A text came in after the call and I checked, it was an account number from the lawyer. I sat down on my bed and I started thinking of where to get money before the next day to send to this lawyer. The only person that came to my mind was bimpe. “But how do I tell her that I needed that huge amount?, and the worst thing was that how do I tell her I needed it for segun?. On the other hand, I began to think this could be a scam. How can someone be locked up and his family would not be aware of his arrest?.
I couldn’t sleep that night and I was seriously bothered, one part of me was telling me to call bimpe and beg her for money to send to the lawyer, the other part of me was telling me to ignore it that it was a scam. I became confused and don’t know what to do next. I picked my phone and check my contacts to see if I could talk to one of his relatives, I found his sister’s number who stays in the north, I went out to buy 400naira worth of airtime and called her to enquire about segun.
ME: hello ma
SEGUN’s SISTER: hello good evening onihaxy, long time ooooo. This one that you called me today after so many years, I hope you have goodies for me?
ME: ***smiled****
SEGUN’s SISTER: abi now. So how are you? And how is work? I heard you have been out of akure.
ME: yes ma, work is fine and everything is fine ma. How is segun?, are you hearing from him?
SEGUN’s SISTER: segun?, its been long I heard from him. Its been over a month now. He doesn’t call unless I call him.
ME: eeyah. I have been trying to reach him since last weekend and his number has not been reachable.
SEGUN’s SISTER: eeyah. Maybe I will try calling him tonight before I sleep.
ME: **felt like breaking the crime news to her but I kept mute on it*** ok ma, pls help me tell him to call me when you get through to him.
SEGUN’s SISTER: ok dear, goodnight.
Still curious and restless, I called my mum in to ask if she saw segun recently and she told me the last time she saw segun was 3-weeks ago.
Haa!!!, “what do I do now?”, segun’s sister does not know his whereabouts, mumsy said its been long she saw segun, he had relocated from the address he used to reside to another area 5 months ago and neither my mum nor I knew the address because I was in ado ekiti when he changed apartment. I called his sister back to ask if she eventually reached segun and she told me segun’s line was unreachable.
My heart began to beat heavily and faster and I don’t know what to do next.
“Should I beg bimpe for money to pay this guy?”
“Should I ignore?”
“What if segun is eventually in police net?”
“Won’t I look like a bad friend for not helping?”
“I trust segun, he would go any length for me to be free if I were to be in his situation”.
” Segun will go any length to free me if I were to be the one arrested”.
After thinking for a long time, I made up my mind and concluded to travel to home the next day. “Tomorrow is friday and I’m supposed to be at work, what do I do?”. I picked my phone and called my teamlead to inform him that I wasn’t feeling fine and would be going to the hospital for a treatment on friday morning, he told me “no problem, but when you are coming here on monday morning, don’t forget to bring your doctor’s report because that will be the only evidence to show that you actually visited an hospital and it will be filed in your folder”.
Mtcheeew, doctor’s report?, that one na small thing!!!, I picked my phone and called bimpe.
ME: hi bimpe,
BIMPE: hello uncle onihaxy
ME: ***uncle onihaxy kee?*** can I speak with you for a moment please
BIMPE: ****background conversation: its uncle onihaxy*** ok, I’m with you.
ME: who are you talking with there?
BIMPE: its henry, he asked me who is concubine talking with me and I said its you.
ME: ***laughed*** let me speak with him
BIMPE: ok. ***gave the phone to henry***
HENRY: hi mr onihaxy
ME: hi sir, good evening sir, its been a long time sir. I’m sorry for not calling you all this while.
HENRY: no problem na. But you can talk to mummy daniella abi?
ME: haaa, not like that sir. I just wanted to make some enquires from her concerning some medical issues.
HENRY: no wahala, just kidding, you are free. Hope you are hearing from betty
ME: yes sir, we spoke everyday, I’m seriously missing her.
HENRY: hmmmmm, she is enjoying herself with her father in abuja oooo.
ME: ***confused, hmmmmmm she truely went to see her father in abuja, I thaught*** yes, she told me, when will she be back to lagos.
HENRY: I can’t say ooo. It depends on her and when her father decided to release her. But she should be back before the end of the month sha.
ME: ok sir
HENRY: you are welcome, let me hand you over to mummy daniella.
ME: ok sir
BIMPE: uncle onihaxy, you said you wanted to speak with me.
ME: yes, please I need a doctor’s report on malaria/typhoid please.
BIMPE: what for?, what happened?
ME: I wanted to travel home tomorrow and I lied at work that I’m sick and would be going to clinic for check up.
BIMPE: hmmmmm, so how will you get the report?
ME: hmmmmmmm, can it be scanned and sent to my mail?
BIMPE: no problem sir, send your email to me.
ME: no problem, thank you very much ma. And secondly, I wanted to borrow small money from you till month end when I will be paid at work.
BIMPE: ehn ehn?
ME: yes, like 50k
BIMPE: ok, no problem
ME: thank you so much
BIMPE: you are welcome sir. Do have a good night rest.
ME: sweetdreams . Bye.
I picked my small cross bag, stocked it with 3 shirts and some other things while I planned on how to travel home very early the next day.
I woke up very early on Friday morning, I had my bath and went straight to the park and got there around 5:30am and the bus took off at around 6am. My mind was seriously troubled with mixed thoughts of either meeting my friend chilling at home or chilling inside police cell. I lost appetite to eat anything that morning, all I just wanted is to see segun. At few minutes past 7am, bimpe called me to request for my account number which I sent to her immediately. While I was still in the bus reminiscing and thinking, my phone rang again at 7:25am, I looked at the screen and found out it was the lawyer calling and I picked.
ME: hello good morning
LAWYER: good morning. I just want to inform you that I’m on my way to the station. The DPO said I should be there to meet him latest by 9am. And anything beyond that, your friend is going to court.
ME: haa, I don’t have that huge amount at the moment and there is no way I can raise it today.
LAWYER: haaa, how do you want us to do it now? I don’t want this case to go to court, or else, more money will be spent on the case, and he might be eventually jailed.
ME: that is true, but what can we do now?
LAWYER: ok, can you get like 50k?, I will try and arrange for the rest, he is a very good friend of mine also.
ME: ok, I will try. But can I speak with him please?
LAWYER: no, you won’t be able to speak with him until he is been released. He had been restricted from communications.
ME: ok, can I bring the money to the station myself?.
LAWYER: bring money by yourself?, but I was told you are far away in lagos. How will you make it down here before 9am?.
ME: ***this should be real oo. How come he knew I was in lag?**** I should be able to make it sir.
LAWYER: this is 7:30am, its impossible for you to be here before 9am.
ME: ok please, can you help me to negotiate a little time with the police to wait for my arrival?.
LAWYER: there is no time for that. After 9 o’clock, there would be no remedy again and it will be late to save him. Well, if you insisted that you can’t rescue your friend, then no problem. Let me call the police and tell them to forget about settling the case out of court then.
ME: haaaaa!!!!!!
LAWYER: meet your friend in court on tuesday Mr onihaxy. I’m done with this case. And if you still need my assistance in court, call me when you are around and let’s discuss the service charge.
ME: ok ok ok, I will send the money.
LAWYER: its late already mr onihaxy, I have another person’s case to attend to, employ another lawyer to bail your friend. Bye.
ME: hello
LAWYER: ****hanged up****
I was totally confused and began to sweat instantly. I checked my contacts again and I couldn’t find anyone to call who could help me to confirm segun’s whereabouts. I had no choice than to call the lawyer again myself. I dialled his number and he didn’t pick up. He eventually picked up after the 6th call.
ME: hello sir, please I’m ready to send the money sir.
LAWYER: get another lawyer sir, I’m no longer interested.
ME: I’m sorry sir, I don’t have anyone else to call. I don’t want my friend to step his feet into court let alone going to jail please.
LAWYER: ok, I’m expecting the transfer so that I can withdraw it before 9am.
ME: ok sir. I’m in a bus going to work, I will transfer it latest 8:30am sir.
LAWYER: ok, no problem. Later ***hanged up*******
This time, I became totally confused. The time was 8am and I was still at ijebu ode. I began to contemplate on whether to send the money or not. Even if I was going to send anything, I needed to get down from the bus or I use my bank application on my phone.
At 8:20am, I got a credit alert of 50k in my account and I got a little bit relieved that solution was near. At 8:35, the lawyer called me again to tell me he was on his way to the police station and he needed to get the money before getting there. I begged him and told him to wait for me that I was caught up in a traffic. I guess he heard the sound of a moving vehicle and got convinced. He said to me ,”Anyways, I’m with my ATM card, you have to be fast as 9am is the deadline please”. I replied and said thank you sir.
Fews minutes to 9am. I was still in the bus as the bus had already reached ore and was getting closer to ondo town. The battery of my phone was already at 11% and I was praying hard for it not to go off. My phone rang again and I looked at the screen. It was the same lawyer calling. Before I could pick the call, my battery meter showed the red colour and immediately, “battery is too low for radio to use” was displayed on the screen as the network changed from “EDGE” to “OFF”. I just made up my mind and I was like ” too late to play game and pull stunts, the hard way……the only way!!!!!!”
I remained inside the bus with a mixed feelings. I thought of the lawyer who could have been trying my line, I thought of my friend who was in the police cell, I thought of how jail was going to look like on him and I started to rebuke it as I was thinking out loud that even the co-passengers sitting closer to me began to look at my face with this kind of “hope this boy isn’t mad” look but I ignored them and focus more on how to see my friend and rescue him.
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WATCH OUT FOR EPISODE 17
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