They are young, impressionable and should still be at home taking lessons from their parents and going through school; but these boys, regarded in local parlance as Osanle Boys have snatched their freedom rather too early and are hustling and fending for themselves in markets, amid speculations that they also indulge in other atrocities, including petty stealing and use of drugs.

It was a most disheartening spectacle –a distraught mother on her knees, pleading with her 14-year-old son, to abandon life in the market and follow her back home. As the story went, the boy, identified as Wale, had run away from home  and the family had been looking everywhere for him to no avail until a neighbour sighted him in Ikotun market, Lagos,  helping to carry load and stuff for stipends, in company of Osanle Boys. Osanle, by the way, is a Yoruba designation for under-age boys who ran away from home to live free, reckless life.

On getting wind of this piece of information, the mother had rushed to the market that very morning, as early as 6.30 – 7am, when the market was still sleepy. She had been warned that was when she would see him and be able to corner him, as the crowd and bustle would not have assumed the usual tempo.

In truth, she found her little boy, to his shock; but like they say, you can take the horse to the river, but you can never force the horse to drink water. Wale vehemently refused to go back home with her and stressed that he was okay and living well in the market with the boys.

In desperation, and as if to explain to the little crowd that had now gathered that they weren’t the ones that pushed him out, the mum launched into a brief family background. “I am his mother; and I live with his father. We have been looking for him for over three months and have gone everywhere, including police stations. We never for once suspected that this was where he ran to. We are not a poor family. His father has two houses, storey buildings and he was attending a private school; so I really can’t understand why he prefers this kind of life. Please help me beg him to come back home; the only thing we have insisted is that he must take his studies seriously and must not keep bad company. Is that too much to ask? Is it not for his sake?”

The matter dragged for minutes, with the boy vehemently insisting on not going anywhere with the mother. All the while, his gang of rebellious kids, watching from a distance, hailed him for his stance. For some pressing reasons, this reporter, who was in the market to quickly purchase some fresh fruits, could not wait to see the end of the brief saga, and could not determine if the boy finally capitulated and went home with the mum.

Wale’s case is just one of many such cases of under-age children, who ran away from home to live reckless, independent life, often engaging in petty labour, petty stealing, life of drugs and sometimes, prostitution, in the case if female.

That incident however sowed a seed in this reporter. What could be so fascinating in living a homeless life? How could a boy with such comfort, as reeled out by the mother prefer a life of homelessness in ramshackle shops and stalls in such a dingy market? Surely, there must be an explanation, which can only be obtained from the kids themselves.

Ikotun market, by the way, is one of the biggest retail food and assorted items market in Lagos. According to Wikipedia, it is “an open market located at Ikotun, a metropolitan city in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State…with about 8,400 lock-up shops and over 10,000 traders selling items ranging from foodstuff to clothes, appliances, gadgets and so on….”

Once, twice shy

This reporter’s first two attempts to identify and interact with the kids met brick walls. On the first attempt, he was told that the boys could only be found on the top floor of the rear of the market. He was however warned not to dare venture, especially going by the way he was dressed and the ‘expensive’ phone he was holding.

Curious and astounded, he asked why? They told him they would immediately identify him as an outsider and may not even give him the chance to express his mission before descending on him. They also warned that they are a huge number and vicious, and that he stood no chance of coming back safe and whole. He only stood a chance, they stressed, if he got an elderly familiar face to the boys, to stand as a link.

Unfortunately, on this day, there weren’t too many men or women, who admitted to any kind of familiarity with the boys. Mission aborted.

Not willing to give up, this reporter again visited. On this occasion, he chose to work through the market officials in the office of the Baba Oja (Market Head). If anyone could provide a cover, it has to be them. Unfortunately, it was another brick wall.

The official, who claimed to be a representative of the Baba Oja, acknowledged the presence of the notorious boys in the market but stated clearly that there was no love lost between them.

“Look, even we do not see face to face with the boys. Once they see us, they take to their heels, because they know we have zero tolerance for their nuisance in the market. On several occasions, we have apprehended and handed a number of them over to the police, but they always found a way to come back. We need you to tell the police to stop releasing them,” the official said.

Asked how much nuisance the boys constitute, he said, even their presence is a threat to the traders. There have been cases of them breaking into shops, and regularly we have cases of them removing fans, especially those fixed in shop verandas. He however said there hasn’t been any reported case of rape.

Asked what the attraction is for the boys, the representative said they are just recalcitrant boys who run away from home and have made the market their abode. He also acknowledged that they are mainly underage boys and dispelled any suggestion that they belong to the alabaru (porters group) in the market, saying, “Those ones have an association and clearly do not entertain such little boys in their midst.

Does he have any idea where they come from?

“We don’t know where they come from or how to categorise them. All I can say is they are of different ethnic backgrounds. Some are Igbo, others are Yoruba from as far as Oyo town; and you would even find Hausa and other tribes amongst them.”

‘We just want to make money’

This reporter was however third time lucky on his third visit, as he was able to interact with some of the boys, courtesy of a female trader with whom some of them had struck a kind of friendship and understanding. The first thing to notice as one tries to break the ice of suspense is the communal life they seemed to live. Clearly, they seemed to have a leader, who appeared clearly older and of remarkable influence and control. He actually claims that they are all his boys. For the purpose of this report, we shall refer to him as ‘the leader’.

On enquiry, as they converged to field questions from this reporter, he said in a rather commanding tone: “You may put my age at 27.” Although he didn’t quite look it, age could be deceptive, like they say. Surprisingly, he isn’t a total illiterate, as he noticed within seconds that the interaction was being recorded: “You want to record us and you’re not telling us.” To this, the reporter apologised and told him it is so that he doesn’t forget their responses.

“Anyway, I am not afraid to talk to you; I am an herbalist. I learnt trading in herbs in this market. It’s also in this market that I learnt to hustle and make money. I am an orphan and I need money to secure my freedom; you can help me tell government to help me in this regard.”

He also declared with pride that he had been hustling in the market for ten years – long enough time to garner the experience to dazzle and lead the bunch of kids, who literally look up to him, one must admit. Witty and sometimes funny, and at other times authoritative, he quickly cautioned a trader who was striking a quick contract with one of the boys not to call him alabaru, but alabagbe. Alabaru, he said, is lowly and derogatory, while the other carries more respect.

To this reporter however, both Yoruba expressions mean the same thing – one who helps to carry load for stipends.

However, that’s the level of power he wields; and failure to comply may mean him ordering the boy or boys to decline the offer. That’s the job he also does for a living, he revealed; adding that he makes between N1,800 and N2,000 if business is poor.

“It’s our way of making money to survive. The boys come from different places. Some are from Ikorodu, some from far away Ijebu towns; we also have some from the East. If you tarry a while, you’ll get to meet one omo Ibo (an Ibo boy).”

Even before this reporter struck a conversation with 17-year-old Lasisi – not sure it’s his real name; he already declared in a conspiratorial tone that his ultimate ambition is ‘to learn yahoo’ (Cybercrime) business and start making big money. So this reporter asked if he didn’t think he would do better in the ‘yahoo’ business if he went to school; or at least finished his secondary school education, rather than run away from home.

His first response, however, was to debunk the notion that he ran away from home.

“I did not run away from home. I only come here to work and I go back home at the end of the day.”

Home for Lasisi, is Egan near Igando, another Lagos suburb. He however confessed that he dropped out of school in SS1, even though he couldn’t muster any cogent reason other than that, “I just wanted to start making money.”

When asked if he didn’t think he stood a better chance of making more money if he finished his schooling, Lasisi had no answer, as he seemed to just shuffle his feet. But the leader came to his rescue in his sassy manner: “There was no sponsor and he needed to survive. Both his parents are separated and he currently lives with his aged grandmother.”

Not willing to accept the part about his parents being separated or that he returns home after each day’s hustle, this reporter asked if his parents don’t ever come to look for him in the market, but Lasisi curtly responded: “I already told you that I go home; this market is just work place for me.”

Asked if he gives his grandmother part of the money he makes, Lasisi replied, “No, I don’t give any of it to grandma o. My money is my money and I do whatever I like with it.”

Has he thought of learning a vocation? At some point, age may not allow him to continue with this type of hustling, this reporter reminded him.

“Yes, at some point,” he replied; but in the meantime, he is okay with making quick money in the market.

Again, the leader chipped in: “That’s why we make daily savings at DA Dollar. We save 100 naira per day; that gives us N3,000, which we collect at the end of the month to buy clothes and generally have fun.” Da Dollar, he explained, is a small daily savings system operated by a gentleman in the market.

Are they all about carrying loads or do they somehow engage in petty stealing, especially when things don’t go as expected?

To this the leader interjected: “Let me tell you, there is no thief among us. In fact, if we catch any thief, we eliminate him straight. We’ll throw tyre on his neck and set him ablaze. That is our own justice system here; so no room for stealing.”

Not willing to let the part about learning to ‘do yahoo’ pass, we asked Lasisi how he hoped to ‘do yahoo’ with his level of education, and he replied with confidence that he can teach himself. He doesn’t have a laptop yet, he admitted, but at the right time, he would get one, he muttered.

“That boy is crazy; his problem is that he’s in a hurry to start making big money, so he can be sleeping with prostitutes,” the leader interjected.

That drew a roaring laughter from among the youngsters, with them giggling and tickling one another with knowing looks. This did not come as a surprise. Sex to people of that age is always an exciting topic. Lasisi would however not confirm whether or not he has started eating the forbidden fruit.

Yes we smoke

“The only vice you can say we indulge in here is smoking. Call it drug if you like but it’s not a crime,” the leader continued, rather brazenly. He drew out a little sachet of weed on which is written, ‘Anuoluwapo’ (God’s mercy is bountiful). He even allowed a photo of it to be taken, while warning the boys to move away, so their faces would not show. He already made it clear that none of their photos would be taken.

The conversation shifted to Smally – he refused to give his name, who surprisingly said he is 17. He looked much younger than 17, but again, looks can be deceptive. Introducing him, the leader said, “He was supposed to be learning work before he ran to this place. He has been here four to five years.”

That would mean that he ran away from home when he was barely 12. Wasn’t he the one the mother came to beg to come home sometime ago?

“No, he’s not,” the leader, who seemed to know everything again answered. “That one just passed with some load now.”

Asked what he’s been doing in all that years and why he ran away from home, Smally answered smiling, “I do carry carry work to make money.”

He also says he goes home once the market closes, but a store owner nearby interjected that he was lying, stressing that she has been telling him to go home, because he was too young for the life he was leading.

But Smally reiterated that he goes home to his parents, whom he said are alive and live around Carwash bus-stop, along nearby Ijegun Road. He also said he still attends school and that he is a JSS3 pupil of Ikotun High School.

Although the part about still going to school appeared hard to believe, Smally stuck to his story. “We are on holiday,” he insisted.

If all is well and he did not have any issues with his parents, why is he found among the boys in the market?

“I just came to hustle; I help carry loads and I make as much as 1k (N1000) per day.”

He admitted though that the market authorities, whom he referred to as ‘Baba Oja people,’ come around from time to time to harass and chase them from the market.

“Even this morning, they came and tried to arrest us but we evaded them. Usually when they arrest us, they take us to the police, who take some of us to Kirikiri (Correctional facility).”

At this point, another boy, who gave his age as 18 and name as Richard said, “Sometimes they take us to Adigbe in Abeokuta, Ogun State.”

He learnt furniture-making, he declared, and said he was only in the market to make money to buy equipment. “I have been cleared for freedom but I don’t have money to set up or obtain my freedom; that’s why I’m here. One of the boys invited me to come and hustle in the market, and since then, I’ve been making money and saving N500 per day. I actually make around N2,000 to N2,500 every day.”

Battle with the authorities

Shedding more light on their running battle with the market authorities and the police, Richard said, “They came one early morning and rounded us up. Actually they got wind of some criminal activities, which was not committed by us. There are some real tough boys up there at the back of the market, who may have been responsible for that crime. I was even sleeping when they came. They took us to Ikotun Police Station, then to Adigbe in Abeokuta. They took us to court. I called my mum and she came to bail me. I spent about four days in Adigbe. It was the former DPO who said they should take us to Adigbe; that our parents should go and bail us there. In fact, if not for the lawyer who told us to plead ‘not guilty’, the case would not have stretched. In the end, they said each parent should come up with 50k as bail and two sureties. I was lucky my mum came immediately. Some of us who didn’t have anybody to bail them spent a year and half there, but in the end, they were set free.

“They arrested me alongside this boy,” he pulled another boy to himself, laughing.

The part of his story that however drew a huge question mark was the part where he said he was 18 years old, yet had been working in the market for six years. If that be so, when did he find time to learn furniture-making?

Richard had no answer.

Again, like the don that he is, the leader supplied: “Some of them spent six months, some one year plus in Adigbe, but I have never gone to prison. Trust me, I am invincible; somehow, I normally find my way out at the task force office. I simply tell them that I am only in the market to work and not engage in any criminal activity.”

He said he could not understand why the market authorities and the police are constantly after them, stating that the worst they do is make noise. “We do not steal or harass anybody; you can ask the women who own the shops.”

Asked how they spend their Sundays when activities in the market are low, the Leader said, “On Sundays, when there is not much business, we go out and mix with the yahoo boys who give us money and food. Sometimes they give us like 3k with which we catch own fun.

“And during the EndSARS protests, when there was war,” he said, “we all lay low. That was really bad time because those bad people really messed up things.

Yet another minor who claimed he lives with his grandmother in Ikotun, while his parents live in Sango, Ogun State, said he is in the market to make money to buy machines for his tailoring job. He however said he has never been arrested because he does not sleep in the market.

“I go home at the end of every day’s hustle,” he said.

Asked if he also smokes or take drugs like the other boys, he said, “No, I don’t smoke; and I don’t take drugs.”

Oluwaburna

That’s what the group call 22 year-old Daniel from Enugu State, who claims he is a trailer mechanic apprentice. In truth he shares a striking resemblance with the Grammy award singer, Burna Boy, though with a smaller frame.  He lives with his parents in Idimu, not too far away and only came to Ikotun market to make money, he claimed.

“I didn’t run away from home; I’m still under apprenticeship with my boss, where I learn to repair trailers. I just want to make some money, that’s why I came to the market.”

Asked why did not do his hustling in Idimu market where his parents live, Daniel said, “The market in Idimu is no market. You can’t compare it to this one, where there is huge activity.”

To corroborate his point, he reached into his pocket and brought out some rumpled notes: “See? This is the money I’ve made this morning alone. There is no other market where you can make such quick money in this area.”

Though his expressions reflected one who has gone through a bit better breeding – he was the only one who had strung a couple of good English sentences together all day; this reporter couldn’t resist the temptation to ask if he took drugs, especially because of his tough look.

But like many others, he denied. “No, I don’t smoke. I’m not a bad boy, believe me. You can ask about me from my parents, they live in Gafaru Street, Ikotun here,” he finished off. Yet again, the leader chipped in, “That is the Omo-Ibo among us; he likes money dieeeee.”