There
are some
experiences that we would have in life and they
would stay with us for the rest of our lives.
Some are good and some are bad, some you
will never even deem it fit to tell anyone and
some you will always tell anyone that cares to
listen. I had passed through a lot of not so
good times in my life, but this I must say, was
the worst of all.
I could remember vividly that year 2007 ,was in
my 4th year on campus and was rounding off
my IT Program, which we always did then on
campus as agricultural students. I was actually
coming from John's hostel in camp and it was
around 7:30pm. There was so much traffic
along the Abeokuta -Ibadan express road, so I
had spent close to 40minutes on a journey that
was supposed to be less than 5 minutes.
The moment the traffic cleared and we were
now assuming the normal movement of a
traveller on an express road, I felt a little bit
relieved as it had been a moment of cursing,
fanning, wishing you had taken a bike, but
were was the money self. I only had 20Naira
on me, which was all I needed to take the
transport.
On getting to my bus stop. I told the driver to
stop when he sees a parking space. When he
saw one and was about parking at the corner
of a street, a white pick-up van just bashed out
of nowhere and it almost hit our vehicle.
Reflexively, we started cursing the occupants
of the van. Were they blind to have almost hit
us? I cursed the more, because if anything had
happened, I would have been more involved
because their Van actually barged out through
my side.
Before we knew what was happening. The van
stopped and some fiecre looking, gun-wielding
men just came out of the van and were coming
towards our vehicle. I knew that was it, it has
finally set for me, I thought to myself that
When friends used to tell me to stop the way I
curse people and talk derogatorily, I turned
blind ears, now the act is taking me to hell,
because I was even so certain I was a sinner. I
even thought of asking for God's forgiveness
before they got to me, because I was not sure
if that was the last moment I would have on
earth.
The men initially didn't come to us. They went
towards the 4 tyres of the vehicle and deflated
them with their guns. I knew I was in hot soup.
Then they approached us and asked who said
were they blind. The driver didn't hesitate to
point his finger at me, as it was obvious he
was already pissing in his pants too.
They simply asked me to come down from the
cab and asked me to kneel. I did, but I was
really and totally scared because one was right
behind me. I immediately remembered those
action movies where people were eliminated
right on their knees through a shot from the
back. The man standing before me asked what
I used to call them blind and I fidgetly replied
it was with my mouth. He then asked me to
blow up my cheeks like I was going to blow air
into a balloon and gave me a hot slap. I fell to
the ground and rose immediately.
He asked if a blind man could give that kind of
hot slap and I said No Sir. He then asked who
was blind, I replied that it was me and all my
friends that were blind, that I was sorry to
have said that. I wasn't really myself at that
moment because I was not yet sure if they
were robbers or Security Operatives, and to
make matters worse, no one in that area could
summon the courage to approach them and
ask what was happening.
They asked the driver if he had anything on
him like cash to part with. He instantly
dropped the whole content of his pocket. They
said he was free. I knew from that moment the
Round 2 of my slap was about coming,
because I had nothing on me. The man asked
who I was and I told him I was a student,
thinking that would make him have
compassion on me, but the next thing he said
totally got me out of my skin and I thought it
was just a matter of days before I said
goodbye to my friends and my enemies.
He said 'so you are among the cultists that
have been terrorising this state'
'No, no, nooooooo sir' I managed to mutter out
of my fear. I am just an ordinary student sir.
Infact I was just coming from a friends side in
Camp.
'Shut up, will you tell if you are a cultist? ' He
shouted, but I didn't say anything.
'Answer me, idiot, will you tell if you are a
cultist? ' He repeated.
'No sir, but........ '
'So you are a cultist ' he cut it. ' We are taking
you to the Police Station '
I didn't know if I felt relieved knowing that they
were not armed robbers or assassins. But
giving it a 2nd thought, I got so totally
shocked that I was being taken to the Station
just for asking if the man that wanted to hit
me with his car, was blind. Is that how the
system has rotten off into? Were they even
blind to see that I was just a teenager? Then I
knew some people were just not fit to be called
humans. I developed my hatred for policemen
from that day on.
I was shoved into the Van and we drove down
to the police station.
.....Series 2 coming later tonight.
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