MINI BUS FRAUD! WATCH OUT...

Image Source

His eyes were on me. Provokingly as it seemed, I kinda enjoyed the whole glance. His gazes were still on me from the distant and I was almost lost.

"Come-on girl, comport yourself and be that strong woman you are!" My inner mind spoke to me.

I had to let him know I wasn't edgy and could handle an embarrassing and seductive glance. I turned towards his direction and looked into his eyes. He was still on me and now smiling, perhaps, feeling he had caught my heart.

I opened my eyes wide and made a 'WTF are you looking at?' tongue demonstration.
Immediately, his eyes went off me and in a blink he was lost.

Where did he vanish to? No! He was right here. Well, that's a puzzle I didn't care much about at the moment as my turn was due to go into the cashier's office.

It took the lady all her lifetime to get my receipt stamped and the anger was all over me as I squeezed myself through the queue out of the office.

I scanned the open pathway and needed to decide if I'd be going to the library to finish up my research or I would head home to take a rest.

The choice was made and the way home was all I could conclude at.
As I got to the school gate, a minibus drove towards my angle and the bus conductor asked where I was heading to.

"Nwaniba," I responded calmly as I was already tired and in a haste to land on my bed.

"Ok enter." Said the conductor who had a soured look on his face.

I mounted the bus and got into the back seat as I didn't want any disturbance from any passenger in the action of coming down before they could come down. I pulled out my mobile phone from my hand bag, plugged in my ear piece and I was lost in Celine Dion's voice.

As the bus driver was about taking a turn to the route to nwaniba, a young boy called out loud, "Nwaniba!"

But the driver was all deaf and took the turn but I heard despite the music deep inside my soul, body and mind. The conductor equally ignored him and I wondered why he would do that. The bus had taken the turn and my eyes jammed the provoking ungentleman who gave me the seductive looks earlier that day but to my amazement, he shook his head in a scaring way.

Why would he do that? I could read his lips, they articulated, "Come down, come down!"

Then I turned to the passengers on the minibus and observed I was the only lady with the driver, the conductor, a male passenger on the front seat, and another male passenger on the first row of the back seat. I perceived trouble!

The minibus sped off and I saw the seducer running towards the bus and that view faded...

I looked at the men inside the bus and had to come up with something quickly.
If I screamed, they could just take off my properties and throw me off. What if they had guns with them or something dangerous? I had to play the role of a silent fool until I get to a hold-up on the road.

"Ermm, I will take Abak road to bid the traffic!" Said the Driver and all the passengers agreed to that immediately.

Obviously, that was a not well played drama. Couldn't they have come up with a more brilliant idea? I looked through the glass chimney that was sealed at the last row of the back seat were I was. Only the front row was a good go. It was lowered and I had to do my calculations correctly.

The vehicle had crossed through Ibiam Street when the passenger on the front row of the back seat started his own part of the drama.

"Hello Driver, Please I'm going to Oron road."

"Ha! Oron road and you didn't inform me all these while?" The driver said in pretence not knowing I knew their games.

My only problem was my way out. Last week, I learnt such people diabolically got everything a lady had on her and charmed her into withdrawing all her savings from the bank and handed over to them.
God! I've been doomed!

Just as my heartbeat couldn't handle this anymore, a tricycle (Keke) drove towards us and got so close that I could see the passenger. It was the Mr Seducer!

Gosh... I was so excited but he signalled me to keep calm. They drove alongside the mini bus and my mind wasn't into the conversation ongoing anymore because I knew the conversation was shit.

Then we got to a point where a car tried to reverse and that caused a little jam on the road, then my Mr Seducer commanded his driver and they pulled in front of the minibus and he ordered the driver reversing to park in the middle of the road. He was quick, smart and so intelligent.

"Driver, please stop your car this bus is filled with thieves, they will dupe the lady inside!"

Just then, the mini bus I was in took a quick reverse but couldn't move out of the hold—up.
It only ended up hitting another vehicle.

That was the end of it. They were all arrested and I was saved by someone I barely knew who just had a seductive glance at me.

---

This is a fictional piece of experiences that have been happening in my State and in Nigeria at large. Some fraudsters are over town, picking up innocent passengers, getting their wallets and phones, using charms to make them go extra miles by bringing in all their life savings.

We have our eyes out there... They are everywhere!

Itoro Archibong, Pen Addict!!! ✍✍✍