I Thought I Was Being Kidnapped on My Way to Lagos—Here's What Really Happened!

Today was a wonderful Sunday in church, and I really did enjoy my time. Although I never planned to worship in my church this Sunday, all expectations from last week were that I would be in Lagos this Sunday at my friend's church, to which she had invited me since August. I had already kept the date in mind and told myself I would make sure to be there yesterday, but I couldn't. Things did not turn out so great for me and I fear that I had in a way disappointed my friend.

The whole story I am about to share is not about what happened this Sunday but about how the day before went—my Saturday. That day, I planned on travelling to Lagos so that I would be able to attend the event on Sunday, but I had forgotten that there was an election going on at my local government.

I set out to leave Saturday morning, took a bike to the first junction, and I noticed that something was going on, and I asked. I was told the election was going on, and there was no movement today. And I asked the bike man, Does that mean that there would not be vehicles available to travel out of the state? He told me he doesn't know until I get there myself; that is when I will be able to figure it out. I didn't even know what to do, but I had left home already, and I was in between going back home or taking the risk of getting to the main pack and finding out something not expected or not.

I didn't want to disappoint my friend, so I left regardless. I spent another money to take me down to the main pack that I would enter the vehicle to leave the state. It was a very long ride, and along the way, I noticed that there were many checkpoints and stops on the way. They were not allowing people to pass, and I was saying to myself, "Omoor, I hope I have not wasted my transportation money like this.". Regardless, I was still curious to know if at all I could get the vehicle at the main pack to leave Abeokuta (which is the place I was currently at the moment).

After many manoeuvres trying to curve away from checkpoints, we got the pack and figured that there was not a single vehicle at the pack. I was left with another decision, which was either to drop at the pack and wait for the possibility of when vehicles will be available (which may or may not happen) or go back home, have a comfortable rest, and travel later in the evening or the next day. I didn't know what to do, but I felt going back was the best option because I could not imagine myself staying by the road for hours without having any comfortable place to sit or something to eat.

I had to tell the bike man to take me back home, but it was not for free either. I had to pay the transportation fare money twice, i.e. the money that I used to get to the pack and the one I used to go back. While the bike man was on his way back home, he could not pass the route that he passed while coming because if the police he saw on the way going gets him, he will pay a huge amount of money before he will be released. So he had to pass another route that I didn't even know of, that I have never passed before in my life.

At that moment, I wondered in my mind: Hope I am not being kidnapped. I was on bike, and there were literally no shops or people around, just bushes around me. I didn't even know what to do, then immediately the thought of sharing my location with my friends dawned on me. I made sure to do that immediately without wasting time. I told my friends that if I don't reply to them back in an hour, then I have been kidnapped and that they should use the location to trace me and find where I would be. I made sure to keep my phone incase I actually get kidnapped, my phone will be kept in a location that it would not be easily seen and will be easy to track.

Luckily for me, I was not kidnapped in any way. The bike man actually knew a completely different and uncommon route around that could lead back to that same destination. I was already afraid of my life and I thought I was going to be kidnapped in the process.

When I arrived back to where I took the bike in the first place. I was already weak and tired. I didn't even know what to do again. I had spent a lot of money that I didn't budget before and I didn't want to disappoint my friend. I was so tired internally and spent most of the whole day sleeping at a friend's place closeby.

Then I took the courage to explain the situation to my friend that had invited me and told her what happened. She understood pretty well and told me not to bother coming because she doesn't want to stress me. I didn't even know what to say, but I thanked her for understanding and told her to invite me again for another program in the future.