What happened to Captain Maxwell Mahama has given me flashbacks of what happened five years ago. I missed an encounter with my greatest fear only by a hair’s breadth.

That Thursday evening in 2012, I was almost lynched for being a thief- a phone thief at the main Kasoa lorry station.

So many questions raced through my mind that evening while I sat in the bus I boarded from the Kasoa station, brooding over what would have made the headlines to my family that fateful night.

It was around 8:00pm, and the neighborhood lights were out. I waited edgily for a bus after leaving my aunt’s residence. I heard a driver’s mate shout “Awoshie, Ablekuma! Awoshie, Ablekuma!!” Immediately, I headed in the direction and approached him to lead me to the bus.

In fact, I can’t recall how she suddenly appeared behind me; but just a few steps into the bus, I felt a tap behind me and there she stood- my little angel of death.

She looked six or seven, virtually in tatters, looking very dirty with a sniveling face, wiping off herself as if she had survived a stampede.
“Sister! Give me the phone you just took from me when I fell down running” she demanded in Akan.

For a moment, I thought she got the wrong person and so I ignored; as if I knew all about the plan to get me a beating that night.
I paused for a moment, turned and yelled at her to dismiss her claim. “Phone? Get lost before I spank you! Don’t ever think you can use one of those tricks on me, thief!” I scolded her in the common language and sat in the bus.

Before any of the passengers could apprehend what was really happening, this little girl had already jumped in the half-full bus with teary eyes demanding I give her the phone. I entered the bus with my bag containing a laptop, my Samsung Ch@t GT E2222, and some cash as well. And I was decently dressed.

The puzzled passengers looked on as they took a quick glance at the brat and decided to cross-examine me. Standing right in front of me, this petite fraudster claimed the supposed phone was given to her by her mother minutes before I picked it up from the ground where she fell.

“Sister, if you have taken the girl’s phone, just give it to her so she can go back home to her mother. The bus is almost full.” One woman advised.
I was left in a state of shock and confusion; fully aware what this could generate into if not handled properly. I would have suffered a heavy blow on my face before given any chance to speak – considering how my accuser grew more persistent. So I remained calm and explained the situation to the other passengers.

“I have no idea what she is talking about. This little girl is telling lies. Please do not believe her” I pleaded, while trying to maintain my composure so I don’t raise any more suspicions.

Like they say “no thief admits ever stealing.” I persisted and finally got the passengers on my side.
Apparently, that imaginary mother of hers are the fraudsters lurking somewhere in the station waiting to hear any accusing tantrums of a phone theft so they could descend on whoever is being accused. The plan is to train, send and take over when their little trainee succeeds.

I was bowled over, left in a state of disbelieve as the passengers kept questioning the girl about the type of phone and the number of the said phone in order to verify the authenticity of her accusation. Within minutes, she ran out of words and swiftly dashed out of the bus threatening to go and call her mother.

When I fully regained consciousness from all that was happening around me, I searched my bag to ensure nothing of that sort had been slipped into it or taken out by any magical means. Everything was still intact except my sanity.

I showed commuters my phone, and explained that this was clearly a scheme of engaging little children in the act of robbery. Only some bunch of geniuses and heartless people would be able to come out with such a clever scheme. Anyone would have believed such skilled lass especially around that time.

Several minutes after the charade, the bus eventually got full; yet there was no sign of this baby thief and her supposed mother. No one even saw where she went in the dark; and it became patent that she was on a mission.

“Their medicine didn’t work today; you are very lucky sister!” yelled a nosy bread seller as the bus moved out of the station.
Now imagine the number of innocent lives that are being chased out of this world each day?

First, he was an armed robber, then a galamseyer; finally we learn he is a prominent soldier, a captain, a father and a husband. So why lynch and burn him after making him suffer such painful death. Why?

Is the so-called mob justice the best solution to deal with culprits?
Would I have also been disgraced, molested and lynched just because I had allegedly stolen a phone? What would have been my punishment if I wasn’t bold enough to rebuke this supposed six-year old trained liar?

Only God knows whether I may live to share this story or I would have been dictating from a wheel chair after five years. Let’s just say I wasn’t destined to depart this way- in the hands of a provoked mob.
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By: Farida Shaibu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

email: [email protected]

Blog: makewegist.com

The post Mob Justice: How I was nearly lynched for allegedly stealing a phone appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

“Oh it’s 3 o’clock already!” He yelled seconds after picking my phone from the dining table.

“No, it’s 2.50pm. My time is 10 minutes faster” I quickly corrected.

“Why?”

“I don’t want to be late.”

He stifled a laugh and placed the phone back to its position.

“How does that work? You’re such a funny character.”

In fact, I use to be…

The girl who never shows up on time. I enjoy too much sleep even though I hardly stay up very late; never imagined joining the league of extraordinary insomniacs either. But waking up from bed was always a struggle.

Moving into the final gear and having the last stretch can be tempting. I’d rather bargain with the alarm clock for extra minutes- the same moment I just snooze it shut. Most times, I bargained more than I ever needed- 20 minutes or more can be dreadful!

If you can relate, you know it’s not easy waking up 20 minutes before an appointment- especially when you’re fully aware of the adrenaline rush that comes with a tortoise-paced traffic, coupled with a never ending ‘trotro’ drama. That, can make you go insane!

The thought of cooking up intangible excuses almost becomes inevitable because as always, it should sound more convincing than the last one- no excuse should be overused. It automatically becomes a cliché and lame.

To avoid all this drama and constant sense of guilt, I thought of finding a way of beating time. Taking few steps into the future and setting my own time rules- five of them.

RULE 1: Create your own time and stick to it

There’s nothing as awkward as getting to that interview 10 minutes late and having the door shut in your face. If you’re used to the GMT (Ghana Man Time) that should probably be a pardonable offence but hey, there are people who mean business and so should you.

You can set an alarm alright but hitting the snooze button for those five minutes in dreamland can cost you 30 minutes or more. So here’s the trick. Fast-forward your clock. For instance, if the world moves at 5:00am, you move at 5:10am. So before you set your alarm, your clock should be 10 minutes faster or more. This might look a bit unrealistic initially but it affords you extra 10 minutes for stretching and wriggling your legs before finally waking up. Instead of waking up at 5:00am by your alarm, you wake up at 4:50am with the world.

RULE 2: Respect your time

The first few days of this routine may seem awkward but you need a lot more discipline. Respect the minutes you have set for yourself and do as you are supposed to. Forget the fact that you are 10 minutes short of your sleep realistically and accept that it’s 5:00am and you really need to get out of bed. Time is no friend to those who wish to enjoy the pleasures of the eyes.

To be able to respect your time, make sure you have a working tool. Some of us do not use alarm clocks at all. If you’re fond of using your smart phones for all your alerts, it certainly will come in handy. Just make sure you turn off the ‘Automatic Date and Time’ in the settings. This will give you the liberty to set your own time irrespective of the automated internet time which generally sets the time based on your time zone.

RULE 3: Don’t Count the minutes 

Taking advantage of this rule can be bad for the routine. Make it a point never to take your time for granted. Once you are conscious of the real timing, it can be quite tempting to snooze and count the minutes. After all, it’s not 5:00am yet; I have 10 more minutes to sleep. That would be cheating! Once you constantly break this rule, it would be difficult to move on to the next step and there will be no result.

Another way to get out of this is to get a second person set your clock for you without disclosing the minutes to you. Once you have the discipline not to cheat, you should be fine. Otherwise, I suggest you set your time in odd numbers. That way, it becomes a bit difficult to calculate perhaps 17 minutes out of 5:04am. Instead of bringing your calculus skills to bare, you’d be better off giving up and getting out of bed.

RULE 4: Be quick as possible

Do not be complacent about time. Never think waking up early affords you more time to lazy about in your pajamas. Leave your phone, take your shower, get dressed and get yourself to the bus stop if you’re not driving. Once you’re comfortably seated, then you can tell Facebook what’s on your mind. If you have ever missed the last bus by 2 minutes, then you’d know a few seconds can make a lot of difference.

If you’re eager to know whether you are beating the clock or not, the radio bus would probably be of help. Otherwise, feel free to do your own counting once you’re relaxed and being chauffeured.

RULE 5: Feel free to adjust your time

I know the goal is not to show up late to work always and attracting the ‘oh-no-not-again’ look from your bosses and colleagues. A lot of factors may come into play. Once I have to deal with a barrage of traffic lights on my stretch of road, waking up early is non-negotiable. So what do I do?

Instead of 10 minutes, repeat Rule 1 and fast-forward your time by 20 minutes. Taking 20 steps into the future should afford you enough time to snuggle in bed after the alarm sounds and be able to beat the annoying traffic too. This way, you get to wake up 20 minutes ahead of the real clock. But while at it, repeat all the other subsequent rules and make sure you stick to them.

This is probably the only way you can hand over the baton of lateness and wear your smile whenever you walk through that office door, showing up earlier than you ever have. With time, you should get used to living in your own era knowing that time is indeed your future.

Trust me, it works!

Farida Shaibu is a Journalist with Citi FM

Email: [email protected]

Blog: thinkperple.wordpress.com

The post Farida’s street diaries: Sorry, you’re 10 minutes late! appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.