The Nigerian Punch Newspaper carried a story about a man caught going through the pockets of a comatose passenger aboard a commercial bus in Lokoja, Nigeria.

On his arrest, the pick-pocket explained that he was part of a new, country-wide syndicate of pick-pockets who use hypodermic syringes to inject powerful sedative drugs into oranges, apples, yogurt sachets, bagged "pure water" and sundry other food items, then, posing as motor-park food vendors, sell the drugged snacks to passengers of departing buses who consume the poisoned food as their vehicle departs the bus stop, and lapse into unconsciousness shortly thereafter.

The pickpockets typically board another vehicle travelling the same road behind that of their intended victims, disembarking as soon as the target bus pulls over for passengers to take a road-side toilet-break.  Boarding the parked and partially emptied bus, the robbers would then casually sit beside those left snoring under sedation in their seats, and would empty the pockets of their drugged victims of cash, cell-phones and valuables before leaving the slumbering passengers to awake hours or days later, if at all, depending on the dosage of poison consumed in that road-side snack.

The arrested robber explained that he considered his murderous trade to be relatively harmless, compared to that of an armed robber who kills with bullets rather than drugs , on the demented premise that anyone who buys and swallows poisoned food is a "willing" accomplice in their own demise.  An unrepentant and boastful comment like that illustrates once again that evil does in fact exist, and that messengers of evil generally go about their duty with pride and a clear conscience.

The IMMEDIATE lesson any road-traveling Nigerian or visitor to Nigeria can draw from this new crime wave in motor parks is to NEVER, under ANY circumstances buy food from a road-side vendor in ANY part of Nigeria.  Regardless of whether one travels by private car or in a public bus in Nigeria,  it would be prudent to carry and watch closely all food or drink that will be needed for the trip, and to refuse anything that is thrust in the car or bus window by a harmless-looking vendor, no matter the hunger or thirst one feels. Better be hungry or thirsty on any road trip in Nigeria than comatose, penniless or dead. 

It does not take an automotive engineer to guess at what would happen if the DRIVER of a speeding car were to fall into a drugged sleep while at the wheel, so BE CAREFUL OUT THERE Y'ALL, and don't forget to send me a check if this post saves your life some day.

Its a pity what people can do all in the name of money.

I have a habit, I dont eat while travelling. Infact I carry my own homemade food. I dont buy nothing from motor parks cos I learnt a lesson from my own mother who was also food poisoned on one of her usual official trips. Thank God she didnt die.

People could be really mean

We are a desperate people-God knows where this twisted DNA comes from?