A True Life Story
By Chukwudi George Ozalla
A few years ago, I had one of the most frightening experiences of my life at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja-FCT.
That evening, I had just dropped off an acquaintance who was returning overseas. As I was driving towards the airport exit, I noticed a man rolling his suitcase in my direction as he made his way to the other side of the road. Our eyes met. I slowed down, wound down my window and politely asked where he was going. When he mentioned that he was going to Trademore Estate, I realised it was along my route, so I offered to give him a lift.
As he approached my tinted Mercedes-Benz SUV, one thing, however, occupied my mind. I was watching out for members of the airport taxi union task force, who were known for stopping private motorists they suspected of picking up passengers that would otherwise have patronised them. While I was keeping an eye on my surroundings, I failed to notice that the man had opened the rear door, placed his suitcase inside and shut the door. Hearing the door close, I naturally assumed he had entered the back seat. Unknown to me, he had only dropped his suitcase there and was walking round to enter through the front passenger door.
Thinking he was already inside, I drove off. As I approached the airport exit, I noticed someone ahead waving at me to stop. Because my windows were fully wound up, I couldn’t hear anything. I assumed he was one of the airport taxi union task force officials trying to stop me because they believed I had picked up a passenger, so I ignored the signal and continued driving.
A few moments later, I looked through my side mirror and noticed a vehicle behind me. Its headlights kept flashing continuously while the occupants waved repeatedly for me to stop. That confirmed my suspicion that they were pursuing me because I had picked up a passenger. Instead of slowing down, I accelerated. By the time I joined the Airport Expressway, I had driven close to two kilometres from the airport exit.
Still believing the passenger was seated behind me, I said aloud, “Please don’t be offended by the way I’m driving. I suspect those pursuing us may be members of the airport taxi union task force.” There was no response. I found that unusual, so I adjusted my centre mirror to look at him. To my surprise, there was nobody on the back seat. Only the suitcase. As I began to decelerate, I turned my head fully towards the back seat. It was still empty. My heart skipped. It was beating so fast I could almost hear it. It was then I realised that those pursuing me were not members of the airport taxi union task force after all. They were trying to alert me that I had driven away with the man’s suitcase while leaving him behind.
I immediately pulled off the Airport Expressway and waited. All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind. What if they had stopped me before I realised my mistake? What if I had been mistaken for a robber? Worse still, what if an angry mob had mistaken me for a robber before I had the opportunity to explain myself? It was a frightening thought.
Thankfully, the man eventually caught up with me. Before I could say much, I apologised and explained exactly what had happened. He accepted my explanation immediately, saying he understood it was an honest mistake. We introduced ourselves properly and, as we talked, we discovered that we had several mutual acquaintances. He also told me he was a trade unionist in the oil and gas industry.
I still drove him to his estate as I had promised. During the journey, our conversation flowed freely. On getting to his residence at Trademore Estate, he thanked me profusely and told me the suitcase contained many valuables, including his international passport and other important documents. Hearing that made me realise even more how serious the situation could have become if the misunderstanding had taken a different turn. Before we parted, we exchanged telephone numbers and wished each other well.
As I drove home that night, I kept replaying the incident in my mind. I realised how a few seconds of distraction could have turned a simple act of kindness into a very painful experience. Since that day, I don’t drive off until I am sure everyone who is supposed to be in the vehicle is actually inside. It is a lesson I learnt the hard way, and one I will never forget.
