Fire Alarm Night On Camp

This night is just as terrifying as its name sounds. it's really a night of commotion, fear, fidgeting and sleeplessness on Nysc camp.
 Nevertheless, its indeed a night to expect. Its a pre-arranged event full of fun.


It was around 2 a.m in the middle of the night of our 19th day on camp. After every corp members have retired to their individual hostels tired and worn out, as a result of the activity-filled day we earlier had.
Everywhere was silent and nothing was moving in the dark hall given to us to rest our heads.

Suddenly, an unpleasant tune rose out of the soldiers' biggle to wake up every sleeping souls.

Its true, we are used to the biggle. it is its daily tune that calls us for food, sleep, parade, lectures and wakes us every morning. But this time, its coming with an entirely different tune, and unpleasant one for that matter.

This is when it now occurred to me that we are in the middle of the fire alarm night that the camp commandant earlier informed us about on the second day of our arrival on camp.

Everywhere busted into commotion, no one has any clue to the reason why we were been woken up and nobody is there to give us any reason. We heard the soldiers shouting at the top of their voices: "Move out...... move out".
We all ran to the parade ground in confusion and great fear.- many fell down and stood up by themselves, because they must not be found left behind.

What a night for innocent corp members like us.

On getting to the camp ground, without uttering any reason for the tune, the camp commandant instructed everyone of us to return back to our hostels in just two minutes and bring on our heads: 

1. Our sleeping mattress
2. On of the pairs of our jungle boots
3. On of the pairs of our white tennis
4. Our tooth brush
5. Our NYSC caps  

How is this possible in just two minutes? But we don't have choice than to obey the last order. "being a civilian is a great sin" to our task masters; the soldiers.

We all went inside as instructed to fetch those materials. many sustained heavy injury in the process and the late comers were seriously dealt with.
On the ground, with our materials on our heads, the Camp commandant  instructed us to wear each pairs of those shoes in each of our legs and raise up one of our legs, even as the other materials still rests on our heads.

"See corpers as den dey suffer" 

After 5 minutes of this "punishment", he now disclose the purpose of the sudden fire alarm. He said the exercise is for us to be fully prepared at all times for any emergency that may confront us in our service year and beyond.

What a lesson in a hard way

Every prospective corp members should also be expecting that day too. So the advice to you is not to over-sleep or hide your things too far from quick reach, especially on the 18th-20th day on camp.


CULLED FROM NYSC TALES