'How I Spent My Birthday With Armed Robbers' - Deputy Speaker LASPOTECH SUG

Dreadful Birthday

A couple of years back, I had a chat with the Deputy Speaker, Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) Student Union Government (SUG), Ismail Olajogun Abimbola and I just thought I should share his story with you.

Enjoy the story below:

When he left home for work on December 14, it was his birthday and like most rational Nigerians, he expected the day to be characterized by birthday greetings, greeting cards and a birthday gift or two.

However, contrary to his expectations, the day ended with slaps, guns and to make matters worse, the malevolent company of four dare devil armed robbers.

This was the story of the Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State Polytechnic’s (LASPOTECH) Student Union Government (SUG), Ismail Olajogun Abimbola as he recalled the ugly details of how he was held to ransom by armed robbers who operate with commercial vehicles (notoriously known as ‘One Chance’) on his way home from work.

In a chat with Simply Samad, the deputy speaker narrated how his birthday, which started on a promising note spiraled into the path of a four-man armed robbery gang.

The Deputy Speaker in Abimbola

“I’m from Imefo Ako in Ogun State. I’m a 25-year-old Muslim and I study Civil Engineering at the Lagos State Polytechnic (HND II). In every government, you have three arms. You have the executive, the legislative and the judiciary. The house we operate here is the Students’ Representative Council, which comprises the speaker and the deputy speaker, the mace bearer, the Chief Whip, Clerk of the House and two principal officers which are the majority leader and the minority leader.

The ill-fated day

“Two years ago, I had an encounter with these ‘One Chance’ robbers. Coincidentally, it was on my birthday on December 14 was during my Students’ Industrial Working Experience Scheme (SIWES). I was supervising a construction site at Aguda. That day, we were casting a slab for a two-bedroom flat. And for all engineers, we tend to do all concrete work on the same day if it is possible. We don’t like spreading it to the next day because setting of concrete has to do with time. That day, we didn’t finish work till about 10:00pm. I had to stay back for about an hour to tidy up because no one was allowed to sleep at the site and also because after that day, no one was allowed to come to the site until after 21 days to allow the concrete to set.. I left the site about 11:45pm. Fortunately, one of the suppliers lives around Isolo so the guy decided to assist me to Isolo (under the bridge) where I expected to get a bus to Oshodi where I live. We got to the Isolo around 11:52pm and I alighted.”

Meeting the armed robbers

There were five other commuters with me under the bridge but the commercial vehicles were not coming forth. I was there for about ten minutes and when the first one came in, we rushed at it but unfortunately, it was able to carry only two of us. A few minutes later, I saw a car approaching us and I thought to myself: ‘It’s either this one or I sleep here.’ With that spirit, I rushed at the car and I saw that someone was already in the seat beside the driver and two others at the back seat so I hurried in. I was sitting beside the door and the short drive to charity bus stop commenced. Before we got to Five Star bus Stop, the driver asked me if I was paying with a small denomination. I replied in the affirmative and moved to get the money out of my pocket when the guy next to me brought out a gun and ordered me to move in; such that I would be sandwiched between the guy with the gun and the other passenger in the back seat. I complied and the driver; obviously a member of the gang politely asked me to close my eyes I did as instructed and the two men beside me started searching my pockets. They also collected the bag I had with me. The bag contained documents for the work at the site but they still searched it.

Almost mistaken for a policeman

“Unfortunately, I had my working boots inside the bag. Immediately the guy sitting beside the driver saw the boots, he said: ‘E be like say this one na police officer o (It appears our victim is a police officer).’ Immediately the guy to my right heard the comment, he gave me a dirty slap. After slapping me, he asked ‘Where’s your gun?’ Still with my eyes closed, I replied saying: ‘I don’t have a gun. Check the bag properly. You’ll see my ID and some other engineering stuff to tell you that I’m coming from a site.’ During the course of searching, he saw the drawings and relaxed. They asked for my phone and the one to my right removed my phone (a 3510i) from my pocket and gave it to the driver. The driver looked at the phone and said: ‘As a site engineer, you should have more than one phone-at least a land line’ and they started searching my pockets again. Despite the fact that I had my eyes closed, I noticed that anytime there was a complaint, the guy to my left would lash at me with a blinding slap. They took all the money I had in my pocket, took my wrist watch and the cap I had on that day.”

Educated but motivated to rob

“What I observed from their conversation was the fact that they all sounded like graduates because they were using selective words and not the everyday kind of words. For instance at one time, they said, ‘Calm down.’ At another time, they said: ‘Relax your nerves.’ All in all, they sounded like men with intellectual health. After I studied the situation, I knew for certain that they were not the type who would push a victim out of a moving vehicle. The one driving began questioning me. He asked for my name and when I said, ’Abimbola,’ he said, ‘I like your name.’ While he was doing that, he was trying to remove my SIM card form my phone. After he removed it, he gave it back tome. You’ll remember that I was asked to close my eyes. Without permission, I opened them to collect the SIM. The moment I picked the SIM from the driver’s palm, the guy to my left gave me another blinding slap saying: ‘Shut your eyes! How did you know he extended his hand to you?’ Meanwhile, the guy that was slapping me had earlier removed my wrist watch, which incidentally was a birthday gift given to me that day by my elder brother. When he removed it (a brand new Ricardo wrist watch), he started showing it to the one driving saying: ‘Ah! Wo eru-wo eru (Ah! See masterpiece-see masterpiece).’ However, the guy driving and the two others asked him to return the wrist watch to me, which he reluctantly did. As we approached Toyota, I overheard them saying they should drop me off at Toyota. When I heard that, I started to appeal saying, ‘Please, don’t add more to my problem. Why not take me to Charity Bus Stop.’ For some unbelievable reason, they agreed and continued driving. The one driving suddenly said unless I behave myself, they wouldn’t give me my bag. Back. I told them that I had no reason not to behave myself. They told me that once they stop the car, I should alight and cross to the service lane. I did as told and when they drove for about three seconds, they threw my back out of the car and I walked over and picked it up. That’s what happened that day and I will never forget it.”

Womanising

“Of course, I have come across bold female students who walk up to me asking for romance. The truth is that a stupid request or question requires a stupid answer. Don’t ever think that a question doesn’t make sense. There must be an answer to every question. Depending on what the situation warrants, there must be a way out. Part of the orientation I had then was that for you to be a good leader, you must be a very good crisis manager. So far, it has been fair. Womanising is a personal thing because everything in life has to do with orientation. If you have self discipline, there is nothing you can’t overcome. The issue of womanizing, frolicking with ladies or going to night clubs has to do with ones upbringing, self discipline and the way you want your life to be lived. I don’t believe in that. For anyone who does that, it’s inbuilt. I’m in a relationship now and not searching. It’s not easy to get a perfect lady so whoever comes your way has to understand you and vice versa.”

Source: Simply Samad’s ARCHIVE

Note: Abimbola is now 31 years old, happily married and resides in Lagos.