Hello friends!Have you ever come face to face with an armed robber before? How did you behave?
My father has always warned us against the dangers of night journeys. That first hand experience will stay with me forever. Never again will I think that a warning against night journeys are just mere words ever.
I didn't set out to arrive my destination late though. Just that sometimes things happen and you can only accept your faith without complain and hope to God that everything work out for good.
I was posted to the North for a compulsory National Youth Service. I got to the motor park quite early. As early as 6am in the morning because we learnt that not too many drivers go that far North. I was happy I made it in time to join the last bus loading for the day.
After waiting so long for the driver to sort his team, we finally took off. As I breath in the bus mixed and thick air, I prayed to God for a safe trip to Jigawa.
Our driver stopped in Abuja for what seem like a minor work on the tired. All the passengers including me took the opportunity to exercise our legs because had a long trip ahead and we've only just started. If only we knew that we'll spend the whole of the afternoon there at the vulcanizer. What seem like a little fault was proving a hard but to crack.
All the while I kept in touch with my parents, always updating them on how it was going. My father, who always warned us against night journey already started to worry. He feared if the repair took a couple more hours we'd really get to Jigawa very late. He advised I stayed back at an aunts place in Abuja and continue my journey early the following morning. But I too excited to go to camp already. And so I begged and convinced him that its OK to continue the journey that day.
After a couple more hours, the vehicle was good to go. We all boarded again and continued our journey. I was grateful that the road from Abuja to Kano was free in every sense. There were not too many pot holes. We didn't experience intense traffic and surprisingly there were no police check points! So we practically zoomed all the way down to Kano.
It was dark when we finally arrived. Though the street was lighted, I was creeped out. I wasn't at all relaxed and all I wanted was to get to the house if my extended family that will host me that night before I continue to Jigawa the following morning.
Alighting from the bus in Kano park, the strong smell of cigarette created me. The driver announced that those that would not want to go to their final destination that night could sleep in the bus. Just that there would be a lot of mosquito bits. I quickly picked my phone to call my host and instead of the initial plan to come pick me up, they decided to guide me on getting a tricycle down to the house because it was already close yo mid night by this time. I got my luggage from the bus and step out to follow the instruction because not only were the park hoodlums hovering around the bus puffing cigarette, every other passenger seem to be sorting their ways out of the park.
As I stepped out, It took a while before I was this tricycle that came to park right in front of the motor park. I gave him my address and negotiated the fare. We settled for an outrageous amount which happened to be three times the normal fare for that distance. Well, I just wanted to arrive safe and sound and so we took off to our destination.
A few bends and corners, the driver parked and pretended to be assessing his tricycle tyres as though there was a fault. As I came down to see what was happening, I was greeted by a pointed knife to my face. I froze.
All he wanted was my phone and I was holding it. I immediately gave it to him because my Daddy use to tell us that thieves hat been resisted. They have a calculated time duration of operation and they don't like lack of cooperation that will delay their activities.
Immediately he got the phone, he hoped on his tricycle and zoomed off. My luggage were in the vehicle, I called and begged after him to drop them but he wouldn't listen. My original school certificates were in the bag!
I cried and shouted but my voice echoed back at me followed by the barks of security dogs. That was when I figured it would be wise to shut up and think of a solution because I was in the middle of a strange man's land far away North with no sense of direction or a phone to get in touch with my family. I was officially stranded.
But wait. We saw some officers on night duty on our a while ago. Maybe if I traced my way back to them, I could get help. And so I made a Uturn and started heading back from where we were stopped for a check a while ago.
Thanks For Reading.