How I Spent a Few Minutes In the Police Cell

I was still a student at Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana in the year 2016. So I decided to visit home for a weekend.

Oh! Had I known I was going to enter the trouble of entering the Police Cell, I would have just stayed in school.

I came back home on a Friday evening to look for money. I was sitting outside my house when Ottoh Boy passed by and saw me. I greeted him, then he told me to format a laptop for him and he promised to pay me N5,000.

I was so happy because that money will go a long way in my school upkeep. So we went to his room and he gave me the said laptop. Checking the files on the laptop, I discovered that the laptop was a stolen laptop because I saw strange files of people I know.

I asked him where he got the laptop from. He told me he bought it from Ben2 (Twince), then I advised him to return the laptop back to the seller and get back his money. But Ottoh Boy refused to return it because he bought it very cheap, but instead, he promised to increase my payment from N5,000 to N10,000.

Hmmmmm! That was so tempting, I needed money badly and that was why I came back for a weekend. So I accepted to format the laptop. I started working on the laptop as a computer software engineer that I am.

I received a call from a prospective student at the same school that I attend. I picked up the call and he told me his name is John Eleng, he also told me how he got my number, so I told him where to meet me.

John came to the compound, I wanted to meet and discuss with him outside, but as Devil will always have his ways, Ottoh said no, I should continue my work, that the boy should come inside the room.

So John came inside Ottoh’s room, we discussed and I charged him N2500 for the Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic Post UTME form. But something strange happened, throughout our conversation, John has been looking strangely at the laptop I was working on without saying anything to me about it.

We sealed the business deal and John left us. I never knew I had entered a very hot soup. So John recognized the laptop to be his boss’ laptop.

A few minutes after John left, he came back with his boss accompanied by three policemen. John called me on the phone again to meet him outside, so I went to meet him not knowing that the police were hiding inside the car he was leaning on.

On my arrival, police grabbed my waist belt immediately, I tried to fight and escape but they overpowered me. Ottoh never knew why I was arrested.

They took me to the police station and asked me for the laptop which I was seen operating a few minutes ago by John Eleng. I told them the laptop belongs to a client who wanted me to format it for him.

At the police station, I discovered that the laptop belongs to Newton Photos whom I had worked in his Photo laboratory from 2011 to 2015. But I didn’t recognize the laptop to be his own because it was recently bought after I had stopped working with him.

So they drove me back to Ottoh’s room, we got there and Ottoh was arrested alongside me and the laptop was taken with us to the police station.

Mr. Newton told the police that I had worked with him for years and had a very good reputation. He also added that he trust me and believe my statement that I was only working for a client. He told the police to release me, but the police with money; they refused to release me free of charge. The police told me to call my people to come and pay for my bail.

So I called my stepfather, Mr. Godwin Asikong who works in the High Court of Justice, Ugep. He arrived at the police station within a few minutes because his office is very close to the police station.

My stepfather ordered my release immediately as a court clerk, I was released immediately without any bail (Money). I immediately went to my house, packed my clothes and bag, and headed straight to school. I knew that when I stay, compound people will come and be asking me to narrate what really happened, so as a sharp guy, I left without any delay.

I got to school and my lodge mate started asking me what happen. why I came back so early without even staying till the end of the weekend as planned?
In order to avoid stories that touch the heart, I told them nothing, I just changed my mind about staying because I have a lot of assignments to do and submit on Monday and Tuesday.

But as for John Eleng, I called him several times, but he never picked up any of my calls, so I seized his money by not processing the POST UTME school form for him.

So my dear friends, readers, and fans, that was how I spent a few minutes in Police Cell because of a stolen laptop.

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