"You're taking too much time, let's take a trip down memory lane shall we and refresh yours," he said with a derisive laugh and I couldn't recognize who stood before me, it was a whole different Emeka, if at all that was actually his name.
"Davison Adedeji, sentenced to life imprisonment in the confines of a mental ward, charged with first de
"Absolutely ridiculous! It can't be," I voiced, still shell shocked at his words. "You ruined my brother's life and now you've created the perfect chance for me to do yours," he said. My eyes scanned his features again, willing the truth I had discovered to be unreal, a mistake but it wasn't and the intensity of the scorching sun hitting my dark skin, reminded me that it was all factual and nothing at all illusive. "Dave was never the crazy one, it was always you," he continued but my thoughts were racing with countless unanswered questions. "How then do you explain the Jama'atu's appearance on that day? I'm innocent of these crimes." "Mere coincidence, something that had to be done," he answered. "I'll prove to you all that I had nothing to do with this," I declared with a subtle nod as if trying to make a solemn promise concerning the task to myself. "When will that be? Is it while you're rotting in prison?" He questioned snidely and immediately I could fe
I have read many books about the realisms of the centre of a battle field and have also had major lectures and drills on it, as well as earned a few portable relics from the most heated extremities.Stored away in a metallic intricate case, were the shotgun shells that emanated from the prided weapons of Lt-Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu and the
The first glimpse of the lowest thorny bushes were spotted and then we knew we were close. Surprisingly, we had passed the Kawuri village which still had a few inhabitants left, even though some had fled to neighbouring countries like Cameroon.Along the line, we paused the journey to enquire more and have a litt
I ducked immediately as the familair sound of shattering glass springing forth from the wind screen, came dropping around me. I had run out of ammo and yet the battle was still escalating brutally. My actions were hurried and sharp as I reached for the Carbine shells to reload but then on resuming my counter attack, my eyes registered the events happening around. It was as though time had slowed as I took in the sight of the tragic scenery, the bullets piercing through targets as they fell, the mines being triggered and ignited by the stray bullets and my skin boiling from the severe extent of the heat that sprung from the jumbles of destruction as well as upsurge of the attack around us. Everything seemed like a repeat of that disastrous day as I watched lives perish as a result of these animals. My breaths had quickened as I knew deep down that these men wouldn't stop still they drew the last drops of blood and the constant drums of the word "run," resounding in my ears.
"There has to be something," Aliyu voiced again minutes later and I was sure I was already lost, wallowing in the void the blackness created, in a state between sleep and reality, somewhere at the depths of dwam. "Our search would begin at dawn," I yawned faintly but still I could sense the rollercoaster ride his mind had launched into from where I sat. "No," he uttered, jerking his hand towards the way behind us, still engrossed in his scuttering cycle of thinking. "What are you proposing, we can't go anywhere without backup," I said sitting up from my relaxed position on the hard tree bark, a little more tense and alert now. "The lead said the game reserves but what if it's not," he declared again and it had me tilting my head seeking clarification. "You mean to say, we are going in the wrong direction?" "Well the Sambisa is the game reserve itself but the question now is where exactly inside this massive area of land," he continued, stating his idea and it h
Some hours more and it felt like my insides were filled with a bulk of the sand that had been rising gradually. Undoubtedly, the light roughening and scratches on my skin were numberless due to the harshness of the wind and the constant grazing of its particles. This was one of those hard moments that made me wish I had toed the line of my childhood visions. Honestly, I had always imagined in utmost reverie, myself as the owner of a large chain of businesses. Though, those were only dreams because indeed life had other plans, one dreadful and the other by the name, Richard Young. My almost dark lips were scaled as I had been chewing on them to overcome and extinguish the pessimism that threatened to consume me from the core. "I have always wondered about the nature of the esteemed and widely-acknowledged organisation, the ICS," Aliyu began and his choice of small talk wasn't all that appealing to me as the whole agency had been engraved into the hardened shelves of my heart, afte
I was frightened and dismayed at all that had just happened, shaken up with a prevalent numbness from the tip of my fingers in anxiety. 'There was no one with me', I repeated the thought with the news shocking and horrifying to myself as the night enshrined the earth with only the stars and the moon illuminating the vicinity like always.&nb
The sweat mixing with the fresh wound on my head, stimulating another throbbing feel of the intense pain. The tips of my fingers were at the brink with fragmented pieces falling into my eyes, obstructing my vision and inflicting more damage. Everything was against me in the fraction of this second as it was displayed and I could feel my hold slip off but still, I toiled with exertion till the pain in my hand made it known that I couldn't hold on any longer and I let go.
LADE: The Jama'tu soldiers left us alone upon Shugaba's command. The pain in my chest grew as if something was being drilled into my skin. My lungs weren't strong. I felt weaker than before. It was only a matter of time. "Agent Lade Adenuga of the ICS, we meet again," Shugaba said, wearing a striking snarl. He sent his gaze to my wounded arm and flitted it back to my face. Raising the arm some minutes ago had been tasking but I had no other choice. My weapons were on the ground. His soldiers had dislodged the bullets from inside them. "I have waited for you." His brows tipped. "Really?" "You owe me, soldier. I hate loosing." I flashed a charming smile. Shugaba eyeballed me and wet his lips. His next action had caught me off guard. He had thrown his weapon to the ground and opened his arms. "I'm all yours. If you w
Hafiz had told a lie, dawn didn't have to reach. Lade burst into the tent I was in with Hafiz. The look on his face revealed that there was trouble at hand. The final moments was here. I noticed he had aged a lot since I had first seen him at the Jama'tu camp. Now, it was time to end it all. "Your sister has made her move. I've been on her tail. She has made contact with the Jama'tu." It took about two seconds. I watched the news dwell on Hafiz. He jumped to his feet, big eyed and ready like he had been preparing for this moment for a long time, but scared because it had come too soon. Lade moved around, grabbing bags and anything reasonable. "I didn't expect her to do it so soon, but we have to act, and fast." Hafiz joined Lade in grabbing things and I stood, watching the two men try to survive. I couldn't stop myself from worrying. What if it was a trap? Since everyone had been pret
CRYSTAL... Protesters filled the streets, wailing. Some stood with angered faces. Everyone had something to say about the headlines of that morning, including Crystal. The news about the secret operation wasn't so secret anymore. The whole country knew about the eighteen dead men that risked their lives to save the kidnapped girls. The nineteenth was a traitor and only the twentieth had lived. Crystal didn't know what to think or believe. Lade had died in some faraway land and betrayed his country. Sitting at the back seat of the Maybach, she placed the cards together. She put everything Emeka had said from the start and the news of Lade's treachery in one basket. It didn't add up. Lade could kill in cold blood but he was loyal and she knew that. She didn't want to remember what Emeka said about her past pregnancy. What's to say he didn't lie? Emeka was Lade's bestfriend but he acted like an enemy who held a personal ve
"The beginning?" Hafiz chuckled. I frowned at him. I couldn’t read his features, and at this point, I had no clue on where our conversation would end. Tipping a brow, I could only fold my arms. Hafiz backed me now. He took a slow turn around the tent and said, "I'm afraid you're the beginning itself." I dragged a sigh and stood to my feet after that. "If you insist on beating around the bush, I don't have time to waste." "I know who you really are, Jane." He attacked from nowhere. "I came here today to let the cat out of the bag. It's time to come clean." At once, my gaze hardened like steel. For a second there, my heart had jumped in fear. It stunned me to hear those words fall from his mouth. I couldn't have thought that anyone would find out. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but a minute ago you tagged your sister as our biggest threat, and not me."
Hafiz toppled over, completely bound in chains of laughter. Apparently the conversation that came across as dead serious to me was weirdly amusing to him. The last indirect question he had brought to the table put me in a tight spot. I had said enough, there was nothing to free me from his vocal trap.
Morning had come but even so, I sat still, staring in silence at the wall. He didn't stay anymore and maybe this would be like all the previous times. Going scarce whenever a serious conversation happened, he had told me so much but I was even yet to spill any morsel of my own secrets—secrets that could change everything. He had also said soon, I just needed to wait a little more. Things were goin
Crystal...
It was still dark, dawn was yet to arrive and the only difference was that this time, I wasn't alone in the tent. The weight of another presence tightened the air. I was calmer now, and the upset in my belly had quelled.
I probably shouldn't have been wandering outside the tent in the dead of night but maybe I had just needed to clear my head. The dilapidated bungalow that was used as an infirmary by the locals here controlled