Justice, Law and The City

19

On Tuesday no one attended lectures aside Medical and Law students. The rest jammed the street demanding a change. They came fiercer, their voice louder since the they hadn't been heard.

The streets that had become sparsely populated with people held a crowd once again, the scent of sweat mingled with cologne was harsh.

"WEYREY DEY DISGUISE" danced on everyone's placard. "Testing, testing." A guy with dreads and tattoos climbed a car, microphone in his hands as he spoke, his voice booming and garnering everyone's attention. People laughed.

"Hope, stop scrunching your face so bad." Faith spoke up.

"What?" Hope answered a little defensively. She scrunched her face some more. "I don't know why they're laughing, it's not funny."

Faith looked at her and it was Hope's turn to scream frustratingly. "What?" Faith smiled and went for her hands understanding why she took things too seriously. She raised Hope's hands to her lips and sat a wet kiss on it. She smiled watching Hope's eyes widen and soften and her terse shoulders gave way.

"This kountri no go kii person" the young man starts. "Na so dem talk sey dem want build bridge. 10 million wey dem talk sey dey use do wooden bridge. Governments don dey learn bad things." People laugh and Hope watches the smile dancing on Faith's face.

"We complain about NEPA, dem change name to PHCN – Problem Has Changed Name. Oya show me the light na. Anytime we see light know sey dey want come collect bill and cut light."

"Now dem change SARS to SWAT – SARS With a New Title. For this place, weyrey dey disguise." He moves to a journalist and a camera man. "As them change name, we realize sey we need a new country, a new leadership, we need to be heard."

"I'm a graduate, an MD holder, check me out na, I be agbero for Hubbah Market. I now wander but I'm not lost. This Kantri God go punish una. You have made monsters."

He raised a placard, as well as hundreds of people, across it the hastag #ENDSWAT #ENDSARS #WeyreyDeyDisguise written across it.

"#ENDSWAT" he chants and soon the crowd fall into a rhythm shouting #ENDSWAT #ENDSARS.

Hope looked around her and realized that she fit perfectly with this people like clay. They were tucked in together to be whole – youths moulded from the potter's touch of a corrupt society – one that left holes for cracks but now united they filled those holes. 'People like her.' She smiled liking the sound of that. Blood pumping and fisted folded for power, for a better country. It was something that moved her, pushed her even, because she soon was in the face of another journalist speaking. Ranting about Junior, SARS, police reform and how she was raped by 3 SARS officers. She doesn't know who is holding her but their firm grip warms her, it lights her and sets her on fire. She was finally alive after 5 years of walking in shadows. And thank God.