Spending Christmas with the police

By Onyinye Orazulike

Would you surety someone for court bail? I
did this once and got my fingers severely
burnt. I thought I was doing a good thing
but the person I stood in for absconded and
left me feeling empty and stupid.

The lady was arrested a few days to
Christmas and I couldn’t stand to imagine
the kind of hell she would go through in
detention. Also, only God knew how long
the case would last, especially when she
didn’t have anyone to help her in the
police. She couldn’t even afford a lawyer
to begin with, worse still she appeared so
ignorant she didn’t seem to realise the kind
of trouble she was in.
I happened to be her only relative, though
distant, who lived in the area, and when
the petitioner agreed to settle out of court, I
decided to stand in for her so they could
release her on bail. It was soon after she
absconded that I realized what a
thoughtless thing I did.
So how did this all happen?
Well, there was a robbery one night at the
phone shop where she worked as a sales
girl and the suspect made away with
handsets and money estimated to be above
four hundred thousand naira.
The police believed that the thief entered
the shop with a key but made a vain
attempt to make it look like a break in, so
they surmised it was an inside job.
She and another man that worked at the
phone shop were quickly arrested but she
was the only one who had a key to the
office. Also, a footprint found on the table,
assumed to belong to the thief, matched
hers.
The tides were so much against her that
had I been in her shoes, I would have
begun to wonder if I had not committed the
crime without knowing it. But she told me
she was innocent and I believed her.
However, as soon as she was released from
the police custody, she absconded.
If I initially thought her innocent, after her
disappearance, I had a rethink. I will never
forget being interrogated as though I was
an accomplice.
The only advantage I had, which turned
out to be my saving grace was that I went
back to the police station to report her the
moment I discovered that she had travelled.
It didn’t however save me from having to
report to the police station several times
afterwards.
I was at the police station even on the New
Year day and believe me, it was not funny.
It was the first time I was to be at a
police station and among the interesting
things I learnt about police stations is that
it gives one the feeling of being guilty and
dumb.
I tried to contact her close family members
but it was no use. I didn’t really know why
I was later let off the hook, perhaps the
plaintiff withdrew the case or they just got
tired. All I know was that God answered
my prayers and the case died a natural
death.
The take home from it all for me was,
never stand in for someone you cannot
vouch for, even if it’s your brother. It is
even dicey if money is involved, never ever
guarantee someone over an amount you
cannot pay with ease.
I felt very stupid. But many of us has done
some equally dumb things at one time or
the other, like when you stand as a referee
for an acquaintance you don’t know so
well for a bank account or loan. But what
is one supposed to do when someone you
know has been seeking a job so desperately,
and then having found one, they need just
your signature to resume?
Now the big question is, after the ugly
experience I had, would I ever stand in as
a surety for someone again. The answer is
still yes, but it will have to be a very close
family member who I can vouch for.
What about you? Any similar tales of how
your help turned sour? Will you ever
surety someone?