Please beware of the kind of
people you ask directions from.
A friend of mine was recently robbed in the popular ‘Balogun market’ in Lagos. This is how it happened.
He was walking and needed
direction, he then asked one of those guys that stand on the road with some
samples of their goods in their hand (those guys that don’t have a shop). The
guy directed my friend to walk down a path, during which he (seller) had given
signs to some thugs down that path.
As my friend was walking down
that path, five thugs then surrounded him and started asking for money, he was
scared and tried to raise alarm but one slapped him and told him that if he didn’t
cooperate, they (thugs) would raise an alarm shouting ‘Ole’ meaning ‘thief’ and
of course mobs would gather and beat him, if not kill him.
Within few minutes four thugs
joined the five thugs, he was then surrounded with a total of nine thugs. He
just quietly brought out his wallet, the thugs took all the money in it and the
next step they took just baffled me.
They then brought out a white
paper and asked him to append his signature on it. He of course hesitated but
later gave a fake signature. They told him the signature was to proof that he
lost a gamble game with them just in case he wants to take the case further.
Whats more: After they let my friend go, he stood afar watching
those boys, trying to recuperate when he noticed they were on their next
victim, this ‘Victim’ tried to raise alarm to a nearby mobile police van which just
ignored him.
My advice here is if you want to
ask for direction, ask from shop owners and ask at least three different
people, two out of three are the right answers. Well that’s what I do.
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