Olamide Fawole

@23sznnn To shoot is human, to edit is divine. Selah 🙏🏽

My iPhone 17 Pro Max was ‘MOVED’ at the Eagle Square… 😭😭 Here is how the story unfolded: I arrived in Abuja at 4:10pm on Friday for the APC National Convention, which was scheduled to begin at 7pm. President Tinubu’s motorcade was expected to arrive at Eagles Square for the event. However, I had been delayed at the Lagos airport for about 45 minutes before my flight took off and then faced the stress of moving from the Abuja airport to my accommodation. My plans were slightly disrupted. Then, my colleague @Mr_JAGs called me to inform me of a significant change in the convention’s schedule. This literally raised entropy in my body system. I realised I needed to quickly change my neatly tailored kaftan to the uniform Ankara brocade (Aṣọ Ẹbi) hastily sewn for the APC Convention. It would not make sense if I looked different from the colourfully dressed Lagos delegates led by Mr. Governor. So, I rushed to my hotel to freshen up and change my clothes. I, then, joined Mr. Governor and his Governor colleagues at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge to move in a group to the venue ahead of the President’s arrival. Upon arriving at Eagle Square, the buses carrying the Governors were directed to the VVIP entrance on the opposite side of the President’s entrance. I tucked myself in this movement. Everyone disembarked and proceeded to the VVIP entrance, which was manned by a combined team of soldiers, policemen and DSS operatives. The VIP entrance consisted of three layers of checkpoints, each strictly controlled. Navigating through the first two checkpoints was chaotic. Some unaccredited individuals attempted to mingle with the Governors’ security details, but their attempts were firmly rejected by the soldiers. At the final checkpoint, there was confusion about who should be allowed access. In the ensuing disorderliness, my iPhone 17 Pro Max (2TB) was ‘Moved’ from my side pocket, which was quite deep. I was momentarily dazed by the excitement of the Governors’ grand entrance into the venue. “Where is my phone?” I exclaimed. Everything seemed blank before I came to terms with the fact that I had been robbed. My Charmast power bank and AirPods were the only working tools left on me. How would I work with such hardware? However, I strolled into Eagle Square without betraying any emotion. But within me, I was experiencing deep pain. Emi omo Mushin ni won move ni Abuja… I spotted many of my APC favourites but couldn’t take pictures with them. Pastor Okezie, Bashir Ahmad, Mayowa Davids, Segun Dada, Seyi Law and Jerry Koko, among others. I was worried about getting back to my base without a phone to use GPS. My brother, Saheed Idris, who owns the popular Lagos Gist blog, graciously lent me his small Android phone so I could connect with people while inside the Eagle Square. I tried calling my number repeatedly but no one answered. Given the huge crowd, I gave up on my iPhone. Then, I remembered my iPad, which was at the hotel with my second phone – a top series of Samsung. Most of my iPhone’s contents were on my iPad; this gave me some hope. 1/2 📸: Mahmoud Abdullahi, the suspected phone thief at Squadron Squad after his arrest…