“Oga nor be me oh! I dey go workshop!! Nor kee (kill) me oh, na workshop i dey go!!!”
Those were the words that woke me up at 3am Wednesday morrin. I hear gun shot, naim i jump up comot from my bed like one kind agile antelope….i dey look left right.,up, down..who,what, how,wetin???!!! I run go the verandah and what do I see? My parents, neighbours and some unknown men flogging crase comot one guy body. Ahn ahn, this is 3am na, wetin dem dey flog this guy for na? Shooo….the guy dey hala! If evo (evil) spirit dey him body, d tin for don comot that night, even if evo (evil) spirit nor dey, he for confess winchcraft….cos the koboko wey dey wipe the guy ehn…nor be here oh!
Apparently, our compound was being robbed -the tenants majorly cos they lived in bungalows….some guys had scaled through the fence, cut a hole through the windows and threatened the families at gun point to give up their phones, money and other items. My bingo sniffed them out and would not stop barking…it kept barking around my parents bedroom till they woke up. It succeeded cos when that doggie decides to sit on a matter ehn, na u go tire. My parents called the neighbors on the phone…some of them didn’t pick, some were switched off (no light, so low battery). One of the tenants however sent a text. CALL POLICE!!!
Police no gree come, e be like say fuel no dey dia moto, but popsman called the vigilante’s and na so these guys sniffed round the compound and caught ogbeni i-dey-go-workshop in the bushes right behind the fence. He claimed he was going to the workshop, that he was an apprentice mechanic, them beat shege comot from d guy body, he still dey hala “i dey go workshop”…lol. Which workshop dey open by 3am ? he say he be apprentice. He be like say na armed robber apprentice he dey learn for 3am oru (night). Oya now, they waited till 6am and took him round all the workshops he claimed to be learning his trade…everybody deny am.lol. Una nor see say he don red for the guy???
They brought him back to our compound and put a tyre around his neck to set him ablaze, naim my mama hala say no oh…we don’t want bloodshed on this land…na suya???? So they carried him far away…perhaps he was burnt to death, perhaps he wasn’t, I don’t know. All I know say na everyday for the thief, one day for the owner. This is NOT the first time they are terrorizing our neighbours.
In the midst of all these adrenaline-pumping moments…we all (neighbours kon dey discuss):
- 1. -We couldn’t hear the robbers scaling through the fence and cutting windows cos everybody turn on their generator. If not that bingo chop eba that night, e for no get power to bark almost one hour non-stop.
- 2. -The streets were pitch dark, if only we had constant electricity to power street lights, or if the government invests in solar energy, robbers would find it hard to operate cos y’all know that darkness is the perfect cover for evil works.
- 3. I thought Police was our friend? If we call police and they cant come to our aid, then wahala dey. Why dem no go get fuel for moto? Thank God streets come up with the idea of vigilante’s, frankly they are more effective than any police I know.
Most of our problems in 9ja start with lack of constant electricity. Whoever wins this election last last had better light up 9ja or else???!!!
Ps. Bingo was the star of the day and got extra ori eja (fish head) from all the neighbours.
