**Name changed to protect identity...yada yada yada!

It was 4:30pm, Ibrahim had just ridden his motorcycle out of the petrol station where he went to purchase fuel. He wasn't wearing a helmet like he knew he was supposed to. The station wasn't far from his office and there aren't usually any checks along the way. He was riding a delivery bike with the box attached.

He got to the junction where he's to tee off and join traffic heading in the direction of the office. Traffic only flows one way here.

Due to the intensity of the oncoming traffic he decided to switch off his bike and wait for the traffic to reduce. He was shortly accosted by two men.

'Why are you not wearing a helmet?' one of the men asked and he noticed they were 'V.I.O'.

**(Vehicle Inspection Officer, if you don't know what is means; Femi Ajasa (Vanguard, December 13, 2015) imagines them as some clowns we encounter on the roads checking vehicle particulars and drivers’ licences)

'I..I have helmet, it's just that I just bought fuel and my office is not far' Ibrahim said to the men, while getting off the bike to retrieve the helmet from the box.

Immediately he got off, one of the men mounted the bike and started it. Ibrahim had erroneously left his key on the ignition while getting off.

'Take this machine to the office' the second man instructed the one mounted on the bike.

** side note: when dealing with road safety, v.i.o, police, park agbero or whoever always keep your keys secure.

Ibrahim started struggling the bike with the man.

'My friend, if you want to get this bike go and talk to my oga' the man on the bike said to him.

Ibrahim left the bike to go and meet the 'oga' who was already getting into their vehicle parked a few meters away. The man on the bike zoomed off taking one-way and before Ibrahim could get to the vehicle. The 'oga' sped off in another direction. Dilemma!

Ibrahim after some moments chartered a taxi and went to the closest v.i.o office only to be told that they don't know anybody like the people he described and suggested he went to their other office.

Long story short the bike was snatched by miscreants posing as v.i.o officers.

**would narrate the rest of the events, but seems rather unnecessary

End

So the crux of the matter is do we blame Ibrahim? If yes..
for not wearing helmet or
for allowing just two people without any police or whatever seize his bike or
for allowing his head to be used by such a simple tactic.

**This part is fiction and no office or event is real**

Bako and Adamu were driving around in their 'trick' van. They were black sheep task force members a small group that go around snatching bikes from unsuspecting riders and then sell the bikes. All sales were shared among them and some top people at the office to cover their tracks

'Look, see one there across that side' Bako pointed across the road to a man riding a bike without number plates.

'Him no resemble army, oya match am make we freestyle the nyamuri' Azeez replied.

The drove after the rider and blocked his path. Both of them disembarked and held unto the bike.

'Where's your number plate number oga & why you no dey wear helmet?' they asked him.

Bako quickly removed the bike key.

'Sir, na shop I just comot, abeg help me I no get any money' the rider pleaded.

'You know get money ba, oya come down from the machine. Adamu drive this machine to under that tree' Azeez said to Bako using a fake name.

Bako started the bike and rode to the tree. The rider was still begging Azeez.

After some minutes Azeez turned to the rider and said 'Oya go collect your machine, make I no catch you again o!' then he got into the vehicle.

As soon as the man was nearing the tree Bako sped off using one-way and before the man could turn back Azeez zoomed off.

Another one bites the dust!

***still fiction

Madé had just returned inside the house after tying the goats in the frontage. Her father is a civil servant and with the current economic downturn in the country had decided to start rearing goats.

She decided to watch some films which she collected from her friend the previous day. All the chores in the house were done, so she had time to kill.

About four hours later, Bulus the security man ran into the house and was shouting 'they've carried the goats, they've carried the goats'.

People gathered around and Bulus narrated the events.

'Them park outside just next to where the goats were tied and started repairing something in their moto. The moto been no gree start and dem push am front and back. I kukuma help dem push. Small time pass, them send person go buy plug. Me no reason say na thief dem be. So I enter house come dey wash cloth. I come start to hear as the goat dem begin cry "meeeeh meeeeeh". Na im I comot outside go check wetin dey happen. I see say the moto don dey go with all the goat. I for pursue dem but no bike dey pass'.

'Did you get the plate number of the car?' asked one of the residents.

'No, I no get am, but I see their id card and uniform for the moto, na V.I.O them be'

'V.I.O? What nonsense. V.I.O don't go around stealing goats. These are thieves, better go and report at the police station immediately.

Another one bites the dust!