This is not my story. It was sent to my mailbox by the angel who came to my rescue when my car broke down on my way to Abeokuta. This was written by one Toyin Akpan and the note that came with it said it had already been published on the internet. I was not only worried by the bizarre experience but also by the advice given by the police. Maybe someone's attention should be brought to that advice before the lives of innocent Nigerians are wasted for refusing to stop at police checkpoints. Here it goes:
"ON February 17, at around 8.30am, driving a Toyota Camry 2006 model, a senior relative of a friend was savoring Akara Osu, a treat he had missed so much in the past one year he was away from
Nigeria
. He had just taken the second bite when the driver slowed down at a police check-point.
"It was 25 km to Ilesa, according to the mileage sign on the road. The Police officers were dressed in uniform, adorned with bullet-proof vests. The driver was asked to pull off the road, as about four other exotic cars had done. He obeyed. In a few minutes, the road was empty of oncoming cars. Then the Police officers gave the orders that changed the course of events. "We are armed robbers, if you move you are dead, drive and follow the officer," they said.
"About four to five cars, along with their occupants, were led through a bush path to a cleared open space off the expressway. This space will pass for a good playground for youths to play. They all could hear echoes of passing cars on the expressway, but they
could not see the cars. Already in this open space were some exotic cars, with their occupants lying faced down on the floor. The victims were of varying ages, but obviously middle and upper economic classes.
"Each new arrival roughly ransacked and disposed of valuables such as phones, money and jewelry. Some were beaten mercilessly for not giving what was requested. For example, an officer whose identity was discovered after his car was thoroughly ransacked, was beaten for not having his service pistol with him. Then they
asked the victims to lie face-down on the floor. After that batch was dealt with, the "officers" then proceed to the road to stop other cars and the process begins again.
"THE senior relative, having aged parents/in laws in his home town, had used a wedding ceremony as a good opportunity to visit. So he had money gifts for his family members in envelopes, some in his luggage and his pocket. The "officers" commended him for ending good account! He was rewarded with a seat initially, then later asked to lie down on the floor. It was interesting that after a while a member of the team of robbers came back to ask him how many envelopes and the contents were taken.
"During the time of the torture, the telephones of the "officers" will beep and conversations on cars' descriptions will be relayed and they shout to each other if the car is approaching or has been captured. This showed it was a network of surveillance. An example was a call alerting that the Toyota Camry of the senior relative will soon pass. Remember he stopped for Akara Osu! He therefore heard as one of the officers affirmed that the car had been captured!
"This continued till 10.30am, when they held an open meeting with themselves and felt they had enough to go home with. Then a decision of which vehicle to use to convey their bootie needed to be made. These robbers' first decision was to take the Camry, but when they got to the car, a tyre was down. This made them choose a Mercedes Benz S class belonging to an elderly Lawyer, who for over three hours had lay face-down, his hair grey with age! They parked all the booties into the Benz and left with the keys to all the other cars!
"AFTER they left, the victims helped one another but discovered they could not move any of the cars, with no money, no phone and dropped in the middle of nowhere. Some conversations naturally ensued among them. It was revealed that the earliest person was
captured at 7 am. He heard some gun shots further in the bush, but since he was face- down, he could not say much about who could be the victim. Another victim was locked up in his boot and had to escape while some were being beaten. A victim recounted that some ladies were raped during this period...
"After the ordeal, some were very thirsty but even "pure water" was a luxury as they and their drivers did not have any money. They were eventually lucky to get a Samaritan to convey some to a police station in Ilesa to report the case. The police towed the vehicles and assisted them to call their families and set them back on the road.
"HERE is an advice given to those robbed by a senior police officer in Osu - passengers should not stop for law enforcements agents, even though fully dressed and armed, unless there is a patrol vehicle parked next to them on the highway."
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