Don't be surprised if I celebrate my second birthday today because death and I stared eyeball to eyeball with each other and I cheated her.
I was coming back from Abuja through Kaduna when I was called by my uncle, Kabir Barau, and warned that there was high tension in Kaduna following the discovery of the dead body of the traditional ruler abducted in Kasuwar Magani. The fear of reprisal attack was high. He advised that I approach Kaduna carefully.
A friend from Kaduna called a few minutes later and told me to go back as it might not be safe to pass through. At that time I was only 30 kilometres to Kaduna. I observed on coming traffic and saw that it was flowing normally. So I continued but approached with caution.
Suddenly, I noticed an increase in the presence of security men, especially soldiers and policemen. I was all the while listening to the radio for any announcement. The traffic began to increase until we started crawling. At some points we were going at a snail's pace. That was when it dawned on me that I had reached that dangerous and notorious flash point, Goningora, where commuters were waylaid and killed during such crises. It was my worst moment. And I was in the middle of a traffic jam. I looked around and saw that security personnel were swarming all over the place. By the roadside also a little further away from the security personnel were some restive youths...some wearing only trousers. I looked at them and saw that they were holding big rocks, hiding them either behind their backs or by their sides, away from the eyes of the soldiers and policemen who were a little further away from them. They were peeping to see where the security men were watching, probably judging to see if they could have a safe attack.
That was my moment of truth. I suddenly realised that I had driven into a death trap. At that moment, it was touch and go... I began to pray...reciting protective verses from the Holy Quran. A thought flashed through my mind that if I was going to die, let me at least die reciting the "Kalimatush Shahada". I wondered how painful it was going to be and whether they were going to roast me alive or drag me out of my car and slaughter me by the roadside. I began to think of the benefits that would take me to Paradise. I recalled that it was Friday and there was a saying of the Holy Prophet (SAW) that any Muslim that died on the night or day of Friday stood a good chance of going to Paradise as he would not be questioned by the angels. I also remembered that anyone that was killed through no fault of his would likely go to Paradise. That gave me some comfort and I began to calm down. All these went through my mind as we crawled past those hoodlums.
As I observed my surroundings through slow motion, as if in a dream, I recalled a post I once read in WhatsApp that those who died returned and watched how their funeral was conducted. Fear pushed me into that state of mind and I wondered briefly if I was already dead and was only observing myself. I looked again at those miscreants and it jolted me back to reality. We trudged on and went past Goningora without any incidence.
My uncle and my friend kept on calling and I told them what I passed through. I didn't want to be answering their calls but I realised that they would think something bad had happened to me. So I kept on talking to them and driving mechanically through the gridlock.
I deliberately refused to call my family because they would also want to be calling constantly to know the situation and compound my problem.
Further down around Kabala West, I came upon some Fulani youths along the road tending their cattle, oblivious to the danger around. A little further along, I saw some women wearing hijabs and watching what was going on. But the most consoling thing was that security personnel were all over the place.
I received other calls from other friends and my cousin, Abdu Salmanu, a retired banker who lived in Kaduna. And I learned that a 24 hour curfew had been imposed and was to commence at 11:00am. At that time I was around First Bank located at the by-pass and only a few minutes to eleven.
To compound matters, I began to have a strong urge to pee... I refused to give in to the urge and drove on. The traffic began to ease, mercifully. And as at 11:07am, I was directly under the flyover bridge at Kawo and I began to relax. I did not heave a sigh of relief until I found myself at Dankande Tollgate.
I then drove inside, found a convenience and emptied my bladder.
When I came out, I remembered that a friend had recommended a very good shop where they sold spicy grinded pepper which I bought and went on my way home to celebrate my second birthday...Phew! That was a close shave, alright. Do I look scared in the picture?