The Lekki Toll gate protest marked the biggest public protest against the government in Nigeria in order to eliminate the unjustly killings of our people. The Nigerian youths, adults as well as students protested. They marched down with their voices, heads and hands raised high. Some of them held hands in a horizontal line with the aim of blocking the gates.
They didn't have to talk too much. Their actions and tears spoke loudly for themselves. They demanded to be heard.
The media hovered round in an attempt to capture the protest and put it on the news.
I heard police officers were banned from protecting the protesters so most people came with their private bouncers for the benefit of everyone. Some even brought their guard dogs.
The atmosphere was filled with purpose and determination, purpose to avenge the deaths of their fellow citizens and determination to make the government listen.
All in all, I was greatly impressed. Never have I seen Nigerians so fearless and united. It made me ecstatic that they were also fighting for others and not just themselves.
My eyes roamed across the crowds of people gathered. I spotted a lot of celebrities and public figures but now is not the right time to think about it.
To my right, I noticed a lot of food stands for the protesters to eat as they desired for free. How nice of the people to provide this, I thought to myself. I thought the government said Nigerian youths were lazy? I thought we were selfish? How come we're doing so much for the benefit of our fellow citizens? Why are we fighting for our killed brothers?
Loud music blared from the speakers and the people danced carelessly. If not for the placards being held, I would have mistaken this large gathering for a party and not a protest. The Nigerian youths were relentless but still carefree at the same time. Afterall, problem no dey finish.
Earlier, I encountered a homeless man dancing with everyone. He said he had been homeless for years but recently found a home in the youths for the past few days that the protest had been going on.
Yes, they came here to fight for a cause but they still found a way to do that whilst combining it with a little bit of fun. I even overheard a few girls talking about how they found their soulmates on the protest grounds.
My lips formed a wide grin as I took in my surroundings. I closed my eyes and sighed. It was like a breath of fresh air.
No discrimination. No bad energy. No judgements. Just vibes. Pure vibes.
"Ada, have you noticed any unusual person?" Chen's voice rang through my ear pods.
"Nope" I answered truthfully.
I looked around again. All I saw were peaceful and happy protesters.
The five of us were spread out on the grounds. If we were together, it would be hard to notice any suspects but it would be more productive if we were all positioned in different strategic areas of the grounds. Even at that, we were still unable to detect any unusual activity and we've been here for close to two hours now.
What if it was a false information? I can't comprehend why anyone would want to harm a crowd of peaceful protesters. They weren't causing anyone any harm. They fought for their rights in a respectful way. Anyway, I'll still keep watch. Something might happen later.
Time passed as different celebrities came on stage to address everyone. They sympathised with the families of the deceased, they told stories and shared experiences with police brutality and advised on how we can stop this crisis.
We had global attention now. Various countries were on our side and are sending in donations but the people at the top were still making attempts to stop it. I shook my head at the thought. Tragic.
A lady took the microphone, stood in front of the stage and began to speak. I wondered why she didn't climb the stage but I soon found out why. She couldn't bear to tell the story and look everyone in the eye. Even as she was on the floor, she still caught everyone's attention.
"Hello everyone" she greeted "This is the story of Chijioke. Chijioke was 20 years old in 2012. He went for child dedication and was picked up there and was allegedly taken to SARS office. When his family went to look for him, they were told he has been taken to the headquarters. When they got there, His mother spotted him being taken to the station and she said 'that is my child'. The officer in charge of that station asked them to boot her and the family out of the premises. Since then, they haven't seen Chijioke. The next time they went, the officer boasted that he shot Chijioke and there is nothing anyone can do about it"
"An officer said that?" I whispered to myself.
"What is wrong with these people" Chen sobbed.
"Some other officers told the parents that it is possible he hadn't died that the man (officer in charge) could just be bluffing and that they should bring some money to bring him. The father brought some money and the officer said the money was too small. The father went, sold his land, sold some properties, raised N3 million, gave it to the man and the man said N3 million was 'chicken change'
"Three million?" the five of us shrieked at the same time.
"The most horrifying part of this story, that man in charge, made Chijioke's dad look for Chijioke's body in the river of dead bodies; he made him turned every single corpse upside down searching for his son"
That was when tears streamed down my cheeks. I imagined a poor old man (probably hypertensive), going to a river full of dead bodies to turn dead corpses just to find his son. How did he feel when he finally found him? Imagine the horror and probably a small glimpse of hope, hoping that his son wasn't in that river after all and maybe somehow, he was somewhere still alive. I can't even imagine the pain, agony and heartbreak the man must have felt. He lost everything.... literally everything. The worst part is that, the policeman will not go to jail. I am sure of it. That's how messed up the judicial system is.
He's obviously going to keep enjoying himself with his wife and children. His children probably school abroad too. He's probably financially buoyant, living behind a white picket fence. He's going to live long too, that's the funny part. They will enjoy their lives to the fullest while the victims of the ones they hurt will keep suffering. That's the bad thing about life.
"This is the impunity of which officers have treated us. They came to Abuja to seek justice. The State CID told them they will have to pay money to transport others down to the state where it happened"
What? You mean, they reported this and the CID told them to pay money again. What sort of country is this? Why are people so heartless?
I stood there, shocked to the core as tears streamed endlessly down my cheeks. It's a harsh world and it seems that only the wicked are fit to survive.
I still imagined Chijoke's dad turning dead bodies to find his son. How did he manage to carry his son in his arms after he found him? He probably sat in the water and cried for a while, mourning the death of an innocent youth. Mourning the death of someone he loved. The memories of Chijioke growing up will haunt him forever. He'll look at pictures and cry because his son is no more. How will he survive? After all this scorn and unfair treatment, the CID still insisted that they pay a sum of money to investigate! Someone's life was wasted. He had dreams like us too. They all did. Every single person who was murdered had hopes and aspirations.
"We don't have a system" she narrated "Are we tired?""
"NO!" We all chorused.
The "no" was a resounding one. It was filled with sobs, tears and sadness. That was someone's son. They were all children of other people and now they're gone, leaving sad memories behind with their families.
We can't be tired. We'll keep fighting. We need to get justice somehow.
With my teary eyes, I noticed something. Beside the stage, well hidden from the crowd, there was a man wearing a face mask with a black messenger bag hung over his shoulder.
"Guys, you see that?" I asked.
"See what?"
"That masked man beside the stage"
"Oh, I see him"
He dropped a brown box on the floor then ran.
"What if he's just dropping off a package?"
"Better safe than sorry. Why would he run anyway?
I struggled to pass through the large maze of sweaty bodies. Silently, I prayed that someone would catch him soon because I don't think I can.
"I almost got em" Mike said.
Thank goodness.
"Chen and Victoria, take care of the package" I ordered.
"Got it" they responded.
Chen had disarmed a bomb before and Victoria is a highly experienced computer guru so they'll know what to do.
Choi's martial arts skills accompanied with Mike's athleticism would make a good combo to get this suspect.
The man turned around and saw us following him. His eyes widened for a brief moment before he increased his speed. That just made everything more suspicious. I just hope Chen, Vicky and the other protesters are safe. The man may have an accomplice.
I picked up my speed as well as we ventured into the road. I spotted Mike on the other side of the road, way ahead of me. I guess his skills pays off in times like this.
"Choi, where are you?" I asked through the microphone.
"Up here!"
Wait, his voice actually sounds close. It sounded as if he was near me.
I looked to my left as the sound came from there and saw him running effortlessly on the fences. I almost stopped to stare. I thought things like this only happened in the movies.
"Why are you up there?" I asked "Most importantly, how did you get up there?"
"I'm Asian, remember?" he winked then ran faster.
I shook my head with a smile then returned my focus to the man in front of me. He veered to a sharp left turn and entered a busy market square.
I must say, he is pretty smart. It's easy to get lost in the market place.
Mike is on the other side of the road; it'll take time for him to cross the busy express and get to this side. Choi has to find a safe place for landing to get to the floor which might take a while. Every single second counts. That means it's up to me to trail this man.
I need adequate speed with focus to do this because it's very easy to get lost in a busy place like this. This is the time to put into use all that The Conversion has taught me.
"You can do this" my subconscious told me.
I've never felt accomplished before or that I could do something but if I succeed, it would prove a lot of things. It almost seemed impossible but it can be done.
The man ran while stopping to block my way with nearby tables and other obstacles he could gather. I had to jump over every table, run, jump over another table, run, jump over other things that he threw before running again.
I chased him down a row of poultry sellers. Mistakenly, I bumped into a woman who was opening a cage. When I pushed her, the cage fell and all the chickens came out.
"Wetin dey worry you?" she shouted.
"Sorry ma" I apologized.
Feathers flew everywhere and the clacking of the chickens rang in my ears as they all scattered across the floor. I had to be careful not to step on any one of them.
When I passed through the place, the man was long gone.
I followed the route I saw him pass through and went straight on.
Luckily, I caught a glimpse of him.
My head was banging, my legs ached and I was getting out of breath. Spy or not, we're all still humans, my lungs felt like they were going to explode at any moment. I was tempted to stop right there and then but I remembered the horrible clips Mr. Davis showed us. I remembered all the innocent people who were now dead before their time. Most importantly, I remembered the story of Chijioke and how devastated his father must be now then I became more energized.
I have to support and fight in any way I can. I need to catch this man and find out what his plan for my country is.
I did it for the fallen members of my agency.
I did it for the innocent people who were killed by the police.
Most importantly, I did it for Chijioke.
With the same purpose and determination that the Nigerian youths have, I increased my pace and chased after him as if it was my last mission on earth. We got to a lonely alley with a gate in front. He tried to open the gate but it was locked. He started climbing up but I got there just in time.
I dragged him down, turned him around and punched him in the face. He swung at me but I dodged. He tried to punch me with his second arm, I blocked it with my right arm and twisted it till I spun him around
"Who are you and who do you work for?" I asked him.
He headbutted me as a response.
"Oww!" I held my head in my hands.
He used the opportunity to kick me in the stomach. I knelt on the floor in pain. As he climbed the gate, I felt someone pull me up.
"Ada, are you okay?" it was Mike.
"No. He's getting away"
I looked up and saw him jump from the top of the gate to the other side. My heart dropped in disappointment. There is no way we can catch up to him now.
I saw Choi appear on the walls again. He jumped swiftly to the floor in front of the man.
"Going somewhere?" Choi asked with a smirk then he knocked him out cold.
Mike and I cheered loudly before I collapsed tiredly into his arms.