WE ARE HERE: THE RETRIBUTION
Previously on We Are Here…
*
While all of this was going on in Sage’s area, Abeeboi was squaring off different drama in his department. He’d narrated everything to the lecturer who owned the course he and Herod were going to take, playing the recording of the conversation he had with Herod for him. The lecturer passed the recording on to the HOD. As the exam was about to start, the HOD came and called Herod out to his office. A few minutes later, he sent for Abeeboi. On getting there, Abeeboi reiterated everything that happened and Herod confirmed it. And then he told the HOD that in his defense, “the people we attacked are homosexuals.”
The HOD shut him up at once, and in the presence of his secretary (who doubles as a lawyer), began to outline for Herod the gravity of the crimes he’d committed with his friends. Starting with aggravated assault to armed robbery and blackmail, the HOD made him understand that his crime was way worse than anything he believed we’d committed. One of his lines was: “This University admits students irrespective of their age, race, gender, religion or sexuality. It is an inclusive community. So this is not just a crime against these young men. This is a crime against the university community.” The HOD instructed him to come to the department the next day with all they’d collected from us, as well as his cronies. He also told Abeeboi to bring everyone who was attacked by these guys the next day. There, he said, he’d mediate over the matter and get our things returned rather than report them to the school’s security department which would mean their immediate rustication. And then he finished with a ban on Herod from writing that exam.
Sage and Zara, on their own part, called the police and told them they were being harassed by robbers and cultists. The police came in that evening, arrested everyone they pointed out, including Black, Cross and the caretaker, as well as about five other people. As the police detained the criminals, they told my friends to bring in the others who’d been attacked by the detainees the next day. Some friends of Sage’s, Anyi and Croc, also came in to the station that evening and spoke with the IPO in charge of the case. Then they began trying to reach me, but they couldn’t as none of them had Delle’s number and I still was too much of an invalid to retrieve my number.
Abeeboi came over that night with a bisexual classmate of his, Elektra, who was absolutely miffed by everything that had happened. She gave me her phone and I logged onto my Facebook account, got Zara’s number and called him. When he told me about the assault he and Sage suffered earlier that day, I felt like dying. It was clear that I was the beacon which these hooligans were using to target my friends. I related to him the instruction Abeeboi’s HOD gave, and he, in turn, told me we all were needed at the police station the next day as they’d gotten the police involved, who had arrested some of the miscreants.
The next morning, Abeeboi and I went to Sage’s house to meet a full house. Anyi and Croc had come with a car, so we all piled into it to go see Abeeboi’s HOD. At his office, we discovered that Herod and his cronies didn’t come for the meeting. We carried on without them. We all told our parts of the story and how the attacks occurred. Looking like he was at a total loss, the man asked us if we wanted him to try for a departmental solution because, left to him, he was ready to turn the case over to the school’s security and the police. Then we informed him of the action taken by Sage and Zara after the last attack the previous day. As soon as he heard about the involvement of the police, he told us to pursue the case to the fullest extent, as he would also turn his findings over to the Security Department to ensure the speedy arrest and punishment of the our assailants.
We left immediately for the police station to find, upon our arrival, that the family members of some of those arrested yesterday were already there trying to procure their bail. The IPO called us into his office and asked those of us who hadn’t written our statements to do so. While Abeeboi and I were writing our statements, the IPO brought in two of the guys – Black and another young bearded guy who, apparently, had just joined the mob effort against Sage and Zara on Tuesday afternoon. The IPO started questioning this guy, and was asked to put down in writing his answers to the IPO’s questions.
IPO’s question: Why did you join in beating Sage and Zara?
His answer: Someone said they are homosexuals.
Question: How did you know they are homosexuals? Did you catch them in the act?
Answer: Someone showed me a phone containing gay porn and WhatsApp conversations and said it belonged to them and their friends.
Question: Who showed you the phone?
Answer: I don’t know him.
At this point, the IPO barked an incredulous laugh. Then he said, “You must know that person and provide him today. Otherwise, we will beat and jail the answer out of you.”
The boy’s face crumpled and he looked about ready to cry. He began pleading, reiterating that he didn’t know the person and didn’t know what drove him to join the mob action. The IPO ignored him and collected our statements. Abeeboi then told him about his laptop, which had been locked by one of his attackers. The IPO went into the cell block to bring out some of the boys for Abeeboi’s verification of the culprit. He brought Cross out and Abeeboi identified him as the one who’d locked his laptop. When the new password was demanded from him, Cross tried to deny what Abeeboi had accused him off. But after a series of slaps and punches delivered by the IPO, he yielded the new password.
Minutes after, some other officers came in with another boy. Apparently, they’d found him in his room using Rhean’s generator and Play Station. When Abeeboi saw the boy, he told the IPO that the boy was the third party in the trio that came to his house. After the boy was charged and thrown into the cell, the IPO asked us to wait for the DPO to get in so he’d formally hear our charges against the guys.
The time we spent waiting for the DPO outside was interspersed with major drama as the available family members of these guys came to meet us with different reactions: some were in denial, some openly confrontational and others pled for our leniency. Cross’s girlfriend made some derogatory comment about us being homosexuals, and Zara, being the crazy bitch that he is, read her to filth. As he was talking, he let spill the receipts he had on Cross, receipts he’d obtained from a source in their church. That bit of information didn’t strike me as odd because I’d already figured that only an internally homophobic gay person would be so dedicated to bashing other gay people.
By the time the DPO was ready to see us, my entire body was already acting up. I was tired and hungry – not just for food, but for justice to be served to them!
We got into the DPO’s office and the man welcomed us genially. He asked us to explain how the attacks happened. A lawyer, who was representing the ancient imp who had threatened to cut Abeeboi’s fingers off and had hit Rhean’s, was there alongside the DCO, IPO and the nine accused guys. Rhean was the first to tell his story, then Abeeboi, then Zara and Sage. I went last. When I started my story, the DCO and DPO got really mad because I still looked like a mess, with more injuries than the others.
When I was done, the DPO turned to the guys and reamed them out for what they did. He asked for Herod’s whereabouts as he hadn’t been arrested yet and then asked them to tell their own part of what happened.
When Cross was about to start talking, the DPO asked him to come forward and show him his fingers. After inspecting them, he proclaimed Cross a weed smoker. Cross denied it and the man delivered a resounding slap to his face. When he denied it again, the DPO slapped him again. It happened a third time, before the DPO asked him to carry on with his narration of what happened. Cross began a totally fictitious story of how I’d come to the lodge at a very late hour and how he stopped me at the door to ask who I was, how I looked like a shady criminal (the kind that steals people’s palm slippers) and how I raised my voice at him, and because he’d been drinking, he got angry and slapped me. ONCE! Then (somehow, miraculously) my phone fell into his hands and he discovered “evidence of my homosexuality”. As soon as he mentioned that topic, the DPO shut him up and told him not to mention that issue again, otherwise, what he’d gone through so far would be child’s play compared to what would be done to him.
The ancient imp was next and when he mentioned homosexuality, the DPO shut him up again and asked him, “Are you straight?” He responded in the affirmative and the DPO shut him up again.
At this point, the DPO said he wasn’t interested in hearing their stories. He classified their offences into armed robbery, blackmail, assault and battery, and put the five who were being held only on the assault charge up for bail. The remaining four – Black, the caretaker, Cross and the imp – were thrown back into the cell pending when Herod was caught and our things recovered.
Two days later, the four of them were released on bail, after a payment of about 30,000 naira each, on the grounds that they return all our stuff, pay damages to us and sign an undertaking of assurance of our safety.
On the 29th of March – 10 days after the first attack – our phones, money and other stolen property were returned. However, because some of the stolen items were not returned, the DPO extended their time to the 2nd of April. That day, they came to the station pleading, because according to them, they’d been rendered destitute by the case and barely had two cents to rub together. They returned the rest of our material things but asked us for an extension on the time to pay us for every other thing, damages inclusive.
In all, it was a huge win for us because even though we spent a lot of money, we got the justice that those hooligans never believed existed. As cynical a person as I am, the entire course of events revitalized my belief in the existence of good, of karma and the power in living your truth. Yes, we were attacked. Beaten. Hunted. But in the end, retribution came calling really fast and the results proved that we are here and we are going nowhere.
THE END.
Written by Mitch
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49 Comments
OJ
April 15, 05:56Serves them right!
And to think the police force(which I do not view as a friend of the LGBT community) served them justice, I am super-impressed!
Pink Panther
April 15, 06:11Me too. I swear, that was the most stunning part to me. To think the police didn’t exploit the situation to compound their victimization was really astonishing to me.
cedar
April 15, 07:52Walahi, dat part got me wide eyed. Like, r they inching towards d direction am thinking?
Mitch
April 15, 17:39That was, for me, the most surprising part. The police, your friend?
I was beyond impressed, believe me.
ambivalentone
April 15, 06:05Well well! So Cross was the kokoro that was ruining the vegetable patch. I had my fingers pointed at the dude from Delle’s pool party all the while. Anyway, there must be a juicy story there. This is only the out-of-school end to the story. The HOD’s judgement nko?
Mitch
April 15, 17:45The case is with the school security now. They’re still searching for Herod. When they find him, then we’d know what would happen
ambivalentone
April 15, 19:37When I read this story’s first instalment, I ran to google checking if there was any recent gist/gossip/news about gay bashing from ur school. I didn’t see any. Leads me to wonder if attacks on gay ppl are so common place to not be news
Anyway, I hope at least ur uni WILL publish their names as being rusticated when the Disciplinary Committee in ur school reaches a consensus
Absalom
April 15, 06:50I’m not satisfied!
Have ALL your things been retuned now?
And why are the names of your assailants Herod and Cross and Snake and what have you? What are the real names and details of these goats, please??
Pink Panther
April 15, 06:53That’s coming up. lol
Simba
April 15, 07:17The Devil in me is waiting for their real names.. Facebook, instagram.. I can wait. Thank you.
ambivalentone
April 15, 07:25Why do I have a feeling that the employability of these guys, should their pictures surface, went from ‘barely considered’ to ‘not a chance in hell’ with this? Is it just me seeing this comment that way?
cedar
April 15, 07:55Dude, chillax. Ur blood too dey hot. lol
Mitch
April 16, 09:58Well, satisfaction is a relative thing. We were satisfied with the outcome. Besides, they returned all our things and paid damages on top.
Seems quite adequate to me
Black Dynasty
April 15, 06:58Good, this is excellent. Thankfully these were decent policemen! Hopefully news of this spreads through the uni, so other idiots don’t think it’s ok to randomly attack folks for any reason.
Queen Blue Fox
April 15, 07:23Please publish names o, especially that of the internally homophobic guy, so that he may never tap another ass in this country again. The stupid idiot.
cedar
April 15, 07:59Not a chance in hell, his days of kissing and telling r over.
Brexiteer
April 15, 07:32All of this happened at my alma mater?!!!!! My word!!!!!! I’m actually very surprised at the level of respect and decorum the HOD and police showed. I’ve always known some students and lecturers are in uni just to make up the numbers rather than to actively be a part of the academic community but this is actually heart warming. Goes to show that educated people, no matter what they feel about a situation personally, would never down the violent pill unless it’s their life at stake. Kudos to a tiny bit of growth although more needs to be done with respect to inclusivity on our campuses of higher learning and not just saying the words. I’m glad you lot are ok but don’t take this shit laying down. Be strong.
cedar
April 15, 08:07Am so happy it all ended like a Cinderella story. Whether them mofos like it or not, they are stuck with us.
We are here and we ain’t stepping down. Infact, come down for what??
cedar
April 15, 08:21“They’d been rendered destitute by d case and barely had two cents to rub togeda.”
Karma is d queen bitch, hiya hiya oooh!!!
Dimkpa
April 15, 08:33I am really sorry to read about what you guys experienced. I almost didn’t read today’s story out of fear. My heart goes out to you and all your friends. I hope you get well soon. I salute your bravery in going to the police and your HOD and not cowering in fear of what they would think and do about your sexuality.
I am really impressed at your HOD and the entire police force. Your HOD’s statement about the inclusive nature of the University really gives me hope that people are finally getting the message. I hope others who would do us harm will hear of this and learn.
They deserve some sort of award tbh…A KD hope for the future award perhaps.
To think this all started because of the colour of the shorts you were wearing. Stupid boys that were sent to school to learn and instead of applying themselves to the improvement of their minds, were busy chasing the color red like bulls in a fighting ring. I’m still mad they felt that your sexuality is justification for unprovoked assaults, robbery and blackmail or that bringing that up would somehow absolve them of their crimes. Now they know better.
I wish you and your friends the best with your exams and have a Happy Easter!
Pink Panther
April 15, 08:35Happy Easter, Dimkpa.
And boy, have I missed you. 😀
Colossus
April 15, 08:42Down boy
Pink Panther
April 15, 09:04Oh shush away!
Dimkpa
April 15, 12:00I have missed you too Pinky. ?
Pink Panther
April 15, 12:03Get yo ass over to BBM osiso! ??
Mitch
April 16, 10:44Thank you Dimkpa.
And permit me to say I’ve missed that refreshingly smart presence of your here on KD.
Colossus
April 15, 08:41This was a beautiful conclusion to this gut wrenching trilogy.
Delle
April 15, 08:46And so here it is. I can finally walk round my school without fear that I’d be the next to be pounced on.
The story should be over but if the lives of these guys can be made more miserable (they give misery more meaning than it already has, these guys), I’d be glad for it.
Danny
April 15, 09:27Hi KD, I just wanna ask is there a hook up section or a whatsapp group you guys can hook me up with? Thanks & Delle, I really like your sense of humor, looking forward to getting to know you.
It’s my first time here by the way
Pink Panther
April 15, 09:46There’s neither a hookup section nor whatsapp group for KDians
Brian Collins
April 15, 10:38Hehehehehehehehe, I just knew pinky was going to jump on this. “Thou, shalt not turn KD into a hookup site”.
Mandy
April 15, 10:32When I saw that the police had gotten involved, I envisaged a totally different ending from this one. I’m glad I was wrong.
Like someone commented, what about the HOD? What action did he take?
Mitch
April 16, 10:47Like I told Ambi, the HoD has handed the case over to the school security. Hopefully, when they find Herod, we’d be hearing from them.
Brian Collins
April 15, 10:49I am just so glad this ended well. I thought police involvement was going to compound things, instead it brought desired justice.
I am still sorry for all the bad that happened though.
@ambivalentone, how are you doing?
ambivalentone
April 15, 11:31Briana, mo wa o. Ki lo se BBM e?
Sinnex
April 15, 11:11Nice one guys. I am so happy.
@Pinky, I still dey wait for the remaining tori. At least make we do amebo small, add pictures join too ooo
Pink Panther
April 15, 11:14Heheheee. Yes sah
eli
April 15, 11:57thank God you guys are well, but there shld have been a disclaimer that the account is a past event that has been resolved. you had some of us really worried. glad you’re fine and impressed / shocked with the response of the HOD and POLICE. Seems humanity is not lost afterall…
Pink Panther
April 15, 12:02A disclaimer? Since when has that ever been necessary? Besides, There was a date at the beginning of the first part. March 17.
Danny
April 15, 12:04Oh, OK. Sorry for coming out like out, I don’t mingle much. But it’s cool to meet with people though. Thanks again.
Gad
April 15, 12:31I’m quite glad at the revival brought about by the way this story went. The multitude that usually go for the necks of people for suggesting that cases of robbery, blackmail, assault (a.k. a kito) be reported to law enforcement agencies seems to have repented with this story. A very welcome development. May God deliver us from cowardice and ignorance. I salute you guys bravery and display of learning.
Canis VY Majoris
April 15, 14:36This is heart warming. I glimmer of hope in this country.
Francis
April 15, 18:03One of those rare moments when one is proud of naija police though una spend money to pursue the matter well well. Kudos to the HOD sef for having sense and acting like a human being ???
So I’m guessing names, pictures and social media accounts are up next…..tomorrow ??
P.S: if only ewu LIB would carry this kain gist so that the violent homophobes for that her blog and beyond, would start thinking thrice about messing with gays and wakaing free
Pink Panther
April 15, 18:19Abiiiii????!!!! This is the kind of story she should be posting about our community. Stuff that shows us winning.
Mitch
April 16, 10:43I tell you!
But then, ewu Linda only carries stories that pander to her immensely homophobic audience.
Eddie
April 15, 18:25so this isnt fiction???? Deep!!!
Nel
April 16, 19:17I’m super joyed right now.
I had a feeling it was going to end well right from the start.
We can’t be made to suffer for WHO WE ARE.
Things can only get better.
KrestienKristoff
April 17, 07:30Very cool,
At first i thought involving the police was a wrong step•
But ThankGod, it was resolved
Dumdum
April 17, 10:54This is Hope!