why didn't u stand up n run? Gosh I can't even imagine it........cos of an ordinary nose ring u found on a grass for that matter? Kai!

Naija Chickito said...

Mehn, see wickedness. I can't even begin to imagine how you must have felt. Lol @you and you F.maths teacher. Real cute.

Unknown said...

DAMN..I felt every stroke..!!!

Bet you got a phobia for nose-rings now..

Afrobabe said...

ok, My brilliant comment was going to be about the post but then I see brother's website link...He don marry? chei..all this time I dey here dey dream...its all good...where are the cousins...abi them too get website?

Afrobabe said...

Ok, now my brilliant reply to the post...you no try at all oh...see, it sometimes pays to be stubborn.....I for take off...anything that wants to happen should happen...tops, I change schools...rubbish..

Thirty + said...

Just pure wickedness ah ah beating till blood shows.

Aijay said...

Hi P, how r ya??
Ok, I haven't read the post. Just had to go straight to ur bro's wedding website. I'll brb.

Ms. emmotions said...

he went just too far and am wonderin why ur dad didnt allow ur mum take it up wit the brute, dosnt really matter they civilian, something would ve been achieved still...

i was about 10-11 wen i was in js 1, i think it was my 2nd week in sch and our was a public school, as in public sch where u had all manner of kids interact, not just that, we also had all manner of teachers.
on this faithful day, i wonder why i went to sch at all,
my music teacher deemed it fit to call me and to send me on errand outside the sch, and in my very polished english came my reply...sori madam, i dont know this area much, i dont even know where the place is, can someone go wit me pls? to cut the gist short, this woman either didnt understand my language or i just was plain unlucky delt wit me the way i neva xperienced in my entire life, left me eyes swollen and bottom bleeding...i rushed home and my mun didnt recognise me, we dashed off to the studio bared my arse, got shots waited for the prints and off to the clinic to receive proper care,
next day...we got to the sch apparently the fool has been told she just commited a blunder wit me and didnt show up,,gosh! we met her in her house and wat transpired after her life and almost her career neva the same.....till today she still greets me wit respect anytime i stroll to that sch in error...

sori i had to share this and ended up taking all the space darlyn,
so u see u ought to have murdered that guy....lol
like they say, its one of those things

Ms. emmotions said...

***left her life and almost her career neva the same...

classybabe said...

I cant even imagine how painful those strokes would have been.Ouch at the blood part!
Have a lovely weekend!

flawsandall said...

sometimes the disciplanary measures in nigeria are damn barbaric..smh.brings back memories of the unecessayy beatings i recieved in secondary school

Sasuke said...

Princesa don't be angry i didn't post a comment earlier. sorry about the whipping back when i was in school teachers were really bias when it comes to flogging girls and even when they did it was usually done to the girls palm.. your koboko whipping was heinous men! i for fight the yeye man. she im wan kill you ni? as a matter of fact send me his profile so i fit go deal with am for you.
i wonder what your man would say when he sees the welts..lol.. you are a strong babae sha! if na me i for still dey cry as i dey write the post..yeye man

shhhh said...

those were the days o. if ur parents overpampered u, then boarding school removed not just the over but the pampered as well!

Today's ranting said...

wow! what is it with this health prefect post? My twin sister was the health prefect in my secondary when we were in sss3 and part of her duty was supervising students washing toilet.The task was terrible with all the stench oozing from the toilets.Eya pele for the flogging ooo. Teachers can be so horrible, they flog students as if they are not humans.I had my own fair share of beating too,mhen i used to hate it and only heaven knows how many taechers i've cursed for flogging me(may God forgive me)

princesa said...

@s.chi, thanks for feeling my pain dear.

@jaycee, yea I guess the guy must have felt really bad. It wasn’t his fault tho.

@mommy, okay…not seen u yet o!

@darkle, I doubt if you could have pulled that stunt with daddy in my school then o! Its good tho…daddy to the rescue…lol!

@pammy, I know who onyi is,lol! Caning from hunger/anger, lol! That’s funny! Maybe they weren’t well paid…hmmm…maybe,lol!

@DL, stand up and run where??? Babes you don’t know how my school was…you wouldn’t get a few metres before one soldier brings you down and the gates are locked so really there’s no way out.

@naija chickito, I felt terrible. More from the shame tho.

@obi, thanks man! Funny I don’t have a phobia but it reminds me…everytime.

@afro,lol! No worry I still get fine fine bros them. Just let me know the stats, ok?
Take off go where?? You go only end up with more stroking or even spend the night in the guard room.

@30+, pure wickedness. True!

@aijay, hey babes! Where art thou fromest?!?! I don already hire private detective to find you. Make I go collect my money back now. Good to have you back sweets.

@ms.emmotions, lol! Your mumsy is just too mush jare! What was it with the music teazcher abi him husband no service am well,lol! Good for her sha.

@classybabe, thanks dear.

@zephi, I agree babes, sometimes they take it too far all in the name of discipline.

@sasuke, lol! I don’t have the welts anymore. Not even scars,lol! Thanks for having my back tho dude. Cant give u his profile, hell I wouldn’t even recognize him if I saw him.

@TLKS, lol! Mine wasn’t even a boarding school, it was day.

@todays ranting, we’ve cursed out so many of them abi? I just hope the curses don’t follow them sha. That would be lots of curses mehn!

Afrobabe said...

na lie oh...I would have run all the way home and not come back unless my folks come with me to resolve things...

princesa said...

@afro,lol! babes you think say na your village sec school we dey talk about here,lol!
I can just imagine you running in the barracks.

Arewa said...

Fulani maiden got a serious whopping.....lol
But that was too much..u poor thing.

SOLOMONSYDELLE said...

why dem just dey flog people like animal for that country? lol! Na wa oh!



NIGERIAN CURIOSITY
IT WAS SO MUCH EASIER WHEN I ONLY HAD ONE...

Simi Speaks said...

OMG!! that was too crazy.. funny tho. I cracked up when you said "..Just because of nose ring, i had been flogged like a thief.." lol.. eh ya? sorry! but shey you are over it sha? lol

ejura said...

Hi, this is one of the longest posts u've ever written oh! I haven't read it but I'd be back. Who did they whip now? Is it like andy's german dose?

Mommy said...

I'm back...The thot of you being mercilessly flogged is just too painful to imagine. Hence my first ouch (lol)!

Chie! I hope them whip marks have all dissappeared o if not how would you wear that wicked bare back wedding gown we've been eyeing ;0)

* ehn...did I just read something from Aijay?*

wellsbaba said...

eya!...sori ehn,u were flogged jst bcos u stole...sori...picked up an earring on d floor n 4got it on ur nose....lol....i bet u still hav dose marks on ur back
im new2bloggin,u cud help a broda out n stopby ALWAIS on my blogsite!
wellsbaba.blogspot.com

el~correcta said...

mehn,e be like army people no send weda u beman or woman,thesame treatment will be meted out to you.maybe the nose ring was dropped intentionally by one of those junior students you guys were dealing with.she probably coated it with 'forget-about-me-jazz' lol lol

An-Igbo-Dude said...

eh yah..
sorry, na so life be.take am easy..lol

EDNUTEY said...

I can relate o...glad I never went to a millitary school...I had some crazy teachers like dat too...but I always had a way of getting out of trouble back then...mehn ur brother wife fine o...d guy get taste!...wish them a very happy married life in advance!

Unknown said...

HS whipping was no joke o
eiya pele o....

I really enjoyed your brother's page. what a lovely couple....

I think Donald resembles you a bit.

Zena said...

I'm sooo sorry, ppl like those, u wud wonder if they had children of their own at home, sadistic bastards

princesa said...

@arewa, hmmm okay laugh at me babes. Laugh o!

@soloD, my sister I no no o!

@simi speaks, it wasn’t funny then at all o!

@ejura, yea something like andy’s. Hope you will be back soon.

@mommy, eh ya! Thnx for feeling my pain sweetie. Bare back wedding gown?? LOL! I thot it was bare front! Yep aijay is back…safe and sound!!!

@wellsbaba, sorry to disappoint u dude. I don’t have any scar on my back. Good genes! I have been to yours…nice.

@el-correcta, lol! I didn’t think of that. Maybe karma??

@anibodude, take wetin easy?? Something wey happen tey tey. I dey take my life je je o!

@sparkle, he suppose get taste na…he is my brother, lol!

@olamild, oh yea. Thnx for dropping by his site. Peeps say my youngest bros look more like me…well I don’t know.

Zayzee said...

Ouch! I can feel that whip!
So u were one of those seniors we hated as juniors eh?

Hear this, many years ago, my mum found out me and some relatives ate at a neighbours house and we were in for serious spanking. When it was my turn, I was like, ‘I didn’t eat,’ the others said ‘uzezi!’ I faced them. ‘did I eat? It is only meat that I ate oh!’

So to this, I wasn’t a wicked senior. I only beat a junior once and was deboarded for the whole third term.

Eyin'ju Oluwa said...

You're kidding. Thats just ridiculous *rolleyes*

Maybe one of the junior girls you were supervising had powers? LOL

Wow...

Eyin'ju Oluwa said...

Awwwwwwwww they are so in love...:)

Carlang said...

Lol
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Oh my god..
I shouldnt be laughing really but you have to admit there is something funny about the story.

I commend yor bravery in picking up a ring that was so close to the toilet..
and putting it in your nose too?

You really are an incredibly brave lady.

Now ....
About those weal scars..
How do i get to see them?

O'Dee said...

U must have felt great pain. I went to an air force school and I still remember the flogging with wire and the militry men calling some of us bloody civilians.
1st time 'er.

Sherri said...

i can't believe that's a true story!
pele babe.

nice bloggy

princesa said...

@uzezi, lol! I was also very loved by some juniors too. So you ate only meat enh…smart girl! Whoa! You beat a junior?? Now…you were even worse than me,lol!

@omosewa, lol! Powers ke?? Maybe. Thnx for visiting my brother’s site.

@carlang,lol! Trust you to find something funny in that story! So am brave for what?? Taking the whipping or wearing the nosering? About the weal scars…there are none.

@oluwadee, they flogged you guys with wire?? That must have really hurt! And I hate that term “bloody civilians”, they are the bloody soldiers!

@sherri, thnx babe.

Allied said...

men.. this post made me angry.. I hate the way they flog people back in secondary school...

Flourishing Florida said...

dis is very annoying. teacher flogging u like dat. 4 what na? am so pissed. one stupid teacher bin wan flog me like dat 4 secondary sch. actually, d reason y he continued 4 as long as he did was dat he expected me 2 cry & me now, as per hard babe concern, no gree. but another teacher stopped him b4 he did me any serious damage.

Aijay said...

Thats just so wrong. Infact very inhumane...

InCogNaija said...

damn! only you? they just used ur back for flogging practice like that? Omo...i will not be able o, with all these military skools. Pele My dear!!!

soupasexy said...

cahi! i was flogged but not on my bare back..God 4 punish anybody wey dare to flog my back and leave scars..
sorry sha, i dey feel ur pain..i cant even imagine such nonsense, its too annoying..