As dusk arrived over the neighbourhood, Udoka was tensely seated in the front porch of his house. The last few weeks had been equally tense with numerous robbery and break-in reports circulating around.
But this evening was however, different. He noticed several flash lights and sirens at the furthest end of the street, with quite a crowd gathering at the scene.
Udoka quickly went inside to put on a loose shirt and hurried to the site to join the increasing crowd. There, the Superintendent of Police stood, a burly man, flanked by his officers, his voice booming over the murmurs as he announced, “We have arrested at last the robbers who have been plaguing this neighbourhood.”
Relief swept through the gathering crowd but Udoka's was short lived, he held his breath as he spotted one of the kids being handcuffed and led away by the police. This was Nnamdi, his neighbour’s son.
Udoka was shocked. This was a kid who lived next door to him and who he had watched grow up. He was quiet, polite, and seemingly a good boy. How had he become mixed up in something like this?
Mrs Ibe, Nnamdi’s mother, was hysterical. “No, not my son! Not Nnamdi! No, please” her cry echoed through the stillness of the evening, as everyone watched her with pity.
The Superintendent approached her, his face softening. "I’m sorry, ma’am, but Nnamdi has been part of the gang for some time now and how you didn't have an idea of it surprises me. We have evidence. It’s too late now."
Udoka watched in horror as the officers roughly pushed Nnamdi and the other suspects into the waiting van. His mother collapsed in tears, her heart was shattered by the the whole incident and for the fact that her own son was involved in crimes as serious as these.
Thank you for reading