Talking about the riskiest journey I ever took, I’d say it was going to Rivers State from Imo on a bike.
I’m not even kidding, more than 1 hour on a bike going and another 1 hour+ returning home through what I’d call the ‘smugglers route’.
Prior to this, I had not gone to Rivers State before.
Why Did We Take The Risk?
A Lagos based client sent me an email from a blog post I wrote that he needed large quantity of tapioca, as in more than a thousand tons.
We were going to be rich, I thought!
Uncle, an elderly man obviously had been into business for decades and we saw it as an opportunity to grab. He mentioned two places they can be gotten – Ngor Okpala, Imo State and Etche, Rivers State.
We headed to Ngor Okpala. From the airport junction to the market cost us 1k and we boarded the bike. We would spend roughly an hour there and on not finding it, we headed back to town and decided to try out Etche, since we were already outside.
Starting Off From Airport Junction, Imo
On asking for direction from the bike guys at Airport Junction, one told us he would take us there. His bike was almost brand new and he made the story interesting gisting us about his life as a former Civil Defence officer and how he had been the only survivor from a gun battle with Oil Bunkerers and left the force, having sustained a gun wound.
We were given the direction by someone he says sells kaikai, if you know what that means and those guys always like to use routes the Police would never approach.
My bumbum pain me that day, e come be like say e dey iron. You’ll be seeing a couple of shrines there, the road was bad at many points and you have to come down and trek it across.
At some point while coming back, I had a lady shouting in the bush and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that ritualists actually live in there because omo, na thick forest we enter. There were no electric wires there and of course, poor network and there were gates and sign board to tell you have gotten into another state.
Conclusion
I even saw a voting booth and keep wondering how a place so underdeveloped would have access to vote but not development.
Transportation to and fro was 6k + N500 and we didn’t get what we went to look for.
Well, life goes on and I came back in my parts complete. If any of my guys tell me they’re marrying someone from that deep, they’re sure I’m just sending my goodwill gifts and sending them off cos I’m not doing this again.
It was a fun journey but if you’re going to do it, please use the road! The bush route wasn’t exactly worth it.
PS: I didn’t take any photos so I took this screenshot from a Snapchat video we made on the bike.