CHAPTER ONE
Bereni’s heart pounded heavily in fear. He was not sure he would survive. Flashes of Biobele’s dying moments crossed his mind as he ran. Biobele was his elder brother, a stronger lion -but he had died. A rat killed him. Now, Bereni’s own legs were not moving fast enough. He wished at that instant that he could fly. Never in his life had he been threatened by such a small rodent. Ever since he was a cub, he had known the rat to be fearless, the greatest terror to his kind.

When Bereni reached the huge silver river, panting vigorously, he slumped. There was no more strength in him. There was no where else to run to. He felt betrayed. He surrendered. He knew no more what it meant to roar.

The grey ugly rat caught up with him, pounced on him and tore him apart...
Tekena smiled as he recalled that story his grandmother told him when he was six years old. She had told him the story meant more than a rat chasing a lion. He never quite understood it then. He was only trying to understand it even now. That story always came to him when he was in trouble. At such times, he felt like the scared lion, about to die. Sometimes, he felt like the rat, small and powerful but insignificant. Today was one such day. He was in trouble but he didn’t feel like the lion or the rat either. He felt like a nineteen year old that he was, standing in cold sinking mud and carrying on his head a rock twice his size.....

Read the rest of Part 1 here ....
http://nemisblog.com/tekena_part_1/

CHAPTER 2


“I said I will call her as soon as I can.”

“You said that two days ago, Ben. When are you going to call her?”

“I said I will call her,” Ben said very firmly, looking at her squarely. “…as soon as I can.”

He made for the passage and began heading towards the bedroom.

“Why don’t you just tell me it was because she did not send you the money we asked her for last month?”.....

Read the rest of Part 2 here....http://nemisblog.com/tekena-part-2/

Madam Beatrice Adokiye – Patrick pushed the tray away with the watery mgbe soup. She wished they had added a bit more pepper. But she knew better than to complain. From the first day, she had complained about the food. They had simply ignored her. “No be house you dey, mama. Na jungle be dis,” they had told her.

It was the second week now. She could tell from the rising and the setting of the sun that she saw through window. It was the only bit of outside she had had, since they brought her here. Beyond the window was just bush. It was always extremely quiet during the day. She knew they were somewhere very far away from town.

They had taken away her phones and jewelries. They were kind enough to bring her sanitary pads in case she needed them and her medicine, although they refused to leave the drugs with her. She took them thrice daily and they opened the door to give it to her. They were probably afraid she could take on overdose and harm herself if they left them with her. That was a good sign though, she thought. It meant they needed her alive. Whatever their plan was, she knew they needed her breathing.
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http://nemisblog.com/tekena-part-3/

CHAPTER 4

The Rivers State Commissioner of Police was not a very friendly man. His face could deceive you though. It had the semblance of a permanent smile. Those times he really smiled were few. Police work was serious work, he always said, not meant for the lily-livered or lay-abouts. It was clear that Buba Shehu Saminu wanted to be in the army but he hadn’t been taken. That was many years ago. The Police Force was the next option. Now he had come to love the Force and was strongly of the opinion that the Police was as prestigious as the army and should be treated as such.

Born in Kaduna on the exact day Nigeria became an independent nation, he considered himself destined from youth to be one of Nigeria’s saviours. The uniformed profession was the place to fulfill this destiny.

He knew his men thought he was a strict man but he preferred to call it being principled. That was what brought him to this position, he often told them. He appeared unfriendly but he was a good man.

He was also a very smart man. Tall and dark with his polished Hausa accent, he always wore neatly ironed uniform and perfectly shined shoes. He looked young, was slender and did not have the big stature usually associated with top ranking officers. He could easily be taken for a junior officer but his uniform and ranks. Possibly that was another reason he always wanted to be assertive by not indulging in too many smiles. If only his face did not give him away.

When he came to Rivers State, Governor Simon had heard about his antecedents in Ebonyi State from where he had been reposted. The governor had remarked that Buba was the type of Commissioner of Police Rivers State needed. Buba was not about to change his profile.

Today, he was very serious. Even the smile that was permanently on his face was not as rosy as it used to be. He just finished listening to the dispassionate account of the attack on the governorship aspirant of the People’s Conscience Party, Sir Desmond Alabo, who was sitting across his table.

Buba Shehu frowned. He was the Chief Peace keeper of the state. He did not like what had been going on in the past one month.

“Sir Alabo,” Buba began, trying to form the questions he wanted to ask the man.

“I know you have already written your statement but I invited you here because I want to have a first-hand appraisal of the matter. As the elections are fast approaching every incident like this that occurs cannot be treated lightly.”

“I understand and that’s good.”

“The questions I’m going to be asking you are in confidence and will help us in properly investigating the case.”

“I appreciate that very much.”

“Do you have any idea who might have been behind the attack on you?”

Sir Alabo adjusted in his seat. “I cannot say. It could have been anybody but I strongly suspect members of TRP. For them election is a do-or-die affair.”

“Are you saying no one in your party could have masterminded the attack?”

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http://nemisblog.com/tekena-part-4/