Lagos

Adara embarked on her journey to lagos with eagerness. She felt scared at first with the speed

at which the vehicle was going but then relaxed after a while. After paying the bus fare of four hundred

naira, she had a sum of one hundred and fifty naira on her. She wondered if that amount would get her

to her final destination. She hoped it would and decided to take her mind off it and enjoy her journey

while it lasted. Adara loved the sightseeing. The cool breeze also felt heavenly. She began to count the

number of lovely cars one of which she would love to have in the future. Soon, she lost count, and then

dozed off. The cool breeze was appealing. She smiled to herself and shifted into a more comfortable

position as she drifted totally into sleep. She slept all through the way.

Adara woke up when the bus stopped for some passengers to alight at a bus stop called berger.

The bus the resumed its journey to Oshodi lagos where it was going to dispatch all its passengers. Soon,

the vehicle got to its destination and she got off to pick her polythene bag at the back of the bus

containing her few wears, a pair of slippers, toothbrush and her sum of one hundred and fifty naira. She

found a polythene bag where she placed hers picked it and went ahead to board a bus heading to

Ajegunle.

Adara didn’t realize what lagos really was until the conductor of the bus she boarded requested 

her transport fare. She peeped into her polythene bag, hoping to bring out her transport fare but

screamed out in shock for her bag had been tactfully exchanged and replaced. The replaced bag

contained dreadful substances; in the bag were female body parts.

       Adara`s scream and failure to provide her transport fare made the passengers curious.

Eventually, everyone knew what had happened and the incident brought the bus to a stop. Though, it

was a few meters from Ajegunle garage. Adara was in a disheartening state of shock and fear. She was

shocked as to how she could have been implicated without her knowledge until that moment. She

feared the reaction of the crowd who had now gathered to examine the contents of the bag would be. 

She hoped they would be nice and understanding.

Suddenly, Adara was grabbed and showered with slaps and curses. The crowd threatened to kill

her, unless he confessed who had sent her and how the traitor could be tracked down. She pleaded her 

innocence and tried to explain herself out but the crowd wouldn’t listen to the nine-year-old. The poor

girl was severely beaten, the people taking no pity on her. They claimed they knew her type who were

accomplices to human traders and always served as a means of transportation, whereby the goods

would be transported to their destinations without being caught or suspected by the police or people

due to their disguise of being little to engage in such crimes. Adara was able to understand through the

conversation of the people who were standing by, hailing those beating her to intensify the beating for

her to confess claiming that a boy of her age, size and height had been caught for the same crime.

At this point, she was seriously bleeding and the crowd had resolved to set her ablaze since she

had refused to confess. They were at the point of carrying out their action but were stopped by the

arrival of the police. Most of the crowd took to their heels. Adara later understood why they fled when

the police pushed everyone present including her into a waiting van as they were all driven to the police station. She was given a piece of rag to wipe the blood gushing out of her blistered and cut lips, cheeks, 

forehead and legs. Her left cheek was badly swollen as if an egg was in her mouth, while her forehead

was slightly swollen. Her eyes were blood-shot yet her beauty couldn’t be eradicated. Adara was crying

profusely for she had always heard of the suffering of the innocent ones, but had never seen or

experienced it.

Adara remained in custody for four days having sessions of interrogations each day. Luck shone

on the poor girl on the fifth day of her detention. The criminal who had implicated her by being careless

enough to pick up the girl`s polythene instead of his was caught and arrested nearby while trying to get

away with his “stuffs”. He was brought to Ajegunle police station for that was the headquarters and it

had better and secure cell where such criminals could be tortured and disciplined while being tried in

court. Adara recognized the criminal as the passenger who sat right next to her on the bus. She was

rendered an apology and told to be more careful and vigilant in the future after the criminal had

confessed that he was the same traitor who had implicated the girl due to carelessness and hastiness to

deliver his “stuffs”.

      *                    *               *            *

Adara was released from police custody and the police chief inspector promised to give her a

ride in his old Volkswagen car to her destination as a way of compensating her for all the trouble and

punishment she had undergone, although that was not nearly enough. He also promised to help her

locate Bobo lagos after he had questioned Adara on why those she was going to meet didn’t come looking for her. She had to narrate her ordeal to the inspector, who Bobo lagos was, and how he had

been nice so far, though the inspector didn’t believe the latter description of the girl`s ‘savior’. The

police inspector fulfilled his promise and he set out with Adara to find Bobo lagos through an address

she had been given by the natives.

It didn’t take much stress for Adara and the inspector to locate Bobo lagos`s residence for

almost everyone knew who he was and where he resided. The house was a story building, one of those

that could accommodate lots of tenants. Bobo lagos owned a one-bed-room apartment on the upper

floor of the house. The inspector was shocked at the appearance of the guardian of such an innocent girl

and the environment in which she would stay. Bobo lagos had already braided his hair after it had been

dyed ‘yellowish orange’. He also had on his neck a big chain almost like the type used for Alsatian dogs

with the pendant of a human skull. He had rings on every of his fingers and he reeked heavily of alcohol.

He greeted the inspector with a few thuggish slangs, and then thanked him for helping him deliver his

house help from the hands of the “lagos welcomers” after Adara`s ordeal had been narrated to him. The

inspector was further baffled when he told Adara not to come in yet for he was having a hot moment

with his girlfriend. Apparently the girl didn’t understand what Bobo lagos had said but she nodded and

proceeded to sit at the balcony while she waited for her host to let her in. the inspector left bewildered,

but before he did, he gave her a sum of two hundred naira, and told her that he would have helped her

especially with accommodation ‘but here in lagos’ he said, ‘one must be extra careful’ he then left

bidding her good luck.