January 20,2012 : A Date That Will Live In Infamy In Kano by SeeAfrica(m)

It's now a decade. Though the memories are still fresh when uncorked, the experiences are still of bitter taste to us. The horror of that day still stare stark and bare to us - the people of Kano.

We all woke up to a pleasant morning,greeted by the sweet serenade of birds nesting on trees,and by the soft rustling of leaves wriggling in the air. The air was crisp, the sky was pale blue.

Everyone bolted up to do their routines. And soon, the city was lit up and buzzing, as it had always been on every Friday. With smiles on their faces, wives bid their husbands farewell as they left their homes.

Children received last instructions from their parents before heading to school.

For the better part of the day, the city was its usual self: energetic and striving.

Then about 5:30 pm that day, when the sun was retreating to its shell, the ferocious beasts from no-where snapped in.

They announced their arrival by blowing their trumpet which shook the strongholds of the city with such vigor that had never been heard before in the land. Before the people could wrack their brains for where cometh the sound, two,three more bomb blasts followed in quick succession.

At that moment, everyone Knew "the merchants of death " have arrived. Without needing anyone to say, everybody took to their heels with reckless abandon. Old and young, men and women scampered for safety,tumbling on each other.

The sun took note and immediately hid itself from men.

Dust rising as if it were a million horses racing. Smoke filled the air, and blood rained down in full torrent. Who could believe, the police headquarters in Kano was under siege. Bomb blasts and shooting spree ensued for several hours.

The police were overpowered and hence they called for reinforcement. To those of us whose residents were just few miles away, couldn't sleep throughout.

Surely no one who's wise slept on their bed that day. Everyone was lying head down and belly flat on the ground as the battle endured throughout the whole night till about 3am or so.

The police station close to my house was sending signals. The police men were firing rounds upon rounds upon rounds of ammunitions. I even thought the war was happening behind my compound.

The night seemed interminable, and daybreak elusive. It was like we were caught up in a ravaging war, and the only means of survival was absolute silence. When the day finally had mercy on us and broke, our weeping endured the night but joy never came that morning.

There was a wide spread anguish and sorrow.

Families started looking for their loved ones. The scenes were traumatic. Corpses littered and laid bare in street. There were rivers of flowing blood.

People who couldn't reach their loved ones by phone, went out rummaging through piles of dead men seeking,at least, the remains of their own.

By own statistics, One in every 10 persons who couldn't return home that day in the neighborhood was found in hospitals or morgues. The hospitals and morgues with the state metropolis were filled up.

Some families, it took them days and weeks to locate their dead.

It was a period some recounted their ordeals and others counted their loss.

After having overrun the police headquarters,the terrorists killed to their satisfaction without any stiff resistance. To the extent that they were stopping and questioning, and killing,mostly men. Those who survived,their tales were grisly.

January 20,2012, is a day that will continue to live in infamy in the history of the state.

R.I.P to the dead.