Thanks for the update...

Brought down the switch... Do you mean he pressed it?
And for him to smash it on the ground, won't it trigger the switch?

Am so confused right now

rukidanty:
why you end am this way na..well thanks for the update

it's not the end o

cuteguy14911:
Thanks for the update...

Brought down the switch... Do you mean he pressed it?
And for him to smash it on the ground, won't it trigger the switch?

Am so confused right now

���, the story continues actually. Thanks for reading

I actually held my heart in my hands reading the last update


Don’t do this again o

SkimpleD:
I actually held my heart in my hands reading the last update


Don’t do this again o

No vex hahahahaa

Rosemary33:
it's not the end o

i mean the suspense..so when are we expecting the next update

Ah

Suspense ba kyau, rosemary ba dariya

rukidanty:
i mean the suspense..so when are we expecting the next update

this evening,

queenitee:
Ah

Rosemary33:
No vex hahahahaa

You are killing it ma’am.

The story line, the plot twists and the inherent underlying lessons in this story is magical. For a moment, I feel as if I’ve been to the North before through your story.

Keep up the good work ma’am. Aside some typos and misplaced words in the story, you are good to go.

SkimpleD:

You are killing it ma’am.

The story line, the plot twists and the inherent underlying lessons in this story is magical. For a moment, I feel as if I’ve been to the North before through your story.

Keep up the good work ma’am. Aside some typos and misplaced words in the story, you are good to go.

I am so sorry for the typos Thank you for reading. I will make sure I get better

Thanks for the update ma'am

Episode 33

It was the longest four minutes of his life, as he sat in confusion not knowing anything to do, he had run out ideas,

“Lieutenant get out of there right now…” The chief of Army staff shouted at him over the phone

“There is a woman and a child here sir…” he had responded

“Grab the woman and get out now!”

“The child sir!”

“It is an Order lieutenant! Goddamn it, get out!”

He cut the call; he didn’t want to walk away like he did many years ago when his twin brother died in Somalia. They were on a peace-keeping mission, it was uncommon to choose brothers for the same mission, their father kicked against it, their mother pleaded for one of them to stay back, but they were young and adventurous, he had wanted to go and see what real war was like, and had convinced his brother it would be fun.

That day was like every other day in a country taken hostage by rebels, they had dodged bullets and grenades, they had heard sounds of shelling bullets, voices of men falling, groaning of the wounded and screaming of frightened children and women. They were on the side of the government, their job was to weaken the rebels and make them surrender. They were in the bush he couldn’t remember the name, with guns positioned to shoot, eyes so alert with fears and excitements, their steps précised and calculated, his brother was behind him, he felt his breath and smelt his sweat, he even counted his steps to keep his own mind busy; then it all stopped, he sensed his brother not moving, when he turned, his brother was standing on a metal object and couldn’t move, he read fear of death in his eyes and his shoulders rocked with silent sobs,

“Comon man, move it!” the commander ordered

“I can’t!” his brother had shouted back, directing them all to see what he was standing on, that was when it dawned on them. The group ran, leaving only himself and his brother.

“Get out of there sergeant!” the commander ordered him, how could he leave his only brother? The beloved of the family? What would he tell his parents?

“Move away from there sergeant! It’s an order!” both him and his brother were sweating profusely

“Ibrahim! Ta Fito daga can! (come out)” he screamed at his brother

“I ba zai iya, shi zai busa (I can’t it will blow!)”

His brother shook his head and cried, there he was, looking at his brother in all his vulnerability, crying for fear of death

The Bomb had exploded few minutes after he was dragged out of there by an Israeli guy who remained his friend.

“Sir…sir… Chief wants to speak to you” one of his men gave him another phone, Abdul had switched his off.

“Get me Elia on the phone again” he replied

“But sir…the chief…”

“Tell the chief I can’t Answer now, get me Elia…this is my last order to you before I either die or be dismissed from the force”

The sergeant looked at him in confusion, cut the call, dialed a number and handed the phone to him,

“I da hamsin hudu seconds Elia, you cannot get here now…tell me what to do (I have fifty-four seconds Elia…)”

“You cannot save the day Man, get yourself out of there”

“I will try, please say something to me now!”

“Okay, why don’t try to unstrap the bomb from the boy?”

“And you think I have not tried that? The damn thing is not going off, and besides we have limited time now…”

“Take my advice man, get out from there…”

“I have a boy with a bomb round him, and a woman who wouldn’t let go of her son, and you are telling me to get out?”

He angrily brought down the phone, he was ready to pull any wire on that thing, and Believe Allah to be merciful on them, then he heard his name;

“Sir…sir…the red light is off” his sergeant observed

“what! How?” he knelt before the sobbing boy and looked at the bomb strapped round the boy

“The beeping has stopped” sergeant said with excitement

“Allah hu Akbar!” Muttered Abdul. He roughly held the boy in his embrace and wept to the amazement of the boy’s mother.

“Sir…Elia is here…”

“You are an old dog man; you never give up. Let’s get this thing off our little lucky boy before whoever did this changes his mind” Elia said with a smile.

“What is happening?” Ukwuoma asked

“Your boy is safe now”

Ukwuoma wept, while Lieutenant Abdul sat on the church floor, puffing chains of cigarette. He doesn’t smoke often, but a situation like the one he just came out from called for a stick or two.

*

“You would have gotten my men killed out there, senator!” Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ukachukwu said in Anger. he was with the senator in his office the next day.

“relax Chief, they didn’t die, did they?” Kazeem said with a smile

“What a you talking about? You deceived us all, you sent my men on a wild goose chase, you planted a bomb on a boy and you set the men of the armed forces up to be killed. I could get you arrested and tried”

“you don’t want to do that trust me…anyways…” the senator was on his feet, “You arrested Imam Husayn, that is a major plus to the military…” Senator Kazeem said

“Why are you here senator?” The chief asked

“Where are you keeping him?”

“That shouldn’t bother you at all senator, we are responsible for where ever he would be kept, it shouldn’t be your concern…”

“Of course… Of course…” the senator said. Flipping through the Vangard newspaper on top of the Chief’s table “You know chief, this whole thing is a game of interest, you do your work and allow us play the game for the interest of all…”

“I don’t understand what you are talking about” said the chief

“What I am saying is this, you have done your part, we still have unfinished business with this Imam, do not stand on our way…”

“Are you threatening me senator?”

“Am I? well... going by how easy it is for one to be sacked in this country, I should be careful if I were you”

With that he left the office with a smirk on his face. CAS Kachukwu stood behind his desk, drumming with his fingers while wondering the games these men were playing, who else was involved in it.

*

“I think he should be eliminated for our best interest, as long as he stays alive, he wields so much power which is detriment to all of us” Honorable Lamido, the opposition party chairman insisted

“I am the president here don’t forget that, I make the final decision on who dies and who stays alive…” Danladi was blowing hot. These men should not use him to clean up their mess and it was high time he proved that to them.

“I understand that Mr. President, but consider the country, the security, you have no idea what this man is capable of doing even while he is incapacitated” it was a mistake they made and would not allow it, Husaym would have been killed like the other jihadists, the military would have covered it up perfectly, but Mr President wanted something to show the masses, he wanted a face on the tabloids.

“Locking him up is already causing uproar and protests, his followers are threatening our security, they want him alive and released, have you thought of what would happen if he is killed?”

“They will agitate for a while and forget about it, once the media gives them something else to talk about”

“I think I am done with you Lamido, I will advise you to concentrate on something else, allow the judiciary to do its job” Mr President dismissed him.

Lamido opened his mouth to say something but closed it, he knew how stubborn Danladi could be, but he was ready to bring up the topic again. To Danladi, it was about power, he wanted to prove his ability to accept or reject their manipulations.

Mr President watched Lamido leave his office, before he picked the telephone receiver on his desk.

“Make arrangement for me to meet with this Imam Husayn Under your custody” he said. He must admit that the pedigree that followed the cleric fascinated him, and could suit in his own personal interest. He would not make the same mistake Lamido and his men made.

“You want to come over or should we bring him to the villa sir?” a voice asked

“We should avoid the press as much as we can, I will come at my convenient”

*
That night, five days after he was arrested, a warder aided the Imam to deliver a letter to an unknown man who was leaning on an entrance door of a provision store. Three days after, same warder slipped a letter to the Imam while serving him dinner, he left without both of them saying a word to each other.

Imam husayn waited until he was sure no one would walk pass his cell for some time before he opened the letter and smiled.

Major Usman has been murdered.

Thanks for the update.

Who could have murdered him? Doom awaits Imam Husayn

Thanks for the update Rosemary

thanks so much for the update and nice write up

This is serious

Thanks for the update

Smith06:
Suspense ba kyau, rosemary ba dariya

Lol Kada ka yi fushi

I been outa nl for weeks
But thanks for the update
M glad Ukwuma n her son are saved.

thank goodness they were saved. thanks for d update

Rosemary33:
Lol Kada ka yi fushi

No wahala, am not anyway

rosemary when are we expecting the next update

Rosy u are a superb writer, God bless u and pls keep up the good work

rukidanty:
rosemary when are we expecting the next update

today I was working on a script yesterday.

Reflex01:
Rosy u are a superb writer, God bless u and pls keep up the good work

thank you so much, I am humbled

Rosemary33:
today I was working on a script yesterday.

today has passed o..hope you are good?how i wish i can have your number so we can be talking or you can watsapp me on 07038266331

CHAPTER 34
Protests, more protests, then buckets of violence, maybe we should call them riots braking out here and there once in a while, for different reasons characterized the months that followed the arrest of Imam Husayn.

Agitation for different things at the same time; ‘Saki Imam ba tare da lokaci (the Imam should be released immediately and unconditionally)’ ‘Shafin shakatawa haram ne (Beauty pageantry is Haram and should not be hosted in Nigeria)’ ‘Majalisar Dinkin Duniya ya bar musulunci kadai (United Nation should not interfere in Islamic states and their affairs)’ ‘Shari’ar shari’a dole ne ta tsaya, dole ne a bi Alqurani (Sharia law must stand; the Quran must be obeyed)’

The case of Amina Lawal, who has been sentenced to death by stoning according to sharia law, and the federal government being under pressure by NGO’s to step in to overturn the conviction added to the volatile atmosphere.

Ukwuoma was on her way to Ogun state, with a small ‘Ghana most Go’ bag held tightly with her right leg on the floor of the bus, while she balanced the sleepy Ogugua on her laps, she sat by the window where she watched trees flew by.

The window side of a vehicle has been her favorite spot as a child whenever she was traveling to see ‘Nne’ or coming back, she would seat and count houses; big houses and small ones, and widen her eyes in amazement as the trees hurried by ‘ifiam! Ifiam’ tall trees and small ones, “Ofia na agba oso (the bushes are running)” she would tell her mother who was always by her side. Few times they had traveled home late during Christmas and the moon had also traveled with them, the huge bright light would always smile at her whenever she looked out from the window of the vehicle, and she would challenge the moon to a looking contest until her head would sway out of dizziness.

The galloping of the rickety bus on the dirty road with lots of potholes jolted her violently and sent her stomach in turmoil, she rocked her son gently for him to go back to sleep. The Man seated in front of her coughed violently, cleared his throat which sounded like ‘Mama Ike’ scrapping burnt fufu from her big clay pot, he pushed his head out from the window and spat out. The spittle battled with the rushing wind and lost, the wind carried it back to the man’s direction and his neighbor, a young woman with a weave-on that looked more like the bristle of a brush used for washing Jeans, was bathed with spittle missed with mucus. While some part of it hung on the bus like a leach,

“Ah ah Oga you wan blind my eye with your spittle? Na watin be this now?”

“No vex you hear? Sorry”

“Which one be sorry? You spit on me come dey tell me sorry”

“watin you wan make I tell you before? No be sorry I tell you now? Oya fall and die now if sorry no do you” the man retorted

The little quarrel was a distraction for some of them in the bus who needed something to take their minds off the long Journey.

“…Old papa way no dey respect himself” the young girl said

“Ashawo… who know the sugar daddy way you dey go visit for Ogun” the man put in, not wanting to lose the battle of words

“your wife, your mother and all your Daughters na Ashawo dem be, radarada…”

Most of the commuters were laughing, including those that were sleeping previously. Ukwuoma put her hand inside her bag, she felt the content buried at the bottom of the bag and covered with few cloths. She wouldn’t be staying long in Ado-Odo, her husband’s village, she only needed to go and bury the dead so she could have peace.

Kafaya had brought her to the park where she boarded the vehicle. She had persuaded her the previous night not to leave;

“You can bury them here, in the cemetery” That was after they had gone to Jos together with three women and a man, she didn’t know who they were, but Kafaya said they were interested in the case of the young girl Ifeoluwa talked about.

Ife was able to tell the story a month later, she remembered the names and the place it took place. Though she still got scared when she was alone, she would look behind her like she was expecting someone grab her at any moment.

Ogugua adapted to his new environment faster than any of them, for the first few weeks when he came back with her, he had always thrown tantrum, cried without reasons and had always called ‘Baba’ while pointing at an empty space. She had felt for Kafaya, she wished there was a way she could compensate her for her kindness and patience. Ukwuoma wished she could get a place to move out with her new family, at least to give the young lady her well-deserved privacy. Coupled with adding Ogugua to the house has increased mouths to feed and it had bothered her.

“It is necessary I go, they don’t belong here”

“Are you going with the Umaru?” Kafaya asked

“His name is not Umaru” Ukwuoma said, she looked at the boy who was engrossed with ‘Tom and Jerry’ on the TV “I have to, they may trace him to you and may want to take him away again” she said

“I don’t think they will, at least not now…” Kafaya assured “When will you be back?”

“I don’t know? I am not sure of anything now...” Ukwuoma answered adjusting her weight on the chair “Ife…how long will she stay at your hospital? I am worried about her”

“She will be fine; she is getting better. Don’t worry she will be out soon, she can even go back to school, it will help her to get her life back” sensing her worries Kafaya said: “Don’t worry about the money, there are schools she can go to with little fees, I can take care of that for now”

“Thank you so much, May God bless you”

“He will bless us all”.

Ukwuoma didn’t know how long she had slept in the bus, she was awoken by wares fighting their way into the bus from the window and hawkers trying to outdo each other with shouts of “Plantain chips…Gala…Lacasara…”

“Where is this place?” she asked the man beside her

“Illesha” he said

*
When he thought he was about to enjoy the special treatments, his cell was changed and the condition of the new one was worse than the previous one, there was no mat so he had to sleep on the dirty floor, dragging space with rodents. The number of times he was being fed has been reduced to once in a day and the food was pitiable, he could see his face on the soups.

The walls were made of iron sheets, covered up with tiny hole where plat of food would pass through. He had not read the papers for weeks, unlike when he was on the other cell where newspapers were brought to him every morning and he could write letters.

At first, he wasn’t bothered with the harsh situation he found himself, he was used to denying himself food and pleasure for spiritual gains, but
he was almost losing his mind since he hardly saw or hear any voice. He needed to know what was going on outside, he needed to communicate with his members:

“who is there!” he shouted for the umpteenth time with his voice bouncing back at him. Imam Husayn didn’t fare well with solitude, and these few weeks had driven him to the point of talking to himself.

He heard approaching footsteps, he quickly staggered to his feet, glued his face to the tinny opening, he tried to get a glimpse of the warder that was walking by;

“Hey! by Allah Answer me!”

The warder stopped but didn’t turn

“Please! Help me… I am sick!”

The warder resumed his walk without looking his direction

“Please stop! Get me out of here! I am dying of cold!” when he heard the footsteps fading away, he crumbled at the corner of his cell, with his palm on his face his shoulders rocked as he cried.

He was getting old all of a sudden.

*

“He is getting paranoid sir”

“And…”

“I don’t know how long he can take it; he has started talking to himself now sir”

Mr President smiled and nodded, “sounds like we are breaking the heard guy” said Danladi

“I am afraid sir, he may die there, he hardly touches his food and I think he is sick”

“And how did you know this?”

“He said so himself”

Mr President paused, he paced in his office, his thoughts running. He needed the Imam alive, but broken enough to be able to jump at any offer he would present to him,

“Give him some more weeks there, he would be ready by the time I am ready to meet him”

“But sir…”

“I will send a doctor who will attend to him, as for his feeding, make it as bad as possible”

“And Malaki…you are a dead Man if I see or hear this anywhere else”

The warder was unsure why the preside picked interest on this Imam, and why he would be picked to do the Job. But he nodded in fear and walked out of the office asking no further questions.

rukidanty:
today has passed o..hope you are good?how i wish i can have your number so we can be talking or you can watsapp me on 07038266331

Okay, will add you up now

Rosemary33:
Okay, will add you up now

thanks for the update and finally you are back

Thanks for the update

I laughed so hard at the bus scenario. Typical of what we find these days...

Imam is a goner already.


Thanks Rozy for the update