Traveler recounts how robbers shot his bus en-route Rivers

Night travel in Nigeria is not supposed to be unsafe in any country where there is adequate security of lives and property.

There are many advantages night travels offer to businessmen, workers, students, tourists and other categories of people. Night travels save time by allowing travellers to fully maximise the day while the night is for movements to their destinations.

This was what 30-year-old worker, Michael Olumide, intended to utilise when he boarded a night bus from Lagos to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State, capital on October 27, 2019.

He planned to go to work early Monday morning once the vehicle arrived at the final park. Olumide didn’t want to take chances and thus he boarded a clean, air-conditioned luxury bus owned by one of the popular transport firms at Jibowu, Lagos. The bus left the park at 8pm that day after dramas between some passengers and the firm’s officials on luggage charge.

Olumide, while narrating his experience during the trip to our correspondent, said he was given an odd seat number which indicated he would sit by the window side. He, however, added that a female passenger given the next number to him insisted she was supposed to sit by the window.

He said the situation led to a heated argument and the bus conductor was called to settle it. The issue was however resolved in favour of Olumide. According to Olumide, the development left the female passenger angry and she became unfriendly to him throughout the night.

He said, “The journey was smooth from Oshodi to Ojota where the driver refuelled the vehicle. I bought some snacks and cold drinks and offered the lady some but she turned them down in an unfriendly way.

“I kept cool and brought out my phone to play some favourite songs. I plugged in my earpiece to listen to the song alone without disturbing other passengers.

“The journey was smooth with no incident until we got to a fuel station imbued with eateries after Benin City, Edo State. The driver parked and we were asked to relax a bit. While we were at the fuel station, news filtered in that robbers were attacking some travellers few kilometers away from where we parked.

“Instead of discontinuing the journey and waiting till the road would be clear, our driver and other luxury bus drivers who parked at the fuel station said they would proceed with the journey and anyone who refused to join them would be left behind.

“I had no option than to continue the journey. Armed escorts in about eight buses heading for the same direction started shooting into the air to scare away the robbers. But after travelling for about five kilometres, we came to the spot where the armed robbers were operating. The heavily armed robbers engaged our escorts in a shootout and at this point, I regretted sitting by the window side because the sound of the bullet exchange was deafening and bone-chilling. I was scared that some of the bullets may hit me near the window.’’

Olumide added that at that point the lady had lain on the floor of the bus like other passengers who sat on the aisle.

“I almost asked her to take back the window side seat which she had been moody over since the journey started. I folded myself on the seat and put my head towards the isle with my legs against the body of the bus. I told myself that I would survive if bullets hit my feet. But if it hits my head, it would be instant death,” he stated.

Olumide said he was awed and remained in an awkward position for almost 30 that the shooting lasted. He said some passengers started praying in several languages and one woman almost defecated in her pants as she complained of stomach upset.

Olumide stated, “The shooting was intense and at a point, the windscreen of the bus was shattered by a bullet but nobody was hit. Two of the side windows were also damaged by bullets. I almost fainted out of fear. I thought the end had come at that point.’’

“After sometime, there was a booming sound and the shooting ceased. When we got to Port Harcourt the following day, I went to meet our escort to ask him about the encounter with the robbers. He told me that grenades were eventually used to disperse the robbers.’’

He explained that after the scary incident, he took a decision never to embark on long-distance travels at night.

“It was a narrow escape and I was greatly terrified by the incident. I stopped night travels and would rather travel by air if it’s an emergency or by road during the daytime,” he added.