My Unforgotten Christmas Tale [Based on A True Life Story]

I met two gang of robbers on Christmas Eve, the second was the worst.

My friends and I left Abuja for Otukpo by 4pm on the 24th.

We'd planned to follow the new route from Keffi straight to Otukpo. We would be home in time for Christmas vigil; or so we thought.

None of us knew exactly where the new route started, since none of us has been home in the last six months,  we only knew it was somewhere in Keffi.

We missed it!

By the time we realised our mistake we were already near Akwanga. So we took the old route we knew, the 5 hour route that would take us through Makurdi.

We still had hopes of spending Christmas eve with our families.

Then our seemingly unadventurous journey took a sudden turn for the opposite.

Just a few minutes after we drove into Benue we ran into huge traffic on the highway, in those places that feels like the middle of nowhere.

We thought there'd been an accident, but no, we were told that robbers had blocked the road in front of us and were robbing travellers.

That was the first gang.

It was past 7pm. We waited there for about 20 minutes, then we heard sporadic gunfire in the distance.

About 50 cars were parked with us on the road, but everywhere was silent, everyone was tense waiting for the worst.

Eventually, some agonising minutes of silence after the gunshots, we saw headlights approaching. The robbers were done and the coast was clear again.

We continued on our way.

Some minutes from the scene of the robbery we ran into a police checkpoint.

The policeman flashed his lights into our faces, even though our inner lights were on. He asked for licence and registration, my friend provided them.

He took the papers and asked us to park, we did.

"Where una from?" He asked.

"Abuja" replied my friend.

"Where una dey go?"

"Otukpo."

"Who get this motor?" He flashed his lights around the car.

"Na me get am" answered my friend.

"Where the original papers".

"E dey house, officer. Na only photocopy I dey carry waka".

"That means you go follow us go station be dat" said the officer, and walked away to continue collecting roger from passing trailers.

This was the second gang.

Now, we understood exactly what was going on. They wanted money.

And we knew our rights, but no matter how educated or sophisticated you are, as a young Nigerian, especially male, it's not advisable to argue your rights with armed Nigerian policemen at an apparent illegal checkpoint at night, and in middle of nowhere.

A lot of young people have lost their lives like that and nothing came out of it.

We had been profiled.

We were three young men in our twenties and a teenager, traveling in a big car, from a big city,  and looking rich, so we were easy targets for extortion.

We decided to play ball so they'd let us go.

They asked us to pay 5K.

We pleaded with them to be reasonable. All our pleas fell on deaf ears.

I even flashed my ID and played the "I am a corper" line. It didn't work.

Oga said I should abandon my friends and go or he'd arrest me along with them.

But what crime had we committed exactly?

My friend had his kid brother with him. A kid!

It didn't matter to these people.

I was the only one with cash on me. I always travel with cash, no matter how small, incase something goes wrong. I'm paranoid like that.

And all the cash I had left was 5K.

We gave them 3K, I didn't want to but I just wanted them to let us go so we could get to our families who were already blowing up our phones and going crazy at home.

They blatantly refused.

"So una mean to tell us say Abuja big boys like una no fit raise ordinary 5K inside unaself to settle us? Una go spend Christmas here be dat!" Said the officer.

'Abuja big boys'. Packaging will sha not kill Abuja people one day.

Did I mention that my friend who was driving was in handcuffs all this time? They said he looked like a fraudster.

We were helpless.

They held us for over 2 hours.

And when they eventually realised that they couldn't squeeze any more money out of us, they took the 3K from us and reluctantly let us go.

It was past 10 pm.

It was past 11 pm when we finally made it to Makurdi. By that time we were already too tired and demoralised to continue any further. Plus we had a kid with us, and three very worried mothers calling us none stop.

We decided to crash in Makurdi for the night to avoid any further encounter with the gentlemen of the highway.

My mom was coming from Christmas vigil when I returned her call. The poor woman was hysterical, but thanked God I was safe.

I met two gang of robbers on Christmas Eve, the second was the worst; because they are armed and funded by the government.

Merry Christmas!

Written By Jude Eze

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