Drama At Oshodi.

"George, I need to ease myself quickly. I can't hold it much longer," Tunde said to me immediately we alighted from the bus that brought us all the way from Ikorodu to Oshodi.

"You could have done that at Ikorodu, and I hope you don't get into trouble here," I replied as he gave me his bag.

"I won't, just wait for me here. I guess the excessive water I drank at school caused it," he replied and just went in the direction of the railway.

I kept an eye on him as he mixed up with the crowd going in the same direction and was also scouting the area to be sure there were no KIA (kick against indiscipline) officers around there.

I felt relieved not to see any because Oshodi is always swarming with KIA officers, ready to pounce on people who break the road or environmental law in that area.

"He could have just used the public toilet instead of going to pee at the rail tracks," I muttered while different scenarios of Tunde being caught played in my head.

The public toilet idea was just popped up even though I know Tunde can't afford it because the cash we had on us wouldn't even take us home, and we had to cover some distance on foot.

---

_{A picture of Oshodi captured by me}

About ten minutes passed, and Tunde hadn't returned, nor was I seeing him from afar. I reached for my phone immediately to call him, and it dawned on me that I didn't have airtime, so I waited a little more so we wouldn't lose ourselves.

Another ten minutes passed, and I had to go look for him. Upon arriving at the rail tracks, there was no sign of him, and I wondered where he had gone.

I was about to turn to look for him in another direction when I saw the KIA officers dragging a guy, but it wasn't Tunde, and it crossed my mind that he must have been caught too.

I followed the officers to where their black Maria vehicle was parked on the other side of the road and as I approached it, my heart raced heavily because I felt like Tunde was really in trouble.

Tunde! Tunde! I whispered as I stood beside the vehicle, pretending to be waiting for a bus.

"George, thank God you found me. I couldn't call because there was no call card on my phone," Tunde replied from inside the vehicle.

"How did you let them get you? You know we don't have a dime for settling things," I replied angrily.

"Am sorry. Please help me out," he replied, and I was heartbroken immediately.

Tunde was my friend, a roommate, and a classmate in the polytechnic, and that wasn't the first time he got me into his troubles, but it was the first time against the government.

One of the KIA officers noticed I was talking to someone in the vehicle, and he approached me immediately.

"Good evening, Oga," I said to the man, who was wearing a green pant and a white polo.

"Good evening. How can I help you?" He asked.

"Actually, sir, my friend was caught peeing, and he is in the vehicle," I replied.

"Did he call you to pay his fine?" He asked.

"No, sir. We actually don't have any money, and I was coming to plead on his behalf," I replied, and the man burst into laughter.

"Go and plead with your family." The smile on the officer's face vanished as he replied, and he walked away.

A man who must have seen the whole drama walked towards me and advised that I seek help from a particular woman in the Oshodi market, so I asked around and located the shop. She actually owns one of the big cloth stores and she's probably a politician because she has political party banners and stickers at the shop entrance.

I met the woman and asked for help, but she turned me down, claiming that she didn't want to have anything to do with the KIA officers that day.

I became devastated because there wasn't much time on our side. Failure to pay the fine would mean that he had to go to court, and the unexpected could happen there.

While contemplating what to do, one of her salesgirls approached me and told me that the woman wasn't in a good mood. She suggested that I meet the transportation chairman, he is a powerful man with connections as well.

She gave me direction to his office, and I couldn't thank her enough for the help. It was easy to find the chairman's office, but I knew getting through the touts to meet him would be challenging as I stared them in one corner of the building.

"Good evening, sir. Please, I will like to see the chairman," I said to one of the touts, who seemed to look calm.

"From where? Who are you?" He replied as he charged at me. The stench of alcohol and the cigarettes they were burning choked me for a second, and I almost cursed Tunde for putting me in such a mess.

"I am a student, sir. I need his help," I stuttered, and they all burst into laughter.

They went on saying different slangs to intimidate me, and truly, I was coupled with the fact that I couldn't breathe well.

"Please, I don't have much time. My friend needs help." I interrupted their laughter session.

"Guy, get out of here now before I break your head. Are you normal?" One of them screamed at me as he grabbed a plank.

"Bro, please. I don't have anyone else to go," I replied, but they didn't even listen. I walked away immediately because I knew what they were capable of doing.

I felt humiliated, and it was the worst in my whole life. I stood outside the chairman's building feeling defeated. I doubted if Tunde was ever going to get out of the mess he got into.

I was lost in thought when a man stepped out of the building and approached me.

"What's the problem?" He asked, and I had to look around to be sure he was talking to me.

"Yes, you. Or are you not the one those boys are shouting out just now?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. I was the one," I replied, moving closer to him.

"My friend was arrested by the KIA officers," I added.

"Your friend was just going on the road, and they grabbed him," he asked.

"No, sir. He peed on the railtrack," I replied.

He stared at the school ID card on my neck and just shook his head.

"As a student, aren't you guys supposed to be the ones educating people about not breaking laws?" He asked, and I felt more embarrassed as he lectured me further.

"You and your friend really have to do better," he rounded up the lecture and reached for his phone to make a call briefly.

"You can go now. Your friend will be waiting for you, but don't let this repeat itself," he said to me as he returned to the building.

"Thank you, sir. I really appreciate your kindness," I replied, but he didn't even take another glance at me.

"Who is he? Is he the chairman?" These questions didn't stop playing in my head until I got to the KIA vehicle and met my friend standing on the road.

I threw his bag at him and just walked away without saying a word. He was apologizing, but every word he said fell on deaf ears at that moment because I was angry.

But, I didn't have a choice but to forgive him, and when he finally asked who helped him, I narrated the whole story but couldn't tell who the man was.

We left Oshodi quite late, and as we journeyed back home, I thought about everything and wished none of the drama had actually happened.