By Sunmola Olowookere

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Married men in our neighbourhood are on war path. A gigolo lives in the area and has the penchant of seducing housewives right under their husband’s noses. The men had been looking for an excuse to nail him and fortunately, they soon found one.

It was a sight to behold as Eniola was dragged along to the police station with just his boxers short on to cover his nudity. The boxers short dripped with water. People that were resting in their homes heard the commotion and came out to check what was going on.

Most of the landlords on the lane also followed them to the police station so that the furious husband will not kill Eniola on the way. If he had been more furious, smoke would have been coming out of his ears. Hence they thought it utmost wisdom to follow them to the police station.

The police welcomed them with open arms; “viable business” at that time of the day must be welcoming. The front desk was occupied by two officers whose looks brightened as they observed the interesting scene before them.

At first, anyone beholding the scene would naturally assume that it was a case of stealing as the husband of the woman Eniola was caught with occasionally prodded and shoved him to move on whenever he slowed down.

As soon as the group reached the desk, one of them warned the husband “behave yourself! Where do you think you are?”

He gentled somewhat and the chatter of those accompanying them lessened.

“What is the matter?” One of the police men who seemed to be the superior officer asked.

The husband blurted “Sir, I caught him in my bedroom trying to rape my wife. We planned for him and caught him”.

The police man asked again” how did you know he was coming to rape your wife?”

The man boasted “my wife is a good woman who tells me everything. She told me how this stupid and wicked man had been following her around and offering her money to be his lover….

Another landlord interjected ” and that is how he does to other women in the neighbourhood. Our women are not safe from him…”

By this time, Eniola had found his voice “oga police, it is a lie o. I never rape women. Even the woman they saw me with, I was only there on her invitation. And I did not have any plans to rape her. It was just to enjoy ourselves.

” I spend my money on these women. I sell lands and I never regretted spending money on them because I get good returns on my money “.

Everyone including the police officer gasped in shock. The silence that followed their gasp was very deafening.

And the police man interviewing them bellowed at him” what are you talking about? Will you keep quiet?!

The men began to find their voices one by one.

“I trust that my wife is not among.

“it is only the useless ones that will succumb to you.

Then the chairman of the lane’s landlords association rebuked him. “Why are you telling such lies? Do you want to burn our neighbourhvod down?”

Eniola then replied “me, telling lies? Why don’t you ask your wife again and more seriously this time where she got the capital to start her coke business?

Now the men and the police officers too were staring at Eniola as they.wondered whether he was really telling the truth.

Then he dropped the last bombshell “I know that she told you that her brother gave it to her. I was the one who gave her 100,000 naira. We planned that she would tell you it was her brother so that you would not suspect…”

Before he could finish his damning words, the police man dealt him a stinging slap on the cheeks which shut him up. However the harm had been done and the chairman staggered under the weight of the implications of Eniola’s words.

They were asked to go and come back the next day. For safety purposes, Eniola was held till the next day as the police men believed that his life might be in danger if he was allowed to leave with the men. They however told the men that they had no case and were asked to come back the second day so that the case could be settled amicably.

It was a humbled and quiet group of men that returned back to the neighbourhood. They all left quietly for their houses and the tension on our lane is so thick that one could cut it with a knife.