27/10/2024
To the policeman I nearly killed that Lagos night in 2002...
I was speeding home late from my office at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, trying to beat the clock before the streets of Surulere were locked down. As I descended Marina Bridge into Akpogbon valley, I gunned my VW Golf to take on Eko Bridge but as I came up like a Formula 1 pro, I faced a police checkpoint - it had no business being there yet there it was...and the policeman caught in my headlights. It was like the final moments before a roadkill when you go 'oh well'.
Somehow, I contrived to miss him. I pulled over, got out, and walked back, numb. All the policemen were shaken but my survivor was rooted...mute. We hardly exchanged words, but I felt something that night - a shared trauma that bound us in that fleeting moment. If we ever met again, I wouldn’t recognize him...still, that night lingers and connects us.
22 years on, I hope you're well, my friend...and if you still man checkpoints on the rise of 4-lane expressways, I hope you stand just off to the side.
