I once knew an Armed Robber with this type of 'ethics'. He used to say that as a rule of thumb, the person who identifies the operation will direct it. His own operations had clear rules, no killing. Just take their things and go. 1/ https://twitter.com/mrlurvy/status/1252142737610223618

There was someone else in the group, certified crazy — most groups have one of those. Any operation he leads, blood must flow. When they needed an extra getaway vehicle, this director didn't ask you to get out of the car, he just shot you and dragged your body out. 2/

So 'ethical' guy would go in advance after stopping a car and say "come down fast o, this person coming will shoot you. But people go just dey panic dey beg, and the other guy would come and kpa, kpa.
Anyway, there was one operation they were supposed to go, but 3/

Mr 'Ethics' thought it was a bad idea, he didn't go with them. Well, they all got caught. Everyone but Mr 'Ethics'. But the police knew him. Police know robbers by name, as the robbers know police by name — less about friendship, and more about nemesis. So they came looking 4/

Anyway, when Police come and don't find you, they tend to carry someone to use as leverage. So they carried his old mother.

He quickly surrendered himself at the Police Station. They all got charged for Armed Robbery. Every plead guilty — everyone except Mr. 'Ethics'. 5/

He plead not-guilty since he was never actually caught. Everyone who plead guilty faced the death penalty, and saw the gallows. If I remember correctly, the last of them was executed in the mid-90s.
Mr. 'Ethics' was lucky, he got a prison sentence — prison was where I met him. 6/

Anyway, he eventually got out in 1998 or so. While he was in prison, he'd prepped for WAEC and smashed it. It's also one of the reasons he got released early. Shout out to the Good Shepherd Halfway Home Community, an NGO in those days. 7/

Transport to court in those days could mean the difference between a delayed trial and freedom — there weren't enough government vehicles. The Good Shepherd Halfway Home Community helped with that. And that's how Mr. 'Ethics' got his day in court, and his acquittal 8/

Naturally, he got released to two 'bodies', the Good Shepherd, who would be handling his rehabilitation (training and whatnot), and a 'case' officer, who would be supervising. Case officer was my mum, so na how I take sabi am. 9/

But freedom is the easy part, reintegration into society was the real work. Mr. 'Ethics' already had a wife and two kids before prison. But he wanted to go to school, while still taking care of his family. So, he got whatever paid him anything, legally. 10/

He eventually got into Uni. Got a Danfo. Became my lesson teacher —so he'd teach me math and sneak in some stories and finish it up with "be a good boy". That was me, a tiny eight-year old listening to stories of the white Benz pre-prison, and how it didn't mean much anymore. 11/

This guy was also doing tutorials at his Uni for people while he studied Economics.
Anyway, the thing about society is that when it starts to pull, it doesn't pull at your pace or in one direction. It pulls from everywhere. The family front was brutal, the stigma was crazy. 12/

There are many versions of the next part. There's the News Headlines version, where his gang was allegedly killed after a shootout after killing a police Inspector at a checkpoint. When they paraded the bodies on AIT in 2002, I recognised one of them. But — 23/

While I was searching with my eyes for Mr. Ethics, I didn't find him. And just then, the news presenter said he'd now been declared wanted.

You know when you're watching bad news like this with your family, and you know it is going to touch you somehow;
It slaps different.
24/

Anyway, when the police eventually came to our house — mum was a surety — they met my brother, who just came back from JAMB centre, and Mr Ethics' Printer under my bed — he was saving up to start a small business centre. So they carried my brother 25/

That got settled quickly, but not without the occasional long drives to show up at the police station to sign every Wednesday for my mum. All went well, and one day, my mum got a call. Independence Day, 2005. It was Mr. Ethics, and he was calling from Germany. 26/

According to him, that whole police thing was a set up. If you've listened to convicts speak, it's not that hard to believe tbh. Apparently, Mr. Ethics actually got into trouble with the local OPC where his school was, something about a babe (e no ethical reach woman side) 27/

They dug up some dirt — if you know the OPC, you know that's easy. Somehow, the police got involved, pinned something here and there, then case set. Maybe they didn't give me the full gist as a kid, but that still didn't explain why there was a dead Inspector. Anyway — 28/

When he knew he was wanted and his days were numbered, he got back on the road again. Did a few highway robberies by himself. You can turn anything — esp. cars — to money on the road to Idiroko. He got a passport and Japa'd to Germany — I dunno how. So why was he calling? 29/

To tell us sorry for all the stress that the mess put us through. He'd started a new life there. Found a way to send support to his family here.
Anyway, one day, my mum got a call from someone-someone, that Mr. Ethics' name had popped up on the wrong screen somewhere 30/

Apparently, he snuck in to get his papers in order. Clearly so important to him, he was willing to take the risk.

Sha, my mum said he'd never make it to prison, or even a court. Why? They'll kill him. He put the police through so much trouble. Rule of thumb.

What did we do? 31/

Nothing. We all did our mental funerals for him. And that was the end of Mr. Ethics for me.
These days, when I see a kid writing sometimes and it's not straight, I just remember him saying, "Lekan, write on the line."

Finito/