On the 17th of April 2012 at about 9 p.m., the car I drove was snatched at gunpoint in front of my house. I attended a safety course at work and had to stay late in the office. I only started making my way home at about 8 p.m.
As I drove within the layout, I noticed a car behind me. I was not sure if I was being followed or if it was someone driving behind me to his own house in the layout. When I took the last turn to my house, I noticed a bus parked in front of my house, I hesitated to horn for the gate to be opened. Rather, I drove closer to the bus and brought out my phone to take a picture of the bus details for record purposes, because I had never seen that bus in the area, let alone parked in front of my house at night. Just then, I noticed that the car behind me stopped at a distance, about 25 metres. It dimmed its headlights and two men came out of the car, walking briskly towards me. I turned my attention to the side mirror and noticed that the first one was walking into the grass at the side of the road and one of his arms looked quite extended.
By the time they got towards my car, I could see that they were carrying rifles, which they raised and pointed at me as they came closer. I came down from the car with the engine still running. They asked for my phones, and asked if the car had security, to which I responded that the phones were in the car and that the security was not on. I was asked to lie down, and I did facing upwards and I emptied my pockets when they wanted to search me. A third man had gone into the car and made a U-turn, almost riding over my leg and parked a few meters away waiting for the other two.
One of them asked me to enter the car, while the other re-engaged his rifle and asked me to turn and start running away. I remember thinking, “Turn my back and run with a gun pointing at my back!” Rather, I stepped backwards and told them, “I have given you all you asked for and you are free to go, you are safe to go.” I still wonder why I used the words free and safe.
One of them pointed his rifle towards my legs while I stepped back and the other pointed to my upper body – chest. The next thing I heard was a gun shot, the first gunman shot towards my legs. It was as if someone had pushed me and I was trying to break my fall when I heard the second shot. I fell to the ground and laid still. They looked at me for a while and walked away, entering the stolen car. While I lay there, the stolen car started reversing towards me and I got up and ran to a dark spot. I climbed the fence of my neighbour’s house and lay down on the roof against the fence. After a while, some neighbours came to my house with the grill of the car, which had broken off when they drove against an oncoming vehicle while trying to get away.
The neighbours informed my wife of what had happened and asked her to call me. My wife was calling my phones but I could not answer because the phones were in the stolen car. I could see my house from where I was, so I called for their attention and came down and walked back home. I felt a slight pain in my foot, but I thought it was a small pebble that got into my shoe, so I sat down to remove my shoe but there was no pebble, rather I saw a blood soaked sock. On a close examination, a bullet had gone into my shoe, through my heel and out again. I had just a flesh wound, no bone or tendon was touched by the bullet. I search for the second bullet, but there was nothing on my body. I searched the fence, which was behind me when the shots were fired but I could not identify any bullet holes. I only saw two spent pellets lying on the ground.
I thank God for the calmness during the encounter and for His protection over my family and I. My wife had just returned from choir rehearsals with the children not quite five minutes before the incident. I thank Him for the presence of mind not to horn at the time I got to the gate because if I had done that those at home would have opened the gate and the armed men may have followed me in and the whole family could have been at risk. I give God all the praise for being an ever-present help in time of need and a Father who watches over His own. We are blessed and not cursed and there is an accelerated supernatural restoration by the power of resurrection.