IN THE STREETS OF LAGOS

EPISODE 2

" If you want to own a house in Ikoyi, Lekki, or Banana Island, rise up on your feet and shout a thunderous hallelujah",  the tall plump man shouted into the microphone from the altar. And as expected, the congregation stood up with extreme excitement. "If you know you really want to own a house, come over to the altar and drop a tremendous seed before the Lord," he said aloud again and the ushers led the way to the altar for those interested in dropping a seed.
Bunmi reached for his pockets and realized he had just 200 naira which would not cover his general offering and his transport fare home, but now, he definitely wanted to sow a seed. He thought, " I really need to do this ehn, God I want a house in Lekki, so please let this small token speak for me, I fit manage trek go house". He walked his way to the altar and dropped the last money he had on him. 

The service was rounded up with just about two hours spent and he decided to meet with the pastor hoping to get some welfare assistance. "Pastor I can't take this anymore, the pressures of my family are weighing me down totally... I need financial assistance in every way possible, please help me" he said as tears stung the corners of his eyes. With everything you've said, all I can tell you is to pray!! Pray Bunmi and let the Lord do a miracle for you", Pastor Williams responded. " I pray everyday Pastor, I fast, I pay my tithe too, all I just need is for the church to help me with some money at this trying period". " Well, sorry but at this moment there's no money in the church... I implore you to have faith and things will get better; I'll pray for you too" he said and excused the already worn-out man from his office with the excuse of going for a meeting. He stood up and left.

Walking home, he had an overview of his life. He was a graduate of  Laspotech and literally had to work his ass off every day as a bus driver in other to afford his schooling expenses and also take care of his family. He was a Christian, he believed in God, and always did whatever the pastor instructed him to do even if it meant him and his family drinking garri for a whole day. Its been 5 years now, and beyond unreasonable doubt, he was exhausted. Tired of the pressures mounted on him by his four younger siblings, his drunk of a father and his poor mother. Up until this moment, he had wondered why his education couldn't take him as far as he had expected. He sighed, "if only the government made jobs available for graduates or at the very least, youths that are capable of working". He seemed like the only one who was responsible and capable to take care of his family. His father was unemployed and a miserable drunk who regularly stole the little income his mother gained from selling ijebu garri and groundnut at the market. Even with what he made from driving, he could barely provide their daily meals. He was the only child whose education had gone as far as studying in a tertiary institution but then, what was the point after all?

Monday morning came with its usual hustle and bustle as Bunmi set out for work a few minutes after 5:00 am. He was woken up with the incessant shenanigans from his father's usual reaction to alcohol. Another day of "Lagos plenty wahala", he thought. After giving his mother 500 naira to prepare their normal meal for the day, he left for work. It all seemed like a normal day, the cool morning breeze, and the quietness and serenity of the atmosphere. His route was from Berger to Oshodi and back which earned him 200 naira from each passenger. He was especially fond of carrying passengers that early because at that time, touts and police weren't on different junctions of the road trying to forcefully siphon money out of them, and he didn't have to queue to load his bus with passengers... so literally, he made more money in the early hours of the morning. At 9:00 am, the sun was out and he had gone to and fro his route two times. Usually, he had to pay 50 naira at three different points en route which he highly disagreed on but still managed to pay. After dropping off all his passengers at Charity bus stop, Oshodi,  he parked his bus and walked to Mama Sikira's shop to eat his normal food for the day 'rice and beans'.
"Good afternoon oh, rice and beans dey"? She nodded. "Okay abeg mix am for me 150, no put meat" he added before sitting down. In less than two minutes,  as he was seated, savoring his food, he heard somewhat of a commotion coming from the area where he had parked his bus. "Ah awon Olopa yi tun ti de o" a dark slender woman beside him raised her hands in the air." E fit be person wey no wan give them money, this country na God go help us oh," another man standing in front of the shop said. Desperately in a hurry to finish his food before going to find out what all the fuss was about, Bunmi hurled the food into his mouth and in less than a minute, he was done. He fiddled 150 naira out of his shirt pocket and paid the plump foodseller before heading in the direction of the noise. As soon as he got there, he was taken aback by the gunshot he heard. "You park your bus for bad place, I come dey tell you make you bring 2000 naira you dey yarn me rubbish abi," a policeman in a fit of rage said as he started to shoot at the tire of a bus. Bunmi looked over and immediately noticed his vehicle was parked in the wrong place too. " Ah ah Eko o ni baje o," an onlooker shouted. The driver kept begging earnestly "abeg I never see reach 1000 naira today, no vex I go comot the bus now now". Instead of indulging him, the policeman kept shooting destroying the tires of the bus in the worst way possible. In a frantic effort to get his bus out of there, Bunmi hurriedly went through the back, dodging carefully so as not to be noticed. As soon as he got to his vehicle, he jumped inside his bus and was about slotting his key into the ignition when another policeman suddenly held his hand. "You think say you get sense ehn? Give me your key jare," he gestured his left hand forward still holding him rigidly with the other hand. Bunmi struggled to lose his hand free "Oga abeg make I just comot, I fit drop 500 naira for una, no vex abeg," he pleaded. But instead, he called out for his two other colleagues " you dey craze abi, comot 2000 naira jare in fact come down first, I say bo le ah" the officer that previously shot at the tires of the other bus said. He got down and kept pleading, "na food I go chop o, I no dey park for here before, abeg manage this 500 naira," He stretched his hands forward revealing the folded currency. Suddenly, there was an audible thud behind them which prompted their heads to turn in the direction of the noise almost immediately the sound was heard. Bunmi turned instantly and was about jumping into his bus, trying to maneuver them and escape when a gunshot was heard and then another. A wreak of pain swept through his whole being as he held his two legs, screeching in the torment that had suddenly been inflicted upon him. He cried out "God what is this, what have I done"? The policemen, seeing what had transpired,  quickly hopped into their vehicle and hurried away.

He was in the hospital by the time he woke up. Supposedly, a man was kind enough to rush him to the hospital in his car and he'd been there for two days now. He looked at his legs and realized they had been covered in bandages. The pain felt lesser now so he guessed he'd been administered anesthesia too. In no time, the doctor in charge of him came in... Good morning Mister Bunmi I hope you're feeling better today"? Yes doctor, thank you. Intense pain greater than what he had felt when he was shot gripped him as the doctor gave him the worst news ever. "I'm sorry but the bullet was shot directly to your bone, infecting your two legs greatly... we'd have to amputate your legs immediately to avoid the infection from spreading which would pose a bigger danger to you if surgery is not carried out as soon as possible". He placed his hand on his head as he wept, "how was he going to provide for his family now"?


'Sadly, a good number of innocent people suffer from police harassment and brutality everyday in Lagos state, and nothing is ever done about it. The very people who are expected and given authority to protect and uphold the right of every citizen, are the same people who snatch their rights from them with utmost alacrity. The government, in turn, cares less about victims abused by policemen, and compensation is never allocated to the families of the victims. The big question is, WHY?





-your ideal writer
JUANITA'S
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