While certain people try to take advantage of trafficking children from the Eastern Nigeria to the Western, a lady tried to escape from the claws of law enforcement officers by using an innocent passenger to cover her tract. Tarbita tells Utitofon Idara a correspondent with Scroll Report her horrific experience.
Excerpts:
In 2016, Tabitha an under graduate of Cross River State University of Technology (CRUTech), Nigeria. She was traveling from Cross River State to Lagos where she resides with her parents. At the bus terminal, she paid and waited patiently for their bus to prepare for departure. Just then, a lady in her age approaches her with a smile and after pleasantries she was pleased she has a gist partner while the journey lasted. But the lady informed her she will not be traveling but came to see her two younger ones off pointing to two young girls behind them. Her joy parched because there is nothing to be discussed or talked about with the girls who were between the ages of 11 and 13.
However, the lady requested for her phone so she can reach the person to pick these girls up when they get to Lagos claiming that her phone has no battery power due to lack of power the previous night. She innocently handed her phone to her. She did make the call and handed her back the phone and thanked her immensely. That was the last she can tell of that lady.
Not long afterwards, the journey started, it is common knowledge that at every border between two States there is always a check point especially when it became a widely issue that most persons go to the eastern parts of the Country pick minors and bring them to Lagos for either forced labor or child trafficking. Hence, at every check point there must be stop and check. This happened when they got to a check point between Cross River State and Abia State. The bus was stopped and the immigration Officers glanced through the bus, at these two young girls their eyes fixed, they asked “who are these children traveling with?” no one answered they asked the second time then she remembered those girls at the park, according to her she was at the back seat while these girls were in the seats next to the driver so she didn’t even keep them in her mind couple with the fact that their sister didn’t hand them over to her as their guide through the journey.
A twist happened when the immigration Officers asked again, this time with a louder voice, one of the passengers turned to her and said in a very arrogant voice “but I saw their sister spoke with you” to her, I was trying to hide my identity because during that period was this child trafficking and child labor in the news, it was a story on everyone’s lips. The government stepped in and tried to curb the menace by making sure that children without a proper identification were not allowed to move out of the eastern parts to the west especially Lagos and Abuja. I have never been shocked in my entire life, I told the woman immediately “I do not know what you are talking about” she insisted she saw me discussing with their sister, and I said “no she only greeted me and I thought she was travelling so I was glad I had someone to gist with along the journey and the only thing is that the lady begged me to use my phone to call Lagos” That statement, “use my phone to call Lagos” was her greatest undoing. The officers ordered the driver to clear properly and asked everyone to disembark.
It all happened like a joke, before I could defend myself more, they ordered everyone to get into the bus except myself and the girls. “I cannot describe how mad I became, I want to believe that if they had a gun I would have been dead that day” I screamed with all my might held unto the bus and said they can never leave me behind because I do not have another money to start the journey of 8 to 12 hours from that position. After much pandemonium the officers said the bus is grounded and no one goes to anywhere. They asked me to produce my phone so they can check the phone number the lady called. I gladly brought out my phone with the hope that once they see the last call I will be free from this accusation I know absolutely nothing about, my world came crashing when I realized that the lady had deleted the number she called. I immediately remembered that I saw her spoke to the driver before she disappeared from my eyes, and I mentioned that pointing at the driver but all that fell on deaf ears. Without asking these girls a word, we were separated. I was placed in a compound and the girls in another.
Then interrogation started, from 9am over 6 officers interrogated me, each one will come with a different form and tactics, the first came, “woman who gave you these children?” I started the explanations from the beginning, another came “at your age how can you be involved in this kind of a business venture?” I gave the explanations again after about an hour another one came in “if you do not tell us the truth, you are going to prison” A more senior officer came in and said “it is better you talk, the girls are talking, are they related to you?” “Are you from same village?” and all these continued till 5pm that evening.
One Officer then came in, maybe a more superior than all others, when I saw his name I started to speak in his language Immediately explaining again from the beginning of that day till evening that I do not know anything about what I was accused of. The man then told me to go to the bus and warned me never to hand over my phone to anyone to use without my supervision. He added that the only thing that saved me is that the children said they do not know me and they were expecting some calls to come through to my phone but none came. We were
released to continue the journey to Lagos at 6pm while the children were left behind with the officers at that check points.
I cannot express in words my feelings and pains of being falsely accused, I Have never seen a journey that long, I kept looking at that woman imagining how I can make her feel my pains and how I can convince every other passengers that I was innocent, everything I mean everything happened like a trance, we got to Lagos the following day. Not sure if I had any food throughout the journey and if I did I can’t remember what it was. Then “I vowed never to be naive again like I was described by the officer, I vowed never to lose my guard again, that experience still gives me goose bombs each time I recount it. Thanks to God I’m here to tell the story”
Her story calls to mine about a Lady on social media with a similar situation where an old woman wanted to rope her into carrying a bag containing drugs for her. Thanks to the air hostess that told them she will handle the bag only to get to arrival the old woman was arrested she turned to the lady and claimed is her child, the case took a different turn when they ask her to mention the name of her supposed Child. It was at that point the innocent passenger was allowed to go but not without few hours’ detention and questioning.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with becoming acquainted with people along the road in life, some meet good friends, some become permanent friends, some meet marriage mate, some meet a friend who introduce them to a job, a business or even a connection. Others meet what they call destiny helpers, some acquaintances/friends can become destiny destroyers and if one is not fortunate like the case of Tabitha, such one could land in prison like that popular program on a certain channel called banged up abroad or death.
In all, choose a lesser evil, watch the back, be sure of whom to talk to or with, what was the conversation about? Above all, keep all details, learn to recap all events that happen in during each day life’s journey.
