ONE SHOT AND THE CURTAIN CLOSED

Two days ago, we were all having breakfast at home when my dad got a call from one of his friends. I saw the smile on my dad’s face recede to a frown, a sad one at that and I thought ‘’Uh-oh, this can’t be good’’. It wasn’t. When I heard the word ‘’dead’’, I stopped eating. I kept thinking ‘’who died?’’ The call ended and he looked really distraught. Before I could say a word, my mum had already asked with a high pitch in her voice ‘’whoooo?’’. It turned out the friend who just called was travelling with another close friend of my dad’s and the latter had just lost his life that same morning on his way from Abuja to Kaduna. They were on their way to attend a wedding.

It wasn’t a car accident. A bunch of armed robbers had blocked the road around a sharp bend and signaled the car to stop. From what we learnt yesterday, the passengers in the car (they were 5 anyway; 4 men and a woman) thought they were soldiers because they dressed like them from afar. On getting closer, they realized they were robbers because they wore masks. I guess my dad’s friend panicked behind the wheels and they probably thought he was trying to get away. He eventually slowed down and when they got to the car, without a word or question, they shot him point-blank in the head. Just like that. No mercy. No hesitations.  A sudden death!!!

Why wouldn’t they just steal the car or ask for money and move on? Why shoot an innocent man? Didn’t they realize that he had a family too? Why kill? Are their minds so depraved that all regard for human life is lost? I still can’t wrap my head around it. When he was shot, because the car was still in motion, it was skidding. The robbers shot again and one of the bullets grazed the passenger in the front-seat. He became unconscious. The car still kept on moving and hit a tree in the bush. The robbers got to the car and stole a few belongings. They didn’t shoot the others though they were really injured. Talk about some luck, huh? They even shot the driver of another incoming car and stole that one. Why????

So, the man who called my dad, with injuries and all, managed to find a nearby police station. They were taken to the hospital. When the unconscious one came to, he asked of the others and the friends who came to visit told him they were all in the next ward. If he learnt the truth just then about his dead friend, there was a high chance that he would have gone in shock.

He’s dead, he’s gone and the robbers are scot-free. I can’t imagine the pain and trauma his wife and children must be going through. He left that morning not knowing he would die cruelly. My dad has been soooo sad about it, my mum inclusive. I didn’t really know him that well but still, it hurts to think of the way he died at the hands of heartless killers. With just a shot, the curtain on his life closed. I do hope there is a special place reserved in hell for those who committed this crime. I won’t even say anything about the police handling matters like this; we all know they are incompetent. A lot of people die in the hands of highway armed robbers and little has been done to curb this menace. The police are just good at condemning crimes. We don’t want verbal condemnations. We want action. Abeg, lemme stop here because I have vented too much for one post. It's so painful.

May his soul rest in perfect peace.  AMIN.