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It happened to me in 1999. I went to greet my boyfriend studying in Ogbomosho and was going back to Lagos.
I was the first passenger to enter the bus and I took a seat behind the driver by the window side.
Not long after, two men came in and went to the back, I stepped down to buy something but I didn’t want to leave my hand bag in the bus so I carried it. I left a scarf on my seat so that nobody will take the seat and told the men to help me watch it.
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When I came back, one man was already occupying my seat. He had made himself very comfortable on my seat and was even eating with his hands from a food flask. I told him it was my seat, but he said he didn’t meet me there, and that scarf is not human being.
I called on the men at the back to testify but they said they were not paying attention when he entered and begged me to take another seat for peace sake.
I insisted on having my seat and created a scene but this man did not answer me, at a point the other people in the bus started seeing me as a drama queen and were saying did I bring seat from my house and that since everyone has been begging me and I refused I should go and enter another bus if I like.
I was so upset, but as people were now abusing me, I quietly took another seat. I just entered and sat somewhere in the middle.
The bus got filled up and we started the journey. To my surprise, this man asked that we pray and he lead the prayer for journey mercy. I refused to say amen to his prayer and I just prayed my own.
The road to Ogbomosho at that time was very notorious for accidents so you will have to be bold to travel without first praying.
Along the way one stupid trailer rammed into us, I was fast asleep when it happened. The driver and some other people including the man who took my seat were badly injured. I came out of it without any major injury.
Before some good Samaritans helped us away from the accident scene, I saw the man who took my seat by the road side covered in blood, his legs were badly crushed. I was so happy to see him still breathing (I hope he made it), and very happy that I wasn’t the one seating behind the driver.
My parents didn’t even know I had a boyfriend talk less of knowing I went to greet him. I was supposed to be in school.
By a woman grateful for being alive
