CHAPTER 4​​

For the first three minutes no one said a word. I was deeply frightened at this point. I couldn’t quite figure out my heart how it beats so fast and occasionally I would have this uncontrollable twitch on my lower arm.

I tried to calm myself, yet I couldn’t stop wondering what was a more terrifying thought; The horror of Lucky’s current predicament or the risk I face of being where he is soon if Sa’ad failed to convince the devils.

What NK was thinking was far different.

She said, ‘I didn’t even know Lucky was not with us in school, when did he even leave school?’ she was facing Bassey.

Bassey shrugged, ‘I have no idea.’

‘He said he went to buy something, I’m sure it was cigarette,’ Idris said.

‘Did he plan to risk his life on a miserable stick of cigarette?’ Bimpe mused with a hiss.

‘I wonder oh,’ Obinna chipped in quite cheekily.

Bassey stepped aside from Bimpe like she sucked badly, ‘Hold on a minute folks,’ he raised a fleshy palm, ‘do you think he knew what was coming his way when he was leaving school? This is none of his fault; it could happen to anyone of us. It’s not like he heard gunshots and yet decided to go get himself some miserable stick of cigarette. We might be troubled but please let’s not get insensitive, please.’

They were not thinking what I was thinking at all. How could they easily loose solemnity? An uncontrollable mob was out there asking for us. They’ve showed us a sample of what they’re capable of on Lucky and we’re making petty talks here. It’s not as if we’re locked in a vault inside a military base. No, we’re in a school principal’s office with a wooden door with frail bolts that even a hard kick from me can force off its hinges.

‘Do any of you think we’re safe here?’ I asked worriedly, ‘I don’t think so, people.’

Idris and Obinna responded simultaneously, Obinna said, ‘I don’t think we’re safe anywhere,’ while Idris asked, ‘How do you mean?’

After which Bassey said to them, ‘Let’s hear what she has to say,’ when it appeared I was about to say something else.

‘I think we should leave this place and find somewhere safe to hide,’ I said.

‘Like where?’ Umaru asked critically.

Somewhere else that doesn’t feel like a cage,’ I responded, ‘if God forbid he’s not able to convince them that we’re gone and he’s forced to tell them where we are, can’t you see we’re all doomed?’

‘But we can’t leave here now,’ Obinna said, ‘can’t you hear their voices there?’

The voices we were hearing from outside sounded like a heated argument between fierce Stone Age rival barbaric clans. I tried hard to pick out Sa’ad’s voice unsuccessfully. It was easy though, for one person’s voice to be lost in that storm of voices. It was even harder for a single defenseless human to win an argument against a multitude of machete wielding evil thugs.

Bassey was seemingly reasoning with me, ‘Isn’t it possible for us to sneak out of here while they’re having that confusion out there? We can go unnoticed.’

Before I could voice my support for his plan Umaru reasoned in opposition, ‘If he’s succeeding with convincing them and they see us sneaking out,’ he made a vocal accentuation of “sneaking out”, ‘then we put his life in danger.’

‘My life is already in danger and he had the chance to prevent that,’ I blurted out.

‘I think in such state of confusion the best thing to do is stick to the plan,’ Obinna said.

‘Obinna my dear,’ Bimpe called softly, ‘the greater plan is to stay alive.’

‘And that is what we have to stick to,’ I added.

NK held her head in both hands as if she was about to crush it open in frustration, ‘Can we please stop this accursed argument.’

‘This argument is helpful,’ Idris told her plainly.

‘As much as it’s stupid,’ she retorted.

I was leaning with my bottom on the edge of Mr. Sa’ad’s paper-covered and disarrayed wooden desk while Bimpe was squarely sitting on it and her feet resting on one of his chairs. The boys stood parked in the space around the desk. NK stood too but was leaning on the wall on my left.

‘Perhaps we should review what the plan was with Mr. Sa’ad,’  Bassey said, ‘we were supposed to stay somewhere safe while he tries to turn them around, but until then we’re to remain hidden.’

I cut in to add, ‘It doesn’t matter that he specifically mentioned his office. For him it’s the safest place but that’s left for us to decide since it’s our lives in danger here.’

Bassey ignored that and continued, ‘Moreover, what the plan did not include is what we should do in the eventuality of him failing to convince them and that’s what we have to include here and now.’

Idris pointed a finger on his left hand at Bassey, ‘So what you’re saying is we should assume he’ll fail and leave this place.’

‘Now that’s planning for all eventualities.’

At this point the noise from outside had to our relief reduced to a low-toned conversation but we still couldn’t hear a voice like Sa’ad’s. I thought I would never be calmed unless I heared his voice saying something like, ‘Thanks for coming, it’s my pleasure,’ or ‘goodbye folks, have a nice day.’

Obinna spared a special moment to attend to Bimpe, he placed the back of his hand on the lower part of her neck in an attempt to check her temperature, ‘are you okay?’ he asked caringly.

She nodded slowly.

‘Do you still feel nauseated?’ this time he was more solicitous.

She shook her head slowly. He stood closer to her and made her rest her head on his broad shoulder then curled his arm around her back to place his hand on her upper arm.

The one thing I’d always admired about Obinna was his sincerity in caring for others. Sometimes it’s so romantic to see, other times it’s just gallant.

Aside, Bassey and Idris stayed on their talk about planning for all eventualities as Bassey kept calling it. It was somewhere between an animated conversation and a mild argument.

That moment something happened that validated my long-standing believe that people who talk less tend to think more.

Tare wordlessly mounted the principal’s desk not minding the pile of students' files and report cards on it. He practically stepped on them. He then poked the carton ceiling spread over the top of the office.

‘We can break into here if worse comes to worst,’ he said still poking a finger into it.

It doesn’t seem such a grand idea but it was so far the best response to my insistence of finding an alternative hiding place. The least I could do was to back his idea. We all lifted our heads upwards to scrutinize what could be our refuge.

‘What a getaway,’ Obinna gasped.

‘Packing ourselves up there is as good as staying down here. They’ll find us either way,’ Idris hissed.

‘Well I think I’d rather be up there than down here,’ I said.

‘Me too,’ Bimpe followed.

‘Or we can just wait this thing out, Sa’ad’s plan looks good,’ Obinna said.

‘Mr. Sa’ad does not have any plan of keeping us alive,’ NK was wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her palm, and then she shook her head ruefully.

Umaru stared stunningly at her, ‘Why would you say such a thing? Can’t you see he’s doing his best to get us out of there?’

‘No we can’t,’ I responded quickly, ‘we can’t even hear his voice. I wish I can trust him like you do but it’s hard.’

‘I can’t trust anyone right now,’ NK said, ‘for all we know they could be discussing the best way to dispose our bodies.’

‘Now I think you ladies need to calm down here,’ Bassey held up a palm at me like a traffic warden.

‘I say we watch as his plan plays out,’ Idris still had his eyes on the brown ceiling as he spoke; he must be hoping it doesn’t end up his last resort.

‘I’m sick of hearing about this Sa’ad plan; from where I stand we’d be all dead by the time it’s fully played out,’ NK blurted catatonically, ‘he knew we’re in danger since yesterday and all he did was to scheme a grand plan, let’s not forget that in that plan was Lucky’s fate. The way I see it we’re all witnesses to what they did to him so he has to contain us here till they come eliminate all witnesses as neatly as possible,’ she gasped and pointed up, ‘I’m taking my chances up the roof.’

‘That might not be necessary,’ Obinna said confidently, ‘I think they’re gone.’

He thought wrongly, he had barely finished his sentence when we started hearing increasing footsteps of a legion of loudly and angrily talking people. My understanding of Hausa wasn’t very good but I picked out certain violent verbs like mutu and yanka and at least I could read facial expressions from Umaru and Idris to know all wasn’t well.

With anxiety in his tone, Idris said breathily, ‘Shit they’re coming for us.’

My heart started pumping faster in multiple folds as I leaped unto the wooden desk to join Tare who was now thwarking the carton ceiling open.

It put up a tougher resistance than we expected. He kept on punching furiously now joined by I and Idris. All standing on the desk punching away upwards.

We realized planks had been placed above them to keep them in place.

‘We need a sharp object to cut it open before we can move the planks away,’ Tare said hastily between breaths.

Also hastily, NK reached into her handbag to produce a bunch of keys while the rest of us were yet looking around for any sharp object.

She placed it on Tare’s lowered hand, ‘Try using the pointed end of this,’ she said.

With force, Tare stabbed the ceiling and he was able to make a tiny puncture through it. He then penetrated it with his fingers to tear it open. The opening revealed there weren’t just planks but an old dusty and heavy metal door frame pressing on the carton.

Idris joined Tare and they started pushing away the door farther from the two feet wide opening through the ceiling. While they were at it, Umaru, Bassey and Obinna were pulling the bookshelf across the door; it was almost twice the size of the door. It wouldn’t be much resistance for over fifty angry devils but they were hoping it would buy us time.

Tare supported himself with the old door frame to pull himself up into the room between the ceiling and the zinc roof and to me it felt like he was safe in heaven.

I couldn’t wait to join him but NK was even more desperate. Idris helped her climb up the desk, she threw up her arms towards the ceiling where Tare was and had lowered his own hands to pull her up. From below, Idris grabbed her knees and hoisted her.

Doing same for Bimpe wasn’t easy. First for her weight for she would not be easily tossed up into the roof like NK even by the two men. Secondly for her size, the opening was small for her to pass through, so they had to cut it wider.

 Idris came with the idea that he should join Tare up in the roof to pull then I and Bassey would push from below. I knew without doubt my turn would be as tough as Bimpe’s if not tougher because I considered myself bigger.

From outside the office, the savages were hitting hard on the door with their clubs and hacking it open with their machetes. From within, Obinna and Umaru were summoning their last strengths to keep them at bay, pressing forcefully on the shelf of old rotten books.

As the subhuman mob pounded away at the door and Bimpe was being lifted into the roof, my fright was humongous. I think my heart skipped more times than it beat, that was how it felt anyway.

It was a big wonder how Bassey was able to shut all emotions from expression. While the world was collapsing on us cramped in that tiny office, he carried on business like the entire set up was a routine drill.

What’s not there to like in a guy with sizeable sangfroid and a skull which isn’t void to go with it? If being God-fearing is a virtue that is admirable then being God-trusting should be more admirable.

One time in the middle of the storm that threatened our very existence, Bassey’s poise must have baffled NK that she in her usual interrogative manner wondered if he wasn’t scared. He drew her closer to himself and patted her head softly before he said softly with a steady voice, ‘We’ll be fine.’

It didn’t exactly come out like the common lines from a Bond movie but it was by far the most audacious comment ever uttered in that room.

Then he added, solemnly looking into my eyes like that was meant solely for me, ‘there’s God in every situation.’

The certitude in his voice quickly reminded me of those days in my childhood when my father would hold my hands to assure me the Christmas chicken inside maami’s kitchen won’t bite me. That was because he was damn sure. How could Bassey be damn sure?

After Bimpe it was my turn, before I stepped up I paused to see the hell of a struggle Obinna and Umaru had in their hands. It’s needless to say, they were not winning.

It was simply a matter of time before the ruthless crazies outside becomes the ruthless killers inside. How much time I couldn’t tell but I knew it would be sooner than later they would be pulling us off the roof and hacking us to death one after the other like it was some gruesome zombie invasion.

I think I was more helpful to my lifting than the other girls. I knew to exert the right muscular and body movement that buoyed me helpfully. It was quicker than I anticipated.

Bassey was next, he did not need a pull from Idris and co. he pulled himself up by holding firmly the wooden frames of the ceiling and the iron door frame. Before he did that, he took a while to assist the losing battle Umaru and Obinna were into.

The door had been badly battered that a hole of about a foot had been cut through a top corner. Bassey found a broken-off leg of a wooden chair inside the office, he used it as a weapon to fight back the thugs but he soon gave up on that when he must have noticed it was further infuriating them.

It was like being a captive and spitting on your captor.

We had to crawl some more distance inside the roof to a point where Idris had managed to break the roof open. He said we could escape through it into the nearby bush. I had my doubts about the plan as did the others but we were out of options. Anything to prolong the time of our lynching was to be embraced without questions.

I was later told in details how the struggle by Obinna and Umaru went down.  After Bassey had ascended the roof, it became a question of who’d be next. Umaru considered himself the leader and therefore should be the last to go.

He urged Obi to move on. Obinna disagreed; he insisted he was stronger to put up a one man resistance longer than Umaru. Umaru must have considered that mildly insulting because he then turned his back at the shelf and pushed back on it more forcefully than ever, closing his eyes and biting his lips hard. He did it like he would want that to prove to Obinna how he can do it alone.

Obinna grew even more adamant, he kept on saying to Umaru, ‘Go now, I’ve got this.’

After a little while of this stalemate, Umaru stepped aside a little perhaps to see how Obinna would do alone. At this point Idris and Bassey were calling Umaru from above for him to join them quickly. He was torn between these two choices.

Obinna wasn’t doing so well; he was just about to be overpowered. Umaru knew that even if he re-joined him they would be subdued in no time, yet he was unwilling to leave Obinna. Then right there while he stood back watching, the top half of the door was totally broken off its hinges and the shelf was tumbling over Obinna who appeared to have been hit in the head by a stick.

The next action must have happened quicker than they could explain; Bassey and Idris lowered their hands to pull Umaru up to the roof as the bestial protesters fasted on Obinna below.

By the time I crawled to the open roof that was our exit point NK and Bimpe were already in the grass field below me. I can remember wondering how they could jump off that height then I realized I was already falling off that height. I must have been shoved from behind by someone because I landed awkwardly on my solar plexus and was bruised by my side by a stick on the floor but did not feel a thing. Someone, either Idris or Tare told us to start running along the road on our left.

I wouldn’t call it a road; it was a tiny footpath with overgrown ankle tall grasses only noticeable because surrounding grasses were hip length.

I swiftly took to my heels faster than I ever thought possible by me or any human, never mind that Bimpe was ahead of me and Tare was ahead of everyone else. At some point it felt like I was floating. I couldn’t feel my limbs; I couldn’t feel my weight either. I only knew I was speeding past grasses and trees. All I had on my mind was the brutality of who was after us. The more I thought about Lucky’s state, the faster I ran.

My brain must have set my legs in auto run and gone to sleep because after a while I noticed no one was in front of me anymore then I looked back to be sure everyone else haven’t been captured and lynched.

Umaru was about twenty yards behind me trying to close the pace. I kept running as the bush was growing thicker and the path clearer. Then eventually I started hearing voices, Umaru was calling my name, calling for me to stop. It turned out that they’d decided to stop running a long time ago and the only reason they kept running was to catch up with me and make me stop.

We gathered around a shrub sized Tsamiya tree and then I learnt from Umaru we were not followed. I did not know how best to react to that news. I couldn’t even tell if it was good news or not. I did not feel any disappointment for having run that hard and far to expend so much energy perhaps because I did not feel tired at that point. In fact, I felt I could do a nonstop sprint to Ibadan.

We took a while to talk in the middle of the vast bushland, none of us appeared bushed except for NK who was panting and leaning on Idris.

We agreed on what next to do, it was to find our way back home, pack our belongings as light as possible then try to get to the state capital by the safest means. This safe means we couldn’t decide yet.

We would also call Mallam Yelwa to know if he has any plan for us. We would have done that right away but only Umaru had his phone number and it was written down on a paper back home.

Idris made a suggestion we considered a little extreme, he suggested we lay low in that bush till dark then we sneak to the compound to pack and leave town. We disagreed with him hastily without much thought.

Our problem at that point became how to find our way to the compound from that forest. Bassey said his sense of geography and spatial positioning can help us find our way while Bimpe gawked at everyone else as if she had no sense left at all.

 We decided to keep our course on the path, we’re not really relying on Bassey’s ‘sense of geography and spatial positioning’.

Soon a little luck came our way in the form of a young nomad with just four cows and a calf. From the direction he gave us we’d have to turn left each time the road divides as we move on and there were two such points before we enter the inhabited part of the village.

In the centre of our troubles was something that was so obvious it couldn’t go unnoticed. Tare and Bimpe were removed from the bunch. They were following a short distance from behind us. It was not clear to me why they did so, it wasn’t even clear to me at first that it was intentional.

Even when we talked about Obinna they did not join.

NK was seemingly more worried about Obinna, ‘How come he couldn’t make it?’ she asked Umaru. We all thought Umaru was in the best position to answer that, aside from the fact he was the last to be lifted out of the room, that unspoken concession to his leadership grew even stronger now that we find ourselves in the same sinking boat.

He gazed thoughtfully into the gathering cloud above us with set eyes like he was earnestly requesting for a divine explanation from the all-knowing Allah. What he came up with was the briefest explanation possible.

Still looking away from us he said gravely, ‘Before he could make it out of there they got him.’

We replaced ‘got him’ with ‘killed him’ in our minds and the silence that followed was regretfully mournful. Umaru’s tone itself was most unusual that I couldn’t figure it out then.

It was only later that I was told the gruesome details of that tragedy that I think I can call it remorseful. I think he took an excessively undue blame on himself for that incident and he carried it on him till perhaps it proved terminal.

When we eventually reached the village settlements it was like we just missed rapture. Calmness reigned in the air and not even a single soul was on sight. Not even the goats that roamed the streets regularly were found.  The mangy, tail-wagging, stray, jolly-good-fellow dogs of the community were also conspicuously out of sight. We kept on walking in a close unit safe Tare and Bimpe. We chose to go through the longer route because it runs past the village’s children play ground and the souk. On this afternoon it was more desolate than the shorter route use to be but not for long as we soon started walking past some other living souls on the road along the market. They were mainly elderly men and women going or returning from groundnut harvesting.

When they cared to stare at us, what my mind read from their faces was, ‘Tonight you die.’ And I often returned a cheeky grin of, ‘Duh, tonight I flee.’

Whoever says a sorely terrible day can’t get worse? Well, we hadn’t seen anything yet. A humongous shocker was waiting for us at the compound or where used to be the compound.

A hellish inferno was dying and isolated tongues of flames were licking the brick walls and other materials on the floor. The only place I’d seen anything close to this devastation was on a newspaper and they said it was the scene of a US drone attack.

Mallam Yelwa’s main family compound wasn’t as burnt down as ours but it was still on fire. Up till that moment there’d been no attempt by anyone to put out the fire and that did not surprise me at all despite my awareness of Mallam’s popularity among the villagers. There was a common consciousness of how detrimental it would be to spite whoever did this.

There were children and few women who stood in different corners around the burning compound watching us pitifully. Umaru led the way as we walked around to look into what used to be our rooms one after the other. There was nothing, absolutely nothing to salvage from the destruction of the fire.

In some way I thought this might not be all bad news for us. Now that there’s nothing to pack, a portion of our task was taken away. It remains for us to flee by any means possible. We were not doing much talking except some exclamations of bewilderment from the ladies, me inclusive.

No one, at least no one I heard made any reference to what we’ve lost in the fire and I also think we all sensed it was only the beginning. At the same time none of us wondered aloud who must have done this, the culprits were clear to us. What wasn’t exactly clear to us was why they’d go this far to get us.

Standing right next to me Idris was asking these questions rhetorically, ‘Who have we wronged to this extent? What have we done to deserve this?’

Two or three persons including Bassey mumbled something that didn’t seem a befitting answer. It was hard to see how we can rise from these ashes to get our regular lives back again.