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Michael 'Gbenga Sile

@gbengasile

, 16 tweets, 7 min read

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So I wanted to rant since yesterday but wasn't in the mood. Hear me out now.

So I traveled to be with my family yesterday so I could escape the boredom of being stuck in Lagos all alone at home for days now. Yes o, I had to self isolate! I'm an obedient citizen nah. Lol.

Then the impending lockdown rumours were getting scary. Barely a week away from work and I was almost going crazy! Not to talk of an indefinite solitude. Man had to escape mehn! I set out and the road was pretty free. The fear of Miss Rona is the beginning of . . .

Fast forward to few minutes away from Ore and I meet these guys in uniform. I had met quite a number all the while anyway and most just waved me off. I figured my face mask scared them or something. Some of them also had masks and gloves too. Responsible officers! Lol

But this new group were having none off it. They asked me to PARK!!!

I was kinda surprised tbh. No one had asked me to park all day and I had passed at least 10 checkpoints. OK no wahala nah, I parked and from the rear mirror I observed the officer approaching my car. . .

The man was armed and all that but no gloves and no mask. I fitted my face mask properly and quickly used my hand sanitizer. He signalled for me to wind down and I did.

He had this hateful look on his face. That 'all this small boys dey flex and we dey her for hot sun' look. . .

I understood his pain but I hated the look. It wasn't my fault that he was doing his job, was it? I answered him in my head: 'Guy I no send you o! There is a transformer in Ore. You can go and hug it, boss'. Of course this was all in my head. You think I'd dare say that for real?

Haba! Dude had a gun mehn. I love myself a little more than that jare.

Fast forward sha. Dude asked for my papers and I handed them over. He checked them and started going about some Police OMR or AMR s**t. The usual bullcrap they always do.

I was used to it anyway but come on, today of all days??? His colleague joined him and they started using me to play police chess sha. I was like 'Guys do we really have to do this now? Rona is in town mehn! Can this wait till later? At least not today!

'You guys don't even have gloves or masks on and I'm really worried we're having this close contact right now!'

I guess I struck a very sensitive nerve at that point. One of them barked out: 'This man you need to be very careful with me o! I dey vex as I dey here so!'

I looked at their guns and composed myself. Tbh the guns were very rickety looking but I wasn't sure if the bullets in there would be rickety enough not to havr an effect should one of them decide to go trigger-happy.

They walked away for a moment with my papers and I sat back..

. . . in my chair, left the engine running and turned on the AC. Oya let's wait o! Na una dey sun nah. But my one kobo no dey touch una hand today!

Na so I dey there for like 30 minutes o. I must have dozed off for a bit when I heard a knock on my window.

Alas it was the guy who had collected my papers initially. I wound down and he handed them over to me without a word and then walked away.

Of course I used my hand sanitizer immediately before zooming off. There were no further incidents until I arrived my destination! #covid19

Away from the banter now, I salute our officers who are still on our roads at this time ensuring the safety of lives and property and I commend their efforts but I also wish they could also put on a better attitude in how they address commuters . . .

The Govt could also take the health and safety of these officers into consideration at least by providing them masks, hand sanitizers and other protective gear. These guys interact with a lot of commuters by the second and if they catch it, they automatically infect others.

@PoliceNG

@PoliceNG