At half time he had stopped eating the guinea fowl eggs and assorted snacks they had provided for him as his mind focused on how to get out of this mess. He was jarred back to reality when the large window disintegrated into a zillion little pieces as a rock came crashing through. Not waiting to see who had thrown it, as suddenly friend had turned to foe he grabbed his staff and emerged from the classroom commencing his walk down the Ibeku road to the town.

Initially he was able to stare them down, but as he passed by and his back turned to them they grew bolder and things started to fly. A fan Ice container- chocolate by the taste of it- was the first to find its mark as it exploded on his forehead baptizing him with its pasteurized contents. Next came a stone that broke skin and drew blood and soon he was being pummeled…..left right and center.

Now the Government College entourage had spotted him- and putting 2 and 2 together- joined the frenzy with deadly aim. A Fanta bottle rearranged his nose moving it 2 inches to the right while releasing a torrent of blood. Dazed confused and running for his dear life he finally collapsed in the back of a Taxi that took him all the way back to Ugba, charging him 4 times the regular fare before depositing him into instant retirement.

The Conclusion  

The Flag Ship car of the Umuahian Nigerian Police Force was a Citroën Pallas and we all saw it as it limped up “School Drive” towards the Principals Office. It looked really dejected with one headlight that refused to be retracted, stuck in an absurd permanent wink. Even the NPF Flag on its bonnet refused to flutter. Behind it came 4 Land Rovers loaded with troops. From the pompoms on their berets we knew they were regular from the Commissioners own Unit and the whispering started within our ranks.

The Acting Police Commissioner for Umuahia was a no nonsense Hausa, who had been educated in both England and Kaduna. Even though he normally carried himself stiffly like a T square, one could see that today he was bent in anger. And who could blame him? Not only had a mere football match virtually shut down the city under his command but it had also caused tons of damage to his forces image and that he could not have. As a supporting force to the occupational divisions of the Nigeria Army, it was paramount that they be respected as much as the Army itself if not as much the dreaded Mobile Police.

Heads would have to roll and the culprits arrested. Certainly that goat would need to be paid for, not to talk about the windows and other damages.

After a mere 15 minutes into the meeting with the Umuahian Principal -a Chief Uchefu -Superintendent Musa realized that this was going to be a lost cause. The guy was as slippery as a banana peel crossed with an eel and had obviously been watching too much Perry Mason. The only 2 straight answers he had gotten in the first quarter hour from the ever grinning clown was that he agreed that GCU had played in a match at Ibeku yesterday and that today was Saturday.

But that was all.

He was now painting a totally different picture. The GCU boys were now all angels who had all been meek church mice of perfect behavior, set upon by criminals and ex soldiers bored at playing “student”. For full effect he now had the whole schooling running past his office shirtless and bare foot while gleefully pointing out an impressive “who is who” in regards to the heirs of the states power brokers - both political and other wise – within their fold. There were the sons of at least 5 different Millionaires, 3 from Chief Justices Aniagolu, 1 from the Mayor of Douala in far away Cameroon, 1 from Mandela’s own Number 3 in Angola and by the time he got to 2 from the States own Governor Sir Mbakwe, Musa realized that he would have to thread very lightly here and decided to call it a day.

30 mins later the NPF caravan was again seen leaving the Umudike Campus. Their only “captive” was the “liberated” Ibeku Sign Board. Now while the whole School-both innocent and guilty-was punished collectively with some serious grass cutting and pit digging during the next 3 weeks, no other price was ever paid again. Not for the goat we devoured and not for the damage we did to the Ibeku campus. Nothing. And just like that ended one of the most controversial matches in the Principals Cup Competition played in Eastern Nigeria - period.

Final scores?

Government College Umuahia 10

Methodist College Uzuakoli 1

Ibeku High School 1 Lost Goat and a whole lot of hurt pride.  

Robot  # 1 | 25.11.2008 00:30

At half time he had stopped eating the guinea fowl eggs and assorted snacks they had provided for him as his mind focused on how to get out of this mess. He was jarred back to reality when the large window suddenly disintegrated into a zillion little pieces as a rock suddenly came crashing through. Not waiting to see who had thrown it, as suddenly friend had turned to foe he grabbed his staff and emerged from the classroom commencing his walk down the Ibeku road to the town. Initially he was able to stare them down, but as he passed by and his back turned to them they grew bolder and things started to fly. A fan Ice container- chocolate by the taste of it- was the first to find its mark as it exploded on his forehead baptizing him with its pasteurized contents. Next came a stone that broke skin and drew blood and soon he was being pummeled…..left right and center. Now the Government College entourage had spotted him- and putting 2 and 2 together- joined the f...Read the full article.

bob  # 2 | 25.11.2008 20:47

okpara nwannem, is this your story true? u guys must have had a few strategists to think of taking away the sign board of a school. kai!!!

SUYA  # 3 | 26.11.2008 09:13

Bob its a true case of fact meeting fiction. :D But the game did take place and the part about the Sign Board being kidnapped is true.