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As much as we pray for the unexpected not to happen, We still need to plan for when it happens, Anas* shared his story on how been street smart saved him from the unexpected occurrence of getting robbed at gunpoint
Before reading on, how are you able to be street smart while traveling here
Every week on Miles and Moments, we share traveler stories to understand how far people have journeyed and the culture shocks they’ve experienced along the way. There’s always something to learn from each story.
I get excited whenever I need to embark on a road trip, but the state of road infrastructure and the travel system in Nigeria have been subpar since the beginning.
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While road travel offers so much and allows you to intentionally connect with nature’s gifts, I often fantasize about not staying in one place and constantly exploring. However, Nigeria and its system keep making things difficult, and it even led to me getting caught in a mix-up with armed robbers while traveling.
Road robbery isn’t a new conversation. My first experience with robbery was during a journey to Kwara. Beyond that, it’s been a consistent and trending topic on the news and Twitter.
Whenever I’m traveling, one prayer my parents always say is, “You will have journey mercies.” This is the most common prayer in Nigerian households, stemming from the fear of the unknown. In Nigeria, with its poor infrastructure, the “unknown” often refers to robbery and accidents.
As a student traveling to Kwara, my experience on that trip made me swear off road trips altogether. I had decided to rest my head and sleep during the journey, but about 30 minutes into my nap, I was abruptly woken by the shout of an old woman sitting in the front seat. She screamed, “Blood of Jesus! Blood of Jesus!” Of course, we are Nigerians, and whenever someone yells that in an unexpected situation, it’s an immediate sign that something serious is happening.
After the woman shouted “Blood of Jesus,” my first thought was that we were about to crash into another vehicle or have a severe accident. My heart started racing. The situation worsened when I saw a group of men, their faces covered, looking rough, and approaching our bus with guns.
At that moment, I couldn’t think straight. I was face-to-face with herdsmen—not just reading about them on Twitter or hearing stories—but encountering them physically. The only thing that slowed their approach was that our vehicle was slightly behind others.
As they got closer, it became difficult to breathe. The next thing I heard was, “Stop this bus now or we shoot!” They approached quickly, and everything became crystal clear to me.
The silence was like a graveyard. It was obvious that this wasn’t just my first experience; many others were facing this kind of draining situation for the first time too. In our minds, all we could do was think of survival and blame Nigeria for the bad infrastructure and security issues.
I couldn’t think or move. Fear was coursing through my entire body, from head to toe. These men were so fired up, it felt like they were looking for someone to use as target practice.
Eventually, they started shouting, “Everyone lay down and empty your pockets!” I think this was the one time I was really street-smart in keeping my belongings. I survived by pure luck, and sometimes I tell people not to try what I did.
They began searching everyone one by one. If they asked you for money and you didn’t have any, they resorted to beating you. A few people were beaten, and those with bags were dragged away as they took valuable items.
I didn’t have much money on me that day, but the little I had, they quickly took.
But my phone? Haha, that’s when I realized that having street smarts is crucial on the road. As I saw them getting closer to me, I quickly tucked my phone into my boxers.
Yes, it was there! I might not have had much money, but my phone had to survive. I hid it so well that when it was my turn, they just tapped my pocket a bit, took the little cash I had, and moved on.
But man, the fear? My friend, I can’t even explain. The elderly woman in front of me had been shouting prayers non-stop, begging them not to kill us. As she kept shouting, one of the herdsmen got angry, slapped her repeatedly, and told her to shut up. That’s how she finally went quiet; everyone was completely gripped with fear.
After about 30 minutes of torture, they finished robbing us and left. As soon as they were gone, I stayed on the ground, frozen, as if I couldn’t move anymore. It felt like I was dreaming, but it was all too real.
We just stared at each other; everyone was in shock, and no one could even speak. As the bus slowly resumed its journey, I was trembling in my seat. I couldn’t believe I had escaped such a terrifying ordeal.
By the time I got back to school, my legs could barely support me. I went straight to my hostel, locked myself in my room, and just sat there, overwhelmed. Even as I type this story, my heart still races whenever I think about it.
That’s how I survived a road robbery, but my phone, tucked safely in my boxers, was the only thing that gave me a small sense of relief.
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Since that day, anytime I hear someone shout “Blood of Jesus!” while traveling, I immediately scan my surroundings before I can relax. So my friend, if you’re traveling in this country of ours, stay alert. You never know where trouble might come from.
If you’re interested in sharing your travel experiences, this is a good place to start.
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*Some names have been changed for the sake of anonymity.