He says he was inches away from being beaten but when he mouthed some words,he was left alone.....
''I Am A Legal Practitioner ''-
...Monday 1 July 2019 was a very hectic day for most of us here in Lagos State. I had risen as early as 4.00am and left home at 5.00am, with a view to finding my way to Ikeja early enough, a trip which ordinarily ought to have taken me 1 hour from the other side of the city but ended up wasting 5 hours of my existence in the process. I had my meeting in Ikeja, as scheduled and returned to Lagos Island.
By the time I got back to Lagos Island, it was already past 6.00pm and I did not even bother going back to the office. I just headed home straight. The traffic from Onikan to Toll Gate was not so significant and I was oblivious of what may lie ahead of me at or should I say from First Roundabout. I decided to activate the Google Map application on my mobile phone for directions. Initially, it projected 2 hours and 16 minutes from that location to my destination and should I say I was sad? I forged ahead still.
I made a detour at the Alternative Route as same was looking good on Google map and behold, after Maroko Police Station, some miscreants elected to form another lane and as a result of their irresponsible acts, another avoidable traffic gridlock started building up. Then boom! a truck surfaced from the opposite direction and one of the erring vehicles attempted to overtake my car after meeting a very big obstruction in the course of his insanity.
As a typical Ekiti man, stubborn to "da bone", I simply told myself, we die here! Withn split seconds, two guys who turned out to be soldiers, still basking from the euphoria of power drunkenness 20 long years after the collapse of Khakistocra(z)y alighted from their marked Army vehicle (I would not disclose the registration number of the vehicle for personal reasons) and ordered me to come out of my vehicle for a thorough beating. Then my University of Benin (Ekosodin) instinct came to the fore.
I simply wound down my glass just enough to be able to communicate without exposing my delicate face to that "army tossai slap" and struggled to mutter in a traumatized voice that I was a "legal practitioner." I cannot remember ever introducing myself to anyone in that manner prior to that moment. Guess what, just before that eventful moment, they had hit my car with all sorts and were ready to batter me for having the audacity to obey the law by remaining on my lane. My only offence was that I refused to let them shunt. Then a myriad of questions flashed through my mind.
What if I had not announced to these scoundrels that I was a lawyer? What if I was driving a trailer? What if my glass was down? What if I was driving a rickety taxi? What if I was a student? What if I was a cab driver? What if I was not a lawyer? What if and what if"s?
Someone should please educate these overzealous men that in this "Social Media Age", one has to tread with caution. Unknown to them, I have pictures of the vehicle's registration number and I'm aware that the car belongs to a general, but the general was not inside the vehicle at the material time because his insignia was covererd. It was just some overzealous "unknown soldiers" who were trying to "show themselves."
I have good friends, brothers, sisters and good clients in the Army and I hold them in high esteem. Had it been I forged ahead with my 44 Regular Course arrangement (I obtained the form and wrote the exam after all), today, 28 years after, I could have been a Colonel.
Thank God, I am a "legal practitioner", "Army for don tossai my face."
The things we dey see for Naija.....The lawyer is funny sha.......I dey like gist with dis kind person.
ReplyDeleteNaso the society respect only what u are, some people suffer not because of being wrong but because they are who they are.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right Deenity
DeleteIT'S REALLY SAD! THE RATE OF LAWLESSNESS IN THIS COUNTRY IS ALARMING, A SOLIDER THAT IS MEANT TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE IS NOW MOLESTING THE PEOPLE.THANK GOD YOU ARE LAWYER AND YOU KNOW YOUR RIGHT,BUT AS YOU SAID HOW MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE DO. I AM A MEDICAL PRACTITIONER BUT AT THIS POINT I DO NOT MIND READING LAW TO KNOW MY RIGHT AND FIGHT FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT.
ReplyDeleteStop shouting. Soldiers are meant to protect the country's territory not the people. That is the job of the police.
DeletePS. The Legal practitioner is just pained he wasn't admitted into NDA. He would have done same or worse!
Deenity 💛
ReplyDeleteAre Ekiti people "stubborn" like this lawyer mentioned. I read pride in his narration and I wonder why? If they had
ReplyDeletebeaten you to death, being a lawyer would not have counted. Let's just say that you were a survivor of soldier's brutality
by the mercy of God.
Ekiti people are extremely stubborn
DeleteInteresting way of conveying the message, the tossai slap can reset brain straight to Yaba Left leaving default mode inactive. Unknown Soja ekushe
ReplyDeleteone thing i have observed in this country:mostly in Lagos state is that we're always in a haste.Nobody wants to apply patience in their day to day activities.i feel disgusting each day i'm on the streets of Lagos. starting from the commuters to drivers.
ReplyDeleteit's so pathetic honestly.
let us be showing great forbearances in our dealing with one another
When you see those soldiers with tiger claws on their faces, try the " I am a legal practitioner" crap. Do they even know who is a legal practitioner. If you talk lawyer, it will infuriate them more and they will beat shege comot your body. Nonsense post.
ReplyDeleteIf it were me, I would have ordered my escort to beat the living day light out him. Let him go to court. He will exhaust himself.
ReplyDeleteNo be small overzealous. Lawlessness at its peak in Naija. That means if he hadn't mentioned his profession, he would have been beaten.
ReplyDeletePlease, could this lawyer petition the Military and start something positive so that they could call these soldiers to order. They are not trained with tax-payers money to display brute force against unarmed, law-abiding civilians but to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the craziness of some vehicle drivers (plus tricycles, motorbikes, bicycles and pushcarts) in LAGOS STATE is disgusting but more disgusting is the deplorable state of roads there!
Potholes, rather gullies, overflowing drainages/gutters, flooded roads, dirt roads/unpaved, no side walks or bicycle paths etc even where the ruling party have their Secretariat. Jeez!
Lagos and it's craziness
ReplyDeleteI thought you all are educated oops some are not ,
ReplyDeleteThere's always two side of every story , Mrs legal practioner Weldon sir!
I was there when it happens, the soldiers came to you and ask you " sir please who are you and you replied am a legal practioner ,the reasons they asked you such questions is to know how to address you, and one of the soldiers politely ask you to make way for them cos they are on assignment .
Have you ever seen where soldiers are rushing to where there's milk and honey ?
Soldiers are like doctors they rush to save lives ,they defend like lawyers and fight like a combatant .
I think you're buying some cheap publicity.