20th of October, 2020

15th October, 2020

15th October, 2020
Lekki, Lagos
9:00 am.

Jóke sat down with her laptop. She had just watched the news about the recent End Sars protest.

"I can't sit at home while my mates are protesting." She said and dialed her friend's number.

"Bimbo, I'm going to join the protest at the Lekki bridge. Will you join me?" She asked and Bimbo laughed through the phone.

"Ahh, Jóke are you crazy? You want to protest? What about Maami?"

"Bimbo, are you coming or not?" Jóke asked, wearing her sneakers and taking her purse.

"Okay, I'll be at the bridge in five minutes. See you there." She said and Jóke ended the call.

Jóke quickly descended the stair case and met Maami drinking tea and watching the news.

"This protest ehn..." She muttered and sighed. "Ah Jóke, where are you going?"

"I'm going to join the protest, Maami." She said and grabbed a packet of biscuit.

"You are not going anywhere." Maami said, standing up.

"I have to go, Maami. I'll be back." Jóke said and Maami shouted.

"Don't go out, Jóke."

"Maami, you people did not talk. Your generation didn't speak up. It is time for us to speak up Maami. It is our duty." Jóke said and kissed her cheek.

Joke left the house and halted a taxi.

"Lekki bridge." She said and the driver turned to look at her.

"Where dem dey do protest?" He asked and she nodded.

He drove, staring at her through the rear mirror. Soon he got opposite the bridge and stopped. She alighted and paid him his fare.

"Jóke." She heard someone call. It was Bimbo.

"They are about to start." Bimbo said and pulled her to take some placards.

#EndSARS #EndPolicebrutality #EndInjustice

"What do we want?" A man shouted through a microphone.

"End SARS!"

"What do we want?"

"End SARS!"

Jóke and Bimbo joined the crowd screaming #EndSARS.

"Jóke, do you remember when my Ade, your brother was shot?" Bimbo asked, tears evident in her eyes.

Jóke's brother, Ade was Bimbo's boyfriend and fiancee. They were planning to get married when he was shot by a SARS official on his way back home.

"I remember, B." She said and shook her head. "End SARS, End Police brutality."

"What do we want?"

"End SARS!"

The march went on and around the bridge. With enthusiasm, people screamed and shouted what they wanted.

It was as though the government were there.

"Let them answer us. We're humans!" A woman screamed.

Suddenly people began to scream and run into different directions. Cars were getting destroyed.

"Bimbo." Jóke called and grabbed Bimbo's hand, running for shelter.

They were a few people in the shed in which they were hiding.

"Jóke, Bimbo." Someone called.

"Jóke look, it's Emmanuel." Bimbo said and they went to meet him.

"Let's go to a much safer place." Emmanuel suggested and they went into a nearby restaurant

"Are you girls okay?" He asked and they nodded.

"When did you come back from the US?" Bimbo asked.

"A few days ago." He said and they talked.

Jóke's phone began to ring. It was Maami.

"Jóke, come back home now. I mean now." She said and Joke sighed.

"We'll meet tomorrow, by 7." Bimbo said and they all nodded.

Emmanuel escorted them and made sure they were safely in a taxi that would take them home.