Nature's trap (nonfiction)

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"DSP, your attention is needed at the accident and emergency (A&E) unit." The dean of students’ affairs spoke to me over the phone. I wondered what the problem could be, but I felt it had something to do with my relevance and position as the university’s student union's ‘deputy senate president (DSP).

It was February 2016 when the call came in. I hastily walked to the A&E, where I met the Dean of Students’ Affairs (DSA) and other known students waiting for me. I was shocked to see a young man, probably in his early twenties, with a dark complexion and a well-shaved beard, handcuffed to a stretcher, and a bandage on his head. He was partially conscious and groaned occasionally in pain, with minor bruises and blood stains on his skin. I suspected he was a student at the university, but why he was handcuffed was the puzzle I needed to unravel. I was more confused when I was informed he was a second-year student in the department of law.

Being a medical student, my campus was different from the permanent site campus that had the non-clinical faculties. My campus was located where the tertiary hospital was located, so we could have a better exposure to clinical training. My position as DSP, however, was not limited to the mini-campus, as I had the leadership to cover both campuses. The students’ union vice president (2) was also from the mini-campus and a lady. Hence, we both were called, and the case was specifically handed over to me to oversee.

The DSA briefed us on what incident led to the boy’s arrest and admission. The admitted law student handcuffed to the hospital stretcher was Adewale by name. He had been mobbed by some Hausa (a major tribe in Nigeria known for their heartlessness) for allegedly beheading one of their co-motorcyclists at a community named "Oko-Oba" in the Oke-odo area of Tanke. Oke Odo is a popular off-campus residential area for students at the main campus of the University of Ilorin. Adewale’s house was in the opposite direction from the crime scene, in the Balogun community, which was about five to seven kilometers away. He was alleged to have lured the Hausa motorcyclist to the crime scene at the far end of Oko-Oba community, where a river passed through and was scarcely populated with residential houses and a lot of green vegetation. The crime scene was at the tail end of the Oko Oba community, mostly farmed by residents in that area. A knife was reportedly seen at the crime scene alongside Adewale, who, without a shadow of a doubt, had been lynched by other Hausas that came to the crime scene. The timely intervention of the police division in the area had rescued the already beaten and comatose law student of the university. His schoolbag was also retrieved from the crime scene and had some art-drawing materials in it.

"I am Constable Philips, and I have been assigned this case." A young police officer in his early thirties stretched out his hand to me after the DSA asked me to oversee Adewale. We shook hands and discussed the probable true state of the incident. The police constable informed me Adewale was a top suspect in the crime, and he had been assigned to ensure he was brought in for investigations whenever he was fully awake and fit to talk.

The police constable and I were able to reach Adewale’s parents, who were in faraway Lagos (some four-five hours away from Ilorin), and she showed up after forty-eight hours of the incident. All this time, Adewale was partially conscious, although the university management took responsibility for the hospital bills. He was transferred to the surgical ward after he became fully conscious. His mother and a little brother of his came to stay with him. Some superior officers came to the hospital and took Adewale’s statement. He recounted visiting Oko-Oba several times prior to the incident to admire the green veggies and nature for inspiration on his artistic designs, and that day of the incident was similar; however, he noticed a crowd approach him and accuse him of murder. He had tried to explain it to them, but his explanations and appeals fell on deaf ears.

The rigors of medical school hardly provided time for extracurricular activities, and visiting nature for inspiration, like Adewale mentioned, was a fairytale luxury that flooded my thoughts with doubts of his innocence. Many questions ravaged my mind, wanting to know why he would leave his distant apartment to seek out nature for inspiration for his art. The best I could do was hope he was vindicated, as otherwise it would spell doom for his career.

Adewale spent close to two weeks on admission, but luck was on his side. The police investigation apprehended another suspect, who was a fellow Hausa man and confessed to having murdered the late victim for reasons I did not wish to know further. We were all glad that Adewale was vindicated and his handcuffs were removed. His mother never stopped praying and also thanking me. The resolution of the case was a break-free relief to us all.

A year after the incident, in February 2017, when I had my induction ceremony as a medical doctor, Adewale ensured he gave a speech and publicly spoke about the incident and how I stood right with him till the end. For several years after, I kept seeing his art works in the Oke-Odo area displayed for sale. I was glad Adewale survived and was vindicated.