Chapter 2: Street Law and Survival

The man don reach me. I try talk, but e jump, kneel me for chest.

No time for talk. E land kneel for my chest, the kain pain, na only person wey dem beat for police station go sabi.

Pain scatter my body, I wan vomit.

Everything inside me just turn. I dey choke, na only air I dey drag. My mouth open, but voice no gree come out.

I jam my body for car door, then fall kneel for ground.

My back hit metal, pain shoot me like hot pepper enter eye. I kneel, dey try catch breath, but na pain dey everywhere.

My heart dey beat like drum, e be like say e wan burst. I no fit breathe. I kneel down dey gasp, my body dey shake anyhow.

My hand dey find ground, dey shake. I dey see double, people face dey blur, my ears dey ring. Na God hand I dey now.

Na that time I realize: this one no be time for talk.

For Naija, accident scene na another world. People dey para, nobody dey hear beg or explanation. Once crowd begin dey, the matter don pass talk.

Na so e dey happen for that case wey pikin dey ride bicycle, car jam am, pikin die—even though community council free the driver, for the scene, crowd beat am kneel down, dey beg for life.

I remember stories for news, people dey narrate how drivers dey kneel down dey beg, police fit arrive, but sometimes e go late. For here, street law dey quick pass real law.

Today, dem fit beat me die here, I no go even reach police station.

I dey reason my wife, my pikin, how dem go take hear say their own don die for road, no be even for motor, but for crowd hand.

Nobody send me. Everybody rush go check the pikin, begin cry shout.

Nobody dey pity me. Na only the pikin and im mama dey matter now. I dey invisible, except to the people wey wan beat me.

The old man wey dey curse before, just waka go back curb, fear no gree am look again.

E just carry im old body waka commot, sidon for him stool, dey pray make wahala no reach am. For Naija, old people sabi how to dodge trouble.

My head dey hot. Survival instinct enter me. I struggle, grab car door, enter inside.

As my mind dey race, I remember stories my papa dey talk: "For wahala, no gree make crowd catch you." I use last strength drag door, fall inside, my hand dey shake.

These people no dey reason again. Na grief dey control them now, I no even wan imagine wetin dem fit do me.

E be like say I dey inside lion den. Nobody dey see reason again—everybody dey ruled by pain and anger. For street, na so e dey.

The woman see say I dey try enter car, she grab my leg, dey shout, “E wan run! No let am escape!”

Her nails dig my skin, her grip strong like person wey dey drag for her own soul. Other people join, dem dey pull my shirt, dey drag my trouser. Crowd don become animal, dem no dey hear talk again.

I struggle climb inside, but she drag me come out with all her power.

She dey shout like market woman wey dem cheat, voice dey crack. She pull me till my back land for tarred road, I dey see stars.

The man jump, grab the heavy car door, slam am for my leg, dey roar, “You no go run anywhere!”

Na as e slam door, I hear bone crack, na so pain shoot me reach bone marrow. For Naija, once crowd dey vex, nothing dey sacred again.

The door jam my leg.

I feel the bone shift, my leg twist like old broom. I dey try no shout, but mouth betray me, I howl like goat for slaughter.

I look back, fear grip me as I see say my own leg don break.

For my mind, I dey beg God, "Make I no die for here." My trousers don stain, blood dey soak, people dey watch, some dey record with phone—social media go carry am.

Pain scatter my body, I dey shake. I scream like goat wey dem dey kill, but the man no stop.

My voice loud, but e no reach dem ear. For junction, blood dey draw crowd. Some dey shout, "Finish am!" Others dey record.

E raise leg, dey kick the car door again and again, every kick, e dey shout, voice hoarse, “I go finish you! You must pay with blood!”

For every kick, na like thunder, I dey see flashes, my head dey roll. E voice crack, e spit dey fly, e eyes red like person wey smoke Igbo.

The heavy steel door just dey hammer my broken leg.

My bone dey grind inside skin, I feel the warm blood, I dey wish say this thing be dream, but na real life.

First pain nearly make me faint. But as e continue, my brain just off pain, each kick no too pain again.

I dey shake, sweat dey drip, but brain don shut off pain. Na only fear and survival dey remain.

Na only hot, numb, and needle pain I dey feel for leg.

E be like my body dey float, but na my head dey clear. If I faint, na finish be that.

I hold passenger seat, drag myself inside. The man kick the door again, e slam shut.

I squeeze all strength, manage enter car, slam door, push myself pass passenger seat, try hide. My heart dey race.

But e never finish. E grab handle, dey try open door, wan continue to beat me.

E dey pull handle, dey curse, dey threaten. I dey see im face for window, im teeth dey grit, spit dey fly. Im anger be like fire.

I no know where I get power, but I push passenger seat, wedge myself for driver side, press lock button sharp sharp.

As my finger touch lock, I dey pray make system no fail. Na Naija car, anything fit happen.

As I lock am, handle just yank.

E pull am, but lock hold. Na small mercy, I dey thank God say this one work.

Inside all this wahala, I breathe small. If I slow half a second, e for enter.

My hand dey shake, sweat dey soak my shirt, but I know say na only small gap save me from death.

The man dey knock window with im fist, dey vex. My hand dey shake as I find my phone, call police.

Im fist dey knock glass, the sound dey echo for my head. My phone dey slippery, my finger dey dance, but I manage dial 112. I mutter, "Blood of Jesus!" before I fit remember police number.

As dem answer, I dey beg make dem rush come, say dem dey attack me.

I dey use all my breath, voice dey shake. "Abeg, I dey for XYZ junction, dem dey attack me, abeg come quick!"

The person for phone say make I no fear, if danger too much, I fit leave the place—make I no drive the car—make I wait for police.

The operator voice dey calm, but my mind dey run. "If e too much, oga, just stay inside, lock yourself, help dey come." I dey hope say help go really come.

I say I no fit run. My leg don break, I no fit waka, and if I drive, I dey fear say I fit jam person again. Abeg, come quick.

I dey beg, voice dey quiver. I explain my leg break, I no fit run, if I move car, I fit cause more wahala. "Abeg, na life and death matter," I cry.

I hold phone, dey look the couple face outside window, anger full their face.

Their eyes no dey pity. I dey see pain, hate, as if I be thief wey kill their family. I dey shake.

I look my leg wey bone dey show, voice dey shake with cry. I tell police say I dey fear, dem fit beat me die here. Abeg, rush come.

I dey choke on my own tears. For Naija, police fit delay, but I dey hope say God go touch their heart make dem come quick. I describe everything, dey shout, "If una no come now, I fit die!"

As I dey talk, the man carry him own phone, smash am for my window.

I see the phone crack, screen scatter, glass begin break. For this country, people dey use anything as weapon when anger take over.

The glass crack scatter. I force myself calm down.

I dey remind myself, car glass na different thing, e no go just shatter, but fear still dey bite me.

Car glass no be like normal glass—even if e break, e no go scatter.

I dey thank God say na tempered glass, so e go still hold small. But inside me, I dey panic.

That time, I think say make I call my wife.

My mind dey fly go house. I dey wonder if I go ever see her again. I wan hear her voice, but my hand dey shake.

But I no call am.

I swallow my pain, I no wan give her wahala. Wetin she go fit do now? I just dey pray make I fit see her again.

My second call na to my old classmate—na lawyer.

As I dey scroll, my finger dey shake, I dey hope say e go pick. For this country, lawyer matter dey save life.

E take time pick. As e pick, I burst cry, “Abeg, help me!”

As I hear im voice, I dey sob, tears dey rush. I dey beg, "Abeg, no let me die for here."

E panic, ask wetin happen.

Voice dey tremble, I rush explain. I dey shout, dey cry, dey talk on top myself. "Omo, dem wan kill me!"

I talk am quick, then cry, “Na only one leg dey work. I fit drive run? I dey fear—if I jam them as I dey run, dem go lock me!”

My voice crack, I dey look for hope, I dey beg lawyer make e give me way.

E self nearly cry.

Im voice break, e dey fear for me. I fit feel am, e dey shake, e dey beg me make I calm down.

E say, “You go still go prison! If you fit no run, no run. If you jam person as you dey escape, dem go add more years!”

Im words heavy like block for my chest. For Naija, law and street law dey fight, but na you dey pay price if e bad.

E words hit me like thunder.

The fear of law, plus fear of crowd, my body dey sweat more. I dey choke.

Wetin you mean say I go still go prison?

My mind dey spin. Na only accident, na my fault? My chest dey tight.

Na lawyer e be, e still talk say dem go sentence me?

My hope dey dash. If lawyer talk so, na so e be. I dey see my future dey vanish.

I get wife, pikin, papa and mama—I never break law before. Now na law go scatter my family?

My mind dey picture my people, how dem go cry, community go dey point finger, my name fit spoil forever.

Na that time, something wey I no expect happen.

Na small hope I dey hold, but street dey ready show me say e never finish.