Mothers' cry (1994 - 1998) - Episode 12

 

There was a heavy gridlock along Jebba-Mokwa road, heavy trucks plying the road have made it a herculean task for small vehicles trying to navigate huge potholes that have made the road bad, it is a nightmare for every driver who always cursed government for neglecting the road. It served as link between the West and the North, every driver tried to reach Niger Bridge, they are eager to leave behind Jebba axis of Kwara State.

Sun was at its peak, blasting from its peak thereby producing furnace effect upon those on the road, many vehicles without luxury of Air Conditioner wind down their glasses to enjoy breeze that has turned to oven emitting heat.

One bus driver told his passengers that “it is as if God is angry with everybody in Nigeria because of this heat, everybody is sweating profusely because of blood of innocent lives Abacha is taking every day”. He picked a dirty face towel from his dash box to clean his face.

All Passengers looked at him without responding . They heard him but were afraid of talking about Abacha in public transport, there have been hearsay stories about those that insulted him in public transport and ended up in police custody. They are all careful because they don’t know identity of other passengers.

A white coaster bus with tinted glass sped passed the driver to the Niger Bridge, the driver muttered an inaudible word against the other driver of the bus, he stretched his left hand outside and displayed his five fingers.

Tayo was inside the white bus, he pleaded with those in the bus to remove cloth used to cover his face, both his hands and legs were cuffed, one of them removed the cloth, he occupied the last seat, one man sat beside him, he looked through window, he saw large river on both side, he wanted to know his exact location, he looked up and saw Welcome to Niger State

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. He knew he has been arrested by government because those that came to his office in the morning said they are from the Department of State Service.

Everything happened to him very fast, he never saw it coming, there was report that Abacha’s campaign in Ibadan yesterday turned violent between Civil Society groups and the Military. Almost ten persons were reportedly shot dead by Soldiers who also sustained injury from stone and broken bottle carrying Citizens. Both Lamidi Adedibu and Arisekola Alao escaped being lynched by angry youths.

He was about calling his Lawyer that Nigerian Voices was allegedly seized on newsstands across the nation, he wanted to sue government for damages, he was about making the call when his secretary ran to his office that some armed men have invaded the office premises shooting sporadically into the air. Everybody ran for safety, three men forcefully entered his office, he was manhandled and was led to a waiting bus.

He saw through the bus glass that they sealed up the company and armed men were stationed at the entrance. That was the last thing he saw before they covered his face and cuffed both his hands and legs like a common criminal.

“Where are you taking me to and what is my offence?”

Tayo used his elbow to hit glass to attract them but none of them answered him.

Many thought were going through his mind. Are they out to kill him and disposed of his body in the bush?

Thought of underground cells operated by DSS came to his mind, it was getting dark when they entered Kaduna, he was expecting them to stop there but they refused. He asked them again where are they taking him to but they refused to answer him.

He rested his back on the chair, he wanted to cry but he stopped it. That will be a sign of weakness, it will show that they have broken him. They stopped in Kano to refuel the bus, he heard the driver telling the attendant to full the tank. He resigned to fate that they are taking him to a far distance where nobody will rescue him. They entered Bauchi state when it was very dark, there was no light for him to check his wrist watch but the entire road has been deserted.

Read " Talent on the Street " by the same author ( taiwo emmanuel )

. Life was leaving him gradually, he was famished, he hasn’t taken anything since morning and he has been on the road for almost fifteen hours.

“Na you sabi how to write” he opened his eyes, he can’t see the person’s face clearly but he knew it was the man that sat beside the driver, he appeared to be the leader of the operation.

“You saw what happened in Ibadan, you called for it and it happened” the man stopped talking when they approached a police check point. Tayo didn’t hear conversation between the man beside the driver and the police officer but they were passed to continue their journey.

A torch was flashed into his eyes, he opened it hurriedly. Those men that arrested him in Lagos have disappeared from the bus. He saw some vehicles that were parked, he was led away from the bus. He didn’t know his present destination, the man that hold the torch held him by his trouser and led him to a cell, the man locked him in the cell after moving cuffs in his hands and legs.

He sat on the floor, rested his back on the wall, he slept off. The man came back in the morning to open the cell for him to have his bath.

“Where am I?”

The man failed to answer him but gave him a sign by his hand to move before him.

He took his bathe, the man gave him a tooth brush, a tooth paste, a bar soap and a towel. He gained little strength after taken his bath, the man told him to return to his cell for his breakfast. He was about eating his food when someone called his name, he was amazed. He moved to the entrance of his cell to see his caller, the voice came from the cell opposite him, he opened his mouth in ajar when he saw the person.

He put his food down, he was wondering what Sule Lamido was doing in detention, he remembered he was pick up last week by some operatives of the DSS, he asked Lamido where he was.

“Tayo, you are in Maiduguri”.

He didn’t know whether to cry or faint, he has never been to Maiduguri in his life, it was not in his wildest dream to step his feet in the State.

Lamido told him that many Anti-Abacha voices have arrested, they are languishing in detention across Nigeria. Abacha took them away from their relatives to break them, those that are lucky have gone into exile. Some have to disguised to gain entry to neigbouring countries, they are fighting from outside.

  Tayo asked him how he got the news since he has been in detention for days, some operatives of the DSS are sympathetic to his plight, they allowed him to have  access to Radio and newspapers, they have means of getting it across to him.

“They are hostile when their superior are coming to see if I am still alive” Lamido giggled.