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• Chased
Away From Toyota Under-bridge
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Days after it was reported last
week that a fair complexioned mad woman had taken up residence under the bridge
close to Toyota bus-stop, on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, the exact spot where a
man-eater, Clifford Orji, was captured 13 years ago, building block makers and
horticulturists working under the bridge have driven the lunatic away from the
area.
According to some of them who spoke to The Guardian, they were not
leaving anything to chance in the bid to avoid the mistake that took them
unawares with the discovery of the late Orji, who was picked up from the area
in 1999.
One of the gardeners, Tony James, said “we had no choice but to
drive her away from here because we don’t want anything that would implicate
us. When Clifford was here, he was fond of putting tyres on the road at night.
We could not challenge him then because it is a government road, but we have
learnt our lesson. I lost over N80,000 after Clifford was caught as the people
who thronged to this area were so disgusted with what they saw that they
destroyed everything here, including my work tools.
“We told her that if she comes around this place again, we would
hand her over to the police. Since that encounter, we have not seen her here in
the last three days. I don’t think that woman is mad. When she was here, she
usually wander about and come back, but this has not been the case since we
accosted her. If she is really mad, I don’t think she would disappear just like
that.”
A block maker, Mohammed Abasi, said the lunatic was driven away
because of the mounting inquiries by members of the public immediately the
story was reported. “So many people came here telling us they read a story in
The Guardian that a mad woman has taken over Clifford Orji spot. We needed to
act immediately in order not to jeopardize our businesses,” he said.
THE development, when she was first sighted, had raised a red flag
among residents and passersby, who recalled how Orji was presumed to be mad
until he was caught with human parts under the bridge. Many were not willing to
second-guess the actual status of the woman, as the question on their lips was:
“Is the woman really mad or not.”
And there are reasons to be doubtful. On several occasions, the
woman would be gaily dressed and she changed clothes daily, but she spent most
of her day carrying her bag and sleeping mat around as she walked the road down
to the International Airport and back countless time in a day.
She also changed her route by strolling down to Ladipo Spare-parts
Market. Some other time before she was chased away, she would be sighted
walking around the area in her undies or washing her clothes at the spot. Once
it was evening, she remained at the spot and stared into space until nightfall.
While she could be easily ignored by passersby and neighbours
going about their businesses in the area, her emergence at the spot immediately
after the death of Orji (last month) raised cause for concern. Though she has
been evicted from under the bridge, she has found shelter in surrounding spots,
such as the front gate of DHL Nigeria, PZ Cussons and 7&8 bus-stop.
When The Guardian met her, she wore a blue T-shirt top and blue
jeans trousers with a black head-tie, her load beside her. She was eating Agege
bread with pure water. On sighting the presence of the reporter, she shouted:
“Get out, I am a snake.” Immediately, she stood up and reached for a nearby
stick.
As the days go by, it is yet to be seen if it is just happenstance
or she is there on a mission.
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