A 63-year-old retired health practitioner, Aderemi Bello, tells DANIEL AYANTOYE how he was attacked by protesters along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on February 15, 2023
You were attacked by protesters. How did it happen?
On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, I left my home in Ibadan in the morning for the Airport in Lagos, but on getting to Oremeji, I saw people protesting and demonstrating. They barricaded the road, and I started pleading with them to allow us to pass. They were asking me for money which I sincerely didn’t have. I didn’t have any cash with me.
I was trying to explain to them in the same language, Yoruba, the next thing was that they started throwing stones at me and broke my car’s rear glass. At that point, I got down and asked why they had to do this. I couldn’t imagine they could do what they did. It will cost me N400,000 to fix the car’s rear glass they broke.
What did they say they want from you?
As I said, they were accusing me of many things. They said I was a politician and that I was one of the people causing the naira problem. They asked me where I got the money to fuel my car. They said I should pay them before I could pass through a federal road, and sincerely I didn’t have the money. For crying out loud, I am a retiree and not a politician. I explained this to them, but it fell on deaf ears. They asked me to turn back, and that if I wanted to move, I should give them money. Who gave them that audacity? Was that a protest? Was that what would resolve this problem of scarcity of the naira? It is so painful. What we have now is civil disobedience.
The government introduced a policy and overturned the policy. Now, it is leading to hardship and Nigerians are turning the policy on each other. This is not supposed to be so. We should unite to fight the government because they are not doing well at all. They caused all these things. Again, people don’t understand what is happening; this is not the way to go about these things because it will not resolve the issue.
How did they break your nose?
It was when I came down and started talking to them, they started stoning me again, and one of their stones hit my nose. I had to run into a house. They pursued me there and vandalised the place. I lost a lot of blood in the process; I had to sit down somewhere when I was almost losing blood. I was almost fainting but thank God my life was preserved.
Who are these protesters? Are they thugs or students who are aggrieved?
They are street boys that don’t have jobs, and they are ready to just do anything, but I discovered that hoodlums hijacked the protest.
How did you escape from the house?
It is just God. They were ready to kill me. But God did not allow them, and I thank God for that.
Were you able to report the case to the police?
No, I couldn’t because there was no time. I had booked a flight, and almost ran behind schedule. So, I just had to hurry to the airport with my driver. The Nigerian police, being what they are, would be asking me to write a statement and pay money. They would be asking for money and would have said they didn’t have fuel for their vehicle.
Did you identify the people who did that to you?
If I wanted to handle them, I can, because I know the area and street very well, but you know what Yoruba people will say; ‘the death that wants to kill you, but only remove your cap, you should be thankful.’ So, I’m letting go and letting God handle them. I was just a victim of circumstances and situations; I would have been killed. I thank my God.
How long did you wait along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Road after the incident?
I spent approximately seven hours. Getting to the toll gate, till I got to Lagos, there was no protest or roadblocks.
You earlier mentioned that soldiers came there to clear the road. How did they go about it?
Yes, they came there, and it was not difficult for them to clear the road because immediately they got to the junctions, and the protesters ran away. People are afraid of the military.
You were earlier scheduled to catch a flight to the United States of America when the incident happened, did you miss the flight?
Luckily, I didn’t miss the flight. I got to the airport before the time, but there were things I had planned to do at the airport that I couldn’t do. There are other things I left undone along the way and came straight to the airport as soon as the road was cleared by the soldiers.
What is the current condition of your health?
I thank God for his protection. I am okay; I made it back to the US. I have done a check-up and x-ray here and confirmed okay except for the wound on my nose but I am fine. If I had done it in Nigeria, it would have wasted my time and I wouldn’t have met my flight.
With this experience, what can you say about the situation in Nigeria?
Like any other person will say, the situation in Nigeria is chaotic. People are living in an abnormal state. You know I wouldn’t want to say Nigeria is a goner. That is not the Nigeria in which my generation grew up in the 60s, 70s and 80s. I am not a prophet of doom, but it will take the Messiah, Lord Jesus Christ himself, to pass through Nigeria before the country can be better.
The problem of Nigeria is not just with the leaders, we have problems with the followership too. Did you know it took a few soldiers to disperse those guys who mounted the roadblock? Do we now say we should go back to having a military government in Nigeria, No! I am a democrat to the core. If people will learn their lesson and vote for the right candidates, not voting along party lines. My kids, when their grandma died, they vowed not to come to Nigeria again because of their experience. There are 1,100 cases of people like that. In Nigeria, there is no hope; you graduate, there is no job, people will work, they will not be paid, after they retire, they will not get their pension, and a lot of issues. In fact, it is a chaotic country.
