This article was originally written on August 16, 2020.
It was a Monday morning. My driver at that time, Elijah, had picked me up early in the morning from where I stayed in Yaba, and we were headed to my office in Apapa. This was circa 2009.
As soon as I entered the car, I reclined my seat a bit and slept off. I usually loved to get some more sleep before getting to work.
Our route was usually through Tin Can, and the journey was usually uneventful until that particular day. Seated beside the driver, as was my habit, I felt the car slow down, which I thought was just the normal traffic.
I was half-asleep when I saw a guy carrying a green bag slung around his neck, with one hand inside that bag, approached my car. He came to my side, peeped closely, then went to the driver’s side. I thought he was one of those hawkers who sold Gala or some other products in traffic.
Suddenly, he took out a shotgun and banged on the driver’s side window, shouting, “Roll down this window!” Shocked and startled, we didn’t know what to do. We were confused. It was around 7 a.m., and we could see everything clearly.
He banged hard on the window again with the butt of the gun. I was surprised the window had not shattered by then. Thinking we didn’t want to cooperate, he pointed the gun at me from the driver’s side.
Everything happened within seconds, and I didn’t even have time to think of any action. No time to say my last prayers. Hardly any time to plead for our lives. The guy didn’t look reasonable at all. Maybe he was very high on drugs, but his face was hard, like the face of death.
He pulled the trigger. I had already stretched out my hands as if I could use them to stop the bullets. In that moment, my world stood still. I just heard a loud click. It was unbelievable. The gun jammed. I wasn’t dead.
Sometimes, we face situations beyond our control, where human strength and wisdom are not enough. In those moments, we are reminded of our dependence on God. Share on XI looked at the guy. He looked at his gun in a weird sort of way, with a look of disbelief. He looked at me again. He aimed at me and pulled the trigger a second time. The gun jammed again. Our windows were rolled up, but I heard the loud click. No bullet came out.
I wasn’t going to die that day. I looked at my would-be killer, and I saw fear written all over him. He took another look at me, put his gun inside his bag and fled. I saw him running and jumping over the divider in the middle of the road to the other side.
I released my seat belt and made as if to open the door and run after him, but Elijah, my driver, held me down. He said we had no idea how many they were and that it was stupid to go after them when God had already saved us.
It was then that I realised many passengers in the bus beside our car were staring at us. Among the passengers was one of my colleagues in the same office. They were all shaking. I realised I had started shivering too.
Moving a bit forward, I realised Elijah was right. So many cars ahead of us were damaged, with their windscreens broken, and many victims were wounded. The robbers were on a roll that morning.
I got to the office, knelt down and thanked God for the great deliverance. As I was praying, my colleague who was in the other bus rushed in. The first thing she asked me was whether I had ‘odeshi’, as she had seen what happened. I told her I had nothing except God.
A testimony of deliverance is more than a story of survival; it is a reminder to be grateful for the gift of life and the mercy of God. Share on XI put a call through to my wife, who wasn’t in the country at that time, told her what happened and immediately closed for the day. I couldn’t concentrate at work, as I shivered throughout the day. It was a day of great deliverance.
Do you have a story of how God delivered you in a near-death situation? Please share with us.