The police officers drove around in circles for what seemed like hours. Then suddenly one of them turned to me in the back seat and said “Are you calm now?” Is this guy crazy, I thought to myself. You have me in handcuffs and you want me to be calm?
I composed myself and asked “Why did you handcuff me?” He said “Because you wanted to run away.” “If you promise to stay calm, we’ll take the handcuffs off.” As he said this, he instructed his partner to drive into a nearby park. It was one of those outdoor bars Nigerians like to call gardens for some reason.
When we got there, they took the handcuffs off and introduced themselves. One of them seemed cultured, like a real detective in a real country. Let’s call him Mike. The second looked like a typical Nigerian officer, faded out clothes and a protruding belly. Let’s call him Titus.
Mike took the lead and briefed me on the situation. The woman I had exchanged numbers with (let’s call her Mama Duke) was a wanted criminal who had been evading arrest for some time. Thus the police had resorted to picking up associates in a bid to catch her. To enable them do this, they tapped her phone and traced all communication.
So as soon as I sent her a text, my number was tagged and they began to trace me. He told me that the strange woman who had called me on Tuesday was acting on their orders. “You were too smart for us,” he said “So when you blocked her, we had to try another way to get you.” I was half scared and half amazed that the Nigerian police had the means to trace calls.
My next question was obvious “What did Mama Duke do? What’s her offence?” I asked. Mike hesitated, then he told me she was wanted for pretending to be a lawyer. To which I responded “So why don’t you go to court and catch her there?” “You can go to Law School and get all the evidence you need against her. There’s no need for all this trouble.”
I saw the look on Mike’s face quickly change to one of admiration. Then it hit me. They thought they were arresting an ignorant girl who didn’t know her left from her right. I might have been dumb enough to fall for their package at the gate trick but at least I knew how the law should work. He realized that he would need to come clean with me because I would obviously not buy their lame stories.
So he confessed that Mama Duke was wanted by the Presidency. The stakes were high and she had the means to leave the country at a moment’s notice. They were under a lot of pressure and it was their desperation that led them to arrest me. Apparently, they couldn’t get access to Mama Duke’s inner circle because they were all kingpins who had mastered the art of evading arrest.
The odds that they could use me to get to Mama Duke were slim but it was a risk they were willing to take. At this point, I asked if I could call my lawyer. “There’s no need for lawyers,” Mike said. “You didn’t commit any crime.” He said if I just cooperated with them, I would be back home in no time. I’m ashamed to say I believed him. So I asked how I could help.
“We need you to call Mama Duke and arrange a meeting with her,” he said. “Tell her you’re bored and you want to come and spend time with her.” I looked at Mike as if he had lost his mind. “What kind of silly story is that? I’m a grown woman, how can I tell another woman that I’m bored at home? ” He gave me a strange look and fell quiet.
I took over and said “Here’s a better idea: I’ll tell her that I’m new in town and looking for a mentor.” We agreed on my story and I went ahead to call Mama Duke. She sounded every bit like the pleasant woman I had met in church. The same one who convinced a fellow churchgoer to step forward and give his life to Christ. How could I have known she was a criminal? Lord have mercy.
I kept my cool and told her I wanted her to be my mentor as rehearsed. We made plans for lunch and she promised to confirm time and place the next day. When the conversation was over, I turned to the officers and said “I’ve done what you asked. Can I go home now?” The looks on their faces chilled me to the bone. “You don become police officer’s wife o,” Titus said.
I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I knew shit had just gotten real. Mike promised that we would make a quick stop at the station and then he’d take me home. I knew he was lying so I began to spread the word of my arrest. I sent my live location to two friends via WhatsApp and informed a colleague what had happened. As she was asking questions about where exactly I was, Mike grabbed my phone. “No more phone calls please,” he said.
All I could think was how much I wanted to wake up from this nightmare. How in the world did I end up in a Nigerian police station? It took all the faith, hope and strength I had left to mutter a short prayer. “God please help me. Please don’t let me die here.”
To be continued…
Wow what a story, can’t wait for the rest.