He would later tell them, he once saved this boy years ago from being lynched for petty theft in Enugu. It might have been a bad move considering the guy metamorphosed into a full blown armed robber, but that one act, saved his life and that of his kids.

The robbers had guns pointed at the heads of my friend and her family members. They had been travelling to the east before they encountered daredevils in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere.

The leader signaled at his cohorts to stop. “Do you remember me?” He growled at her father.”No, No, I don’t know you”. Her father stammered as he peed on his pants. “Look well oga. You no remember me?” Obviously feeling it was a trap, the dad vehemently denied.

“As you no remember me, say your last prayer”, the robber said, pointing a gun to his head. My friend and her siblings screamed “We remember you oh, daddy remember him now”

Her dad sensing that was the end looked at him straight in the eye “Yes, I remember you”

Bringing the gun down, the robber said “Thank you” and ordered them to drive off to the amazement of his children.

He would later tell them, he once saved this boy years ago from being lynched for petty theft in Enugu. It might have been a bad move considering the guy metamorphosed into a full blown armed robber, but that one act, saved his life and that of his kids.

This was two weeks ago, but it catapulted my mind way back in time and seemed like a sequel to my own experience two years ago. While her father enjoyed the goodwill he garnered years earlier, my experience seemed abrupt, like a thriller with a defined beginning and predictable end. An experience which still sends shivers down my spine, the exact way I felt on that rainy night sometime in 2011.

Still mourning the death of my beloved dad, I had traveled thousands of miles by sea from Cameroon to Calabar , and the next step of my journey was boarding a bus to Lagos, my final destination.

So, my joy knew no bounds when I found a luxurious bus headed for Lagos. Paying the 4,000 naira requested , I gratefully slumped on my seat besides an elderly woman engrossed in her bible.

Demonstrating the sign of the cross, I dozed off . I must have been sleeping for 5 hours when a loud argument woke me up.

Four unkempt looking men and a lady all between 25 -30 were the source of the confusion. Apparently, the greedy driver decided to pick up passengers along the way as long as they didn’t mind perching beside the luggage’s placed on the floor.

So, the original passengers erupted in a protest which of course fell on deaf ears as the driver shut his compartment and continued the journey. Left with these unfortunate new passengers, the protests became even more intense as all attempts by them to settle down failed. “No, no stand near me abeg, a middle aged woman yelled when they stood close to her.” “Gosh, of I didn’t miss my flight to Lagos,I won’t be in this mess”, a lady uttered with the most fake British accent I’d ever heard.

I watched helplessly as these people were tossed up and down, so I signaled at the eldest that it was ok to stand beside my seat. The horrid stares I received were enough to make me recoil but I shrugged it off and kept a straight face. My seat mate suddenly yelled, “let them not stand beside me. If you want to be a good Samaritan, give them money to board another bus. They can’t pay one thousand naira and inconvenience those who paid 3,500″she ranted. At this point in time, I took a second look at what she was reading; just to be sure it was really a Bible. Indeed it was.

So, the journey continued with some occasional outbursts and sniffs and of course loud snores emanating from the now calm and sleeping elderly woman beside me. When we got to Benin, we alighted from the bus to eat and I noticed these 5 passengers looking jittery. There was something discomforting about them and the way they were hurdled together. I mistook it for the fact that they didn’t have money to buy snacks.

Purchasing a few loafs of bread and bottles of coke, I walked up stealthily behind them and tapped the elderly one. The way he flinched made me recoil in fear.”I just want to give you this” I said handing him the bag. I could see the shock on their faces. He reluctantly took it from me and mumbled a “Thank you”. For the first time, our eyes locked and though dark, I noticed there was something out of place with their looks. It looks like they intentionally made themselves look haggard. Briefly wondering why, I went back to the bus and took my seat.

When the bus was about to takeoff, I noticed they weren’t on board so I called the attention of the driver who grudgingly decided to get down and look for them while the passengers rained more abuses on him for the inconvenience. “Oga,you no know say thief dey road abi? Make we comot for here abeg” one man yelled. After a few minutes, the driver came on board, shut the door and took off. He didn’t offer any explanation as to their whereabouts and no one asked. Obviously, no one cared.

We got to Lagos early that morning and the driver pulled me aside. “You are a nice girl, and that saved you and all those people wey dey run their mouth. “Excuse me, I don’t understand” I retorted. But he just walked away leaving me more confused. My attempts at giving it a thought were overtaken by the loud, over-powering Lagos noise

Fast forward to 2012, I would later watch the news and see that 5 man gang arrested for their incessant robberies on the Benin expressway. The driver was the 6^th person . Then all the dots connected. They were highway robbers working in conjunction with the bus driver. That explained their unkempt look and nervousness.

“I wondered though despite what the driver said. Was it the anger and shouting of d passengers? Was it my kind gesture? Was it the woman with the bible? Was it holy ghost fire speaking through her? I refused to believe it was me even if that’s what d driver suggested.

Whatever it was, one thing is for sure “a little niceness doesn’t hurt.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Emeh Achanga is a lawyer, journalist, blogger and writer. She blogs atwww.misspetitenigeria.blogspot.com. She believes in the power to change the world by penning down her thoughts and sharing her experiences with others. Follow her on twitter @misspetitenaija.

——————————————–

30 Days 30 Voices series is an opportunity for young Nigerians to share their stories and experiences with other young Nigerians, within our borders and beyond, to inspire and motivate them.

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.