As Paul and Ebuka approached the famous Apple Junction in the Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos State, they made a left turn at the roundabout and found people gathered on the other side of the road. Paul, gently stepped on the brakes and came to a halt. Usually, Paul would never care about seeing people congregated in such a manner but today, he picked an unusual interest in the growing crowd he saw on the other lane. Ebuka offered to check why the crowd had gathered.
As he approached, he saw lying on the floor, a plump, fair complexioned woman. Ebuka’s heart started to race and he was prayerfully hoping that if he traced the lifeless body to its face, it would not be who he thought it was. But alas, it was Ijeoma, lying lifeless on the road. Ebuka ran towards where Paul had parked to call his attention.
As Ebuka informed Paul of what he had just seen, Paul flew out of the car with the speed of light to rush over to where his wife’s body laid. At this time, the crowd were already making plans to get the people who had run her over to take her to the closest hospital. Paul had introduced himself as the husband and he assisted them in lifting her body into the car owned by the young men who had run her over.
On getting to the first hospital, a private hospital, Ijeoma’s body was rejected for no apparent reason. Paul was confused as to what to do. All his thoughts kept clashing against each other unitl he decided that going to a public hospital would be the best option. He told the guys who had hit her to take him and his wife’s body to where he packed his car so he can put her in his car and take her to the General Hospital at Lagos Island.
The guys did as Paul had instructed, only that, as Paul alighted from the vehicle, and walked towards where he parked his car, they zoomed off with Ijeoma’s body. Paul had never been so dumbfounded. He kept on asking himself series of questions as to why they would zoom off with his wife’s body when he needed to get her medical attention as soon as possible. Paul’s world took a spin right before his eyes. He thought he was in a Nollywood movie.
Paul, seeing that the direction they had zoomed off towards was the Festac link bridge, he made complaints to the police men who were just at the junction but, as it is commonplace with the Nigerian Police Force, his complaints fell on deaf ears. When he saw the nonchalance with which the officers had received the complaints he made, he decided to call his relatives and his wife’s relatives, some of whom were either high ranking officers in the police force or who had the relevant connections. That night, Paul and Ijeoma’s extended family in Lagos rallied down to Apple Junction to provide support, vis a vis escalating the issue to the relevant quarters in the Nigerian Police Force. This was 10:00pm.
When the Police officers on duty at Apple Junction started getting several calls on Ijeoma’s missing body, they created a search party which was deployed into the Festac area. They searched till about 1:00a.m.
