23/06/2026
But I want to share a true-life story. Perhaps someone will understand that every action, no matter how small it seems today, can leave consequences that last for generations.
During the Obasanjo administration, a police officer was posted to a station in Itokin. Due to the security challenges in the area at the time, he and his colleagues were often stationed around Itokin Bridge.
One night, on May 6, 2001, a woman who had just returned from the United States was travelling back to Ijebu-Ode. It was already late.
As she approached Itokin Bridge, armed robbers attacked her. Her vehicle was badly damaged during the attack. Fortunately, the sound of gunshots alerted nearby police officers, who quickly rushed to the scene.
On sighting the police, the robbers fled without taking anything.
When the police officer leading the patrol team approached the woman, she was still alive. She was badly injured, but she could still have survived if she had been rushed to the hospital immediately.
As the officer got closer, the woman pointed weakly towards a nearby bush. Inside it was a bag containing money the robbers had been unable to steal.
The officer checked the bag.
It was filled with dollars.
At that moment, everything changed.
The desire to save a dying woman suddenly gave way to greed.
He deliberately sent the other officers after the fleeing robbers so they would not discover the money.
The same police vehicle that should have been used to rush the woman to the hospital was instead used to chase criminals who had already escaped.
And just like that, the woman died.
Years passed. The police officer retired and relocated to Ijebu-Ode.
In April, 2019, there was a high-profile kid^napping incident around Itokin Bridge. The officer escaped unharmed.
Grateful to be alive, he called his children abroad and told them he wanted to celebrate both his survival and his birthday together.
A double celebration.
But life had something else waiting for him.
A few weeks
