Diary Of A Lagos Commuter: How Did My Money Just Disappear?
The other day, I entered a Keke Marwa [Tricycle] heading towards the bus station that connects Lagos Island to the Mainland. Halfway through the journey, one of the passengers appeared agitated and requested that the driver stopped so that he can alight. He hurried off in the opposite direction. While the driver was about to head on to continue the journey one of the other passengers jumped up– searched his pockets and turned them inside out– empty.
“My money has disappeared. All my money…” he announced in a surprised voice. He looked in the direction of the passenger that alighted earlier and sighted him.
The man with the empty pocket ran across the road and engaged the man in a stop-and-search session. A crowd soon gathered, some of them looked perplexed as they listened to the exchange between the two men–one accusing the other of theft . One of the onlookers suggested they searched the suspect very well. He must have used juju to empty the other man’s pocket.
What next? How will the story end? Will the accused be able to defend himself?
None of the others bothered me–the other passenger in the vehicle. The driver busied himself collecting his remaining fare from those who were yet to pay, before they disappeared into the crowd. I picked my bag and walked away before the mob changed their mind about accusing only one of the three passengers. Of course not before checking my wallet to be sure its content were still in tact.
Lagos public transport, filled with wierdos and wonders.
