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The last time I was robbed was on January 27, 2015, it was a Tuesday; and the day Ghana Senior National team, the Black Stars played against their South African counterpart, Bafana Bafana, in the just ended African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Equatorial Guinea.

I read very often, when people narrate the ordeal they go through in the hands of armed robbers, I have often wondered how the victims are able to come out of it and continue with life, as if nothing ever happened to them.

The painful part of the experience is not the loss of property or the inflicting of pain on your body, but documents that are critical to your survival and sustenance.

My crime on that day was my love for football; the thieves were very much aware that Ghanaians love football and will give everything just to watch our gallant Black Stars. Football is the passion of the nation, it is the heartbeat of this nation, so, while well-meaning citizens were busy supporting the team, they lurk in darkness to carry out their nefarious activities.

On that fateful day, we had just finished work, getting ready to watch the game, when the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), visited us unceremoniously. They did what they know how to do best, take your light, without any prior notice.

We decided then to look for a place to watch the game, since we could not afford to miss it. We drove to a nearby pub, we settled to watch the game, which had started and unfortunately Ghana had conceded one goal.

You can imagine the apprehension, anticipation, expectation; the concentration was so high that nobody will even turn around to see whether there was something untoward taking place behind them or somebody, hence the miscreants taking undue advantage of the situation.

Thankfully, after 90 minutes of nerve wrenching and good football we won the game, but I lost my valuables. I got back to my car after the game and to my amazement thieves had broken my door glass and gotten away with my bag containing everything I have. If anybody comes across my voters I.D card or passport, should please make it available to me, it was also taking away.

The ongoing load-shedding exercise is not only inconveniencing businesses and homes, it is also breeding criminals. The cost is too much for Ghanaians to bear, the implications are far reaching, people are not only losing their livelihood, they are losing their lives as well. The existence of Ghanaians is marked by utter
helplessness and fearful anxiety, this essay is only an obligation that posterity would demand of those of us alive today to ensure that they do not experience what we are going through.

A lot of bad things happen under the cover of darkness. Criminals are able to freely operate when the lights are out. But for the ECG, taken our light that very day, I would have watched the game in the office and I would not be sharing this sad experience with my readers today.

It took me days to come to terms with the fact that I have been robbed, I could not believe that someone could visit such harm on me, although no bodily harm, but psychological. I empathize with those who have gone through similar ordeal in the hands of these miscreants and societal misfit, who are terrorizing other innocent and law-abiding citizens.

What could possibly motivate young and able bodied young men, who should use their strength in a way positive and more productive way, to rather resort to inflicting pains on their fellow human beings?

It is my wish and prayers that what happened to me on that day should not happen to anybody, it is a bad experience that should not be recounted.
The Ghana Police Service should take note of the activities of the criminals, who take advantage of the situation created by such moments, like an ongoing tournament, or an occasion that requires the gathering of people.

I write with a heavy heart and a heavier mind. I wish there was a way hardworking,honest citizens and residents could live in peace with minimum disruption to their existence.

In such a situation, there would never be any need for this essay to be written, there would not be the need to watch our backs, there would not be the need to appeal to the Ghana Police Service to increase personnel and intensify their patrols, but as long as there are human beings who make a living through the suffering of others, we should be a step ahead of them.

This is calling on all those concerned to please immediately start to address the power challenges facing Ghanaians. Citizens have to be alive and feel secured in order to benefit from, and contribute meaningfully to whatever infrastructural or other development plans the government has for them.