25th December 2018, a day to remember. I had just bought a new T-shirt, a pair of jeans and a pair of shoes the previous day and being a Christmas day, I decided to step out in grand style, looking flashy and flamboyant. You know, Christmas is my best season!.
Little did I know or feel that I was going to encounter tragedy. I have a good instincts that perceives bad omen but on this fateful day my instincts locked out. I was set for doom.
I had been at home all through the day and when the evening came I decided to step out. I stopped at my aunt's place, spent some good time devouring the delicious chicken, chin chin and malt that I was served. It was quite some nice delicacy I smashed so well.
I set out to go home late in the evening then my silly mind suggested I checked in Goodies Resort which is not too far from my aunt's place.
Goodies Resort was a hit back then, young boys and girls would always troop in to chill, relax and have fun. I was alone but just felt like going there. Maybe I could meet an old friend, a new friend or just stare at new faces making merry and dancing to the tune of the season. Wow! this was really exhilarating, I thought. Boom! I took a bike and alighted at Goodies Resort in no time.
I walked in, and at once I felt nervous but stubbornly moved around the premises without a specific direction. The place was rowdy and looking chaotic with broken bottles on the floor. There must have been a fight here. By the ways, civil defence corps were at the gate safeguarding the place when I came in. That gave me a bit ease.
After taking some strolls, sitting and standing up from different spots, I felt the nerve to leave the place and I walked out. As soon as I stepped out of the gate, I saw some boys standing some distance apart. These boys looked hostile. I became suspicious and skeptical about my movement because I was supposed to move towards where they were standing (by the roadside) to pick a bike and go home.
I took the bold step and landed into trouble. First, one of them walked up to me and exchanged pleasantries with me. He called me "my guy" and acted like he was an old time friend. At first, I mistook him for an old friend but then I looked again and saw it was just a mere resemblance. But just when I was about to stumble out of my confusion they became two in number, then three and then four. One of them said "guy wetin dey for ur boys na" . At this moment I knew I was in trouble.
I had a bottle of soft drink in my back pocket, my phone in my right front pocket with an earpiece connected to it, passing through my shirt and dangling right in front of my chest. I adjusted the earpiece and slipped it into my pocket together with the phone and placed my hand inside the pocket holding the phone tightly. They were after my phone and even the drink. I wouldn't give any. One of them said "this guy de lamba and na color, make we down am". Ah! Down who? Innocent me.
They laid emphasis on my dress code and insisted that I belonged to the Vikings confraternity. It was at this moment I realized that I was putting on a red shirt, black jeans and red shoes. I had been completely oblivious that I was dressed like that. Though being someone who has grown up in a kind of rugged and crooked environment I knew that members of the Vikings confraternity are fond of such dress codes. I was just foolish and paid less attention to my dress code that day.
I was able to convince one of them who looked a bit calm, to have a one-on-one talk with him aside. My intentions were to zoom off or move back to the gate and meet the security personnels who couldn't see what was going on from where they were standing.
While I was trying to settle this amicably, one of them went in and called another one whom they tagged as "senior man". Senior man came forth and the first thing he did was to throw me a slap. Grace of God helped me to dodge the slap. I would have fainted. The guy who was having a one-on-one talk with me calmed him down. And while they were looking a bit away I swiftly moved away and back to the security personnels. The boys didn't follow me.
I stood infront of the security men for a while but foolishly did not report the case to them, hoping the boys will go away then I would go back to the roadside and pick a bike.
Eventually, the boys moved away then I set off to the roadside again. Lo and behold!, these boys had not gone anywhere but rather laid an ambush for me in the dark. As soon as I moved away from the light and got into the dark zone, they came out in numbers, about 7 of them. This time they were fierce and wild. They started dragging me into the darker zone. I got so scared but had to try something, man must survive.
I refused to walk while they were dragging me, they had to pull me with my legs stretched out to the back and scrubbling on the ground. At a point, I pulled my hands out of their hands and sat on the ground. They cared less and waited for me to get done with my "gra gra".
I sat on the ground and in microseconds I had a plan of escape in mind. This was happening right beside the roadside, in the pedestrian lane. These boys surrounded me leaving just a tiny space that led into the main road. I was calculating the distance of the last car approaching and aiming to dive into the road and make a U-turn back to the gate where the security men were standing. I got my timing right and took the escape step. One of them kicked me in my ankle and I felt my right leg hitting my left leg. God so kind I didn't fall. I ran so fast, back to the gate. They followed up but stopped as soon as they saw me with the security men.
I reported the case now and the security men asked me to lead them to the boys so they could make some arrests. They were to see me off to a reasonable distance and go back to their duty post if they didn't find the boys. I insisted we stood at the gate. I would look for a bike at that spot while they would wait for the boys to stubbornly show up and then they would make the arrests.
After some few minutes the boys showed up, ignorant of the fact that I was still with the security men and when they saw me they took to their heels. Some ran into the resort and mixed with the crowd while the security men were able to arrest 3. They sat them down for some questioning and searching. They all denied the allegation levied upon them and begged me to vindicate them. I had two thoughts on my mind "allow the security men to arrest them, or vindicate them to set peace between me and them to avoid future consequences". I took the second thought. I vindicated them. They were released right away
I stood back with the security men at the gate and after some few minutes I got a bike and went home.
#SayNoToCultism
