I'll never forget this particular riot that happened in my school days. The noise, the running, and the fear still look fresh like yesterday. I still remember it and smile remembering school days, but especially thank God for my life.
The trouble began when the management announced that students who hadn't paid their school fees wouldn't be allowed to write exams. Everyone thought it was a joke, expecting leniency as before. But on exam day, the management, including the Deans and some faculty heads, followed each other with security from one hall to another, collecting answer booklets from students who were already writing exams and has not paid their school and sending them out.
My friend and I finished our exam and left, while those who were sent out were still outside, hoping they'd soon be allowed back in. We were already at home when we heard that the students who were sent out had started destroying school properties and had entered the examination hall to scatter the hall.
The next day, we all went to school, hoping to continue our exams, but another riot started. I have never experienced anything like that in my life. I was just a 100-level student at the time. I started crying and calling my mom. The students continued to throw stones, destroying school properties, while we, the innocent students, started running helter-skelter inside the school premises.
The school management finally called the police, but the students weren't even scared. They continued their riot, spoiling lecturers' cars and all. The lecturers had to flee the school premises. With the help of more police and security, we, the innocent students, were able to flee out of the school premises.
The school gate was locked, and we went on a week-long strike before we resumed and started our exams again. The next semester, all students were forced to pay a sum of ₦5,000 before paying school fees. If you didn't pay the ₦5,000, the school fee portal wouldn't open. That's how every student, including the innocent students, paid ₦5,000. They called it damaged fee, I don't even damaged anything but when the sinner are suffering the innocent take part in it. It's a day I would never forget.