INIKPI

Part One Kano, 1965 Ayisha was nine years old when she resumed duties as a house help in Alhaji Musa Idris' household two years earlier. She was tall, very fair in complexion and had curly, long hair. Her father travelled from Katsina, where they come from, to live in Kano to help take care of cows belonging to some rich Alhajis. Her pointed nose made it easy to tell she was Fulani by tribe. Her responsibilities included helping in domestic chores like doing the laundry twice a week, washing dishes after every meal and helping to get water and firewood for daily use. It was also her duty to serve Alhaji Idris his meals and stand by while he ate after which she immediately cleared the dishes. This is because Alhaji Idris was a rich man. His huge dark frame and the way he carried himself said it all. He had over three hundred cows, four wives and 20 children. Apart from Ayisha, he had three male servants - all eunuchs, who ran errands for him, took turns to guard his very large compound and, above all, took turns to accompany his wives to the market whenever it was anyone’s turn to go there and shop for soup ingredients and other household items for the family's consumption. This was to prevent any man expressing more than a casual interest in them and vice versa. His very large compound comprised of eleven huts. He occupied the largest one, his wives occupied one each, his children occupied four with the children from each wife occupying one, the three male servants occupied one and Ayisha occupied one - the smallest. The huts were made of mud with thatch coverings. Beautiful patterns were also drawn on them as well as on the wall surrounding them. The wall was made of wattle daubed with mud. Alhaji’s hired rearers took care of the cows. Indeed, not a few people envied him. One evening, Ayisha brought in his dinner and, as usual, positioned herself in one corner of the hut waiting for Alhaji to finish eating so she could tidy up. She had noticed his eyes roving lustfully over her body for some days now but thought nothing of it. After all, she was just a maid, she reasoned, and Alhaji had four wives. The last one, Halima, was so beautiful men ogled at her whenever she appeared without her hijab. These occasions were so few, one could count them on the fingers of both hands in a whole year. “Come and take away the plates,” Alhaji called out bringing Ayisha out of her reverie. She rushed to, immediately bending to pick the dishes. Her wrapper, which is tied around her chest, momentarily slipped off exposing two tiny breasts. Ayisha immediately dropped the dishes, tied the wrapper firmer over her chest and returned to her task of clearing the dishes - a mistake by all indications. It was all Alhaji could do to contain his excitement. He kept swallowing the saliva threatening to trickle down the sides of his mouth unable to say anything. ****** As soon as it was midnight, Alhaji Idris, holding a lamp, sneaked into Ayisha’s hut. She had always left the door shut but unlatched since the gate to the compound was always manned by one of Alhaji’s servants round the clock and incidents of robbery and other such vices were rare in Kano at this time. For a moment, he just feasted his eyes on the body lying naked before him on a mat illuminated by the lamp in his left hand. Saliva started dripping from his mouth.Two minutes later, he moved his right hand to one of her breasts rousing Ayisha from her sleep. She was going to scream before Alhaji warned firmly and desperately: “It’s me. Keep quiet!” Ayisha became instantly confused. “What…what…what…do you want from me rankadede?” she stammered fearfully. “Keep quiet and do what I say!” Alhaji commanded huskily moving his hand lower. Ten minutes later, with sweat pouring off him, Alhaji sneaked out of the hut. His lust had been satisfied. Ayisha lay in a heap with blood flowing from in between her legs. She had tears in her eyes from the pain. Shock and fear had made her obey Alhaji and open her legs to receive him. She even thought, at a stage, that it was a dream she would soon wake up from but it was not. Ayisha ensured Alhaji Idris never visited again as she made sure her door was firmly bolted from inside before going to bed. She was too scared to tell anyone about the incident after Alhaji's stern warning to deal with her if she did. She even felt no one would believe her so she made up her mind to keep the incident to herself. Sambisa Forest, 2001 None of the over one thousand soldiers of the Boko Haram sect listening to their new leader - Abdul Shekau ,is surprised he had emerged their leader after the death of their former leader - Malam Yusuf Zakzaky extra-judicially in the hands of the Nigerian Police. The Police had arrested him in a surprise attack alongside forty of his loyalists and had gone ahead to shoot them all to death without trial. ASP Lawal Muda had felt it was unnecessary taking them through normal legal procedures and had ordered his men to kill them all and explain to their superiors they were killed in a fierce battle while resisting arrest. “There is no more time to waste on dialogue,” Shekau stated biting off every word in the Hausa language while gesticulating with his A.K 47 and speaking distinctly into the megaphone in his left hand. He had a menacing look in his permanently blood-shot eyes. He also had bushy eyebrows and he was tall with bulging biceps. “From now on, we will go on a killing spree. All those picked for martyrdom must do so with immediate effect. Remember Al Janna awaits such persons. All the infidels must die!” Shouts of “Allah Akbar!” rented the air from all sides. Shekau waited for this to subside before continuing. He did not want any bit of information to be wasted. “The United Nations Organization, the United States of America and her democratic allies, the Christians and every alkafry anywhere should be made to feel our wrath. Before they came to Africa, we were the ones exporting food to the West but, with their influence, we now import food. Agriculture is now barely touched. All our youths now long to go overseas because of their influence. All these must stop. We must go back to our root. Imagine people who sleep with animals from where they brought the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and H.I.V to the world, turning around to accuse Africa of being the origin of the disease and calling us the Dark Continent. Now, they allow men to sleep with men and women with women. The Sharia system that we shall establish - first in northern Nigeria and then in the entire country, insha Allah, will address these. The West has done too much harm to us. America and her allies keep the best for themselves and their children and leave the rest of us scrambling for remnants. This is the dawn of a new era!” The shouts of “Allah Akbar!” that followed was deafening accompanied by gun shots into the air. Shekau smiled mirthlessly. Two hours later, the three suicide bombers that would go on the next mission were carefully selected and handed over to the protocol officer - Musa Qaqa, for further briefing and preparation. Arrangements were also made for their wives and children to be given to other sect members. The widows will be married off to those who were either single or those who had not completed the maximum number of wives per adherent suggested by Islam while the children will be sent to some of the Koranic schools around to become al majiris. They would beg for alms to earn a living and learn to recite the Koran by heart. The lucky ones among them would grow to join the sect. ****** The following day, the three selected men were on their way to Abuja to execute the mission. Musa Qaqa had given them the needed funds to do so as well as their hotel bill for two nights in a luxurious hotel. The crew that would transport the bombs to Abuja had left earlier that day and had been briefed on the need to steal three cars from their owners for the operation. Later that night, Danlami Goje - one of the selected suicide bombers, engaged his colleagues in conversation in a secluded area of the Abuja Hilton Hotel they were lodging. He was in his late twenties just like the others. He was also average in height and wore a caftan over leather sandals just like the others. They had selected a quiet part of the hotel where no one could hear them and, even then, they spoke in hushed tones. “It is about time we left this wicked world and get rewarded with our seventy two virgins each,” he whispered looking over his shoulders from time to time. Bottles of choice wine littered their table. “Life has not been fair at all,” Isah Magaji spoke next. “As soon as my father died in a motor accident when I was ten years old, I realized how wicked relations can be. No one was willing to support my education in anyway. Now see the way it is ending. I have enjoyed no good life until I joined this group five years ago. Now see the way it is ending,” he lamented adding ruefully “I only hope this story of Al Janna is true.” “It cannot but be true.” It was Samaila Dutse the last of the three men. “Why would the Holy Book say so if it is not true?” he asked rhetorically. By the time the meeting ended and the three men returned to their different rooms, each of the men resolved to go on with the plan. Six bottles of wine lay empty on their table. They were not willing to have the sect members run after them for refusing to obey the order they had been given. Any which way, death was inevitable. It was better to do it honourably, they reasoned. Kano, 1965 Hajiya Salamatu - Alhaji Idris' second wife, was the first to notice Ayisha spitting around the compound, looking tired and withdrawn. She was fat and matronly and had the tribal marks of the Nupe people on her face. Her slaps on Ayisha’s face moments later, could be heard outside the walls of the compound coupled with her intermittent “who is responsible for your pregnancy?” Since Ayisha did not even know what it meant to be pregnant, she could only manage a weak “I…I…I… am not pregnant ma!” Her innocent mind told her whatever being pregnant meant must be evil. She has never had any form of education - Koranic or Western, and no one ever told her anything on s*x education. “Shut up you evil child!” Hajiya Salamatu raged on. “Tell me who is responsible this minute!” The tears flowed from Ayisha’s eyes and soon, the entire people in the compound that fateful afternoon had gathered to witness the unfolding drama. “Won’t you confess to us and save yourself further torture?” Alhaji’s third wife - Hajiya Rakia, demanded totally without any feeling for the child. She had her hijab covering her round face even though she had not stepped outside the compound all day. Others in the compound including two of Alhaji’s male servants, his other wives and some of the children spoke in similar vein. “I…I...I am not pregnant .I swear by Allah,” insisted Ayisha. It was at this stage Alhaji Idris rode in on his white horse. One of his servants rode on another one behind him - a black one. Shouts of “welcome rankadede” replaced the earlier commotion. “What is happening here?” he demanded hotly while jumping off the horse. “Ayisha is pregnant Baba,” Rabi, one of Alhaji’s grown-up daughters said. After passing his horse to the servant for it to be tied to a big tree behind the huts, he ordered Ayisha to move straight to his own hut and went ahead to disperse the crowd with a terse “I shall get to the root of this matter myself.” His face was expressionless. Every one obeyed instantly. ****** Left alone with Ayisha, Alhaji did not bother to ask her who was responsible for her pregnancy. “I shall take you home to your father’s house tomorrow insha Allah,” he told her and ordered everyone in the compound not to speak a word to her. Ayisha returned to her room and continued crying till she fell asleep. The meal of tuwo shinkafa and miyan kuka Alhaji sent to her room by one of the servants remained untouched. Everything still looked to her like a nightmare she hoped to wake up from. Abuja, 2001 Activities at the Mabushi Plaza, Wuse 2, Abuja were at their peak when the three stolen Toyota Camry cars laden with bombs drove into the premises. The plaza had four magnificent edifices facing one another located on a massive expanse of land. Each structure had two hundred offices within its five storey structure bringing the total number of persons there that day to over two thousand. Each of these persons was either shopping for clothes, shoes, electronics or one household item or the other or seeking one service or the other. Some offices were occupied by law firms, insurance companies, airline ticket offices etc. Those who could not afford the shops had their wares displayed on tables outside the edifices. These include watch repairers, newspaper vendors, cobblers popularly referred to as shoe maker etc. The three stolen cars drove right inside the car park located at the middle of the premises. It was time to act. “Allah Akbar!” The three bombers screamed several times over before detonating the bombs within seconds of one another. The explosions that followed could be heard kilometres away. Over half of each of the four structures was reduced to rubble. Dead bodies were scattered everywhere. Some had no heads, limbs etc. It was a gory sight. Most of the corpses were burnt beyond recognition. When the final compilation was done days after, over fifty persons had been sent to the great beyond alongside the bombers. Also, over one hundred persons were receiving treatment for one injury or the other in both public and private hospitals within and around Abuja metropolis. Security men condoned off the area for weeks and it was all newsmen could do to get valuable information for their individual media. Condemnation from all over the world greeted the attack especially when Shekau posted a video on YouTube claiming responsibility for the act and warning more attacks were ahead. The United Nations Organization through its Secretary General, the President of the United States of America, The British Prime Minister and the Federal and State Governments in Nigeria, were not left out. The Presidential spokesman of the Nigerian government - Jacob Abayo, explained to newsmen that the government was on top of the situation and promised no stone will be left unturned to ensure the “cowards” were brought to book. Eternity Danlami Goje opened his eyes slowly. It took a little while before he recalled what had happened. The mission was successful. He could still remember the noise and fire ball the explosion threw up. The infidels had been blown off the surface of the earth along with him and his two colleagues. Now, this was the resurrection. It was time for three of them to be rewarded by Allah. A tiny smile crossed his lips. It was time to get their virgins and live forever in the bliss of Al Janna. A dusty wind began to blow rousing the two other bombers - Isah Magaji and Samaila Dutse. They slowly opened their eyes and realized shortly afterwards that they were in a desert. The heat soon began to make them uncomfortable and sweat began to pour off them. Suddenly, they appeared. Female dwarfs, each measuring barely three feet, in their number all dressed in rags and smelt like rotten eggs approached from all directions. They were totally bald, wrinkled from head to toe and were as ugly as death. The dwarfs, with the same suddenness with which they appeared, opened their toothless mouths in what looked like they were laughing. The sound produced can be compared to that of crickets screeching. Within seconds, the dwarfs had surrounded the bombers still in their seated position more out of shock and fear than anything else. “We are your virgins!” one of them screamed still with the cricket-like screech. “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” they all laughed with that same sound. The three men jumped to their feet. It was time to run. Each took only two steps before he was brought down again by the dwarfs swarming around them like bees. “We are your virgins!” screamed one dwarf. “Welcome to your Al Janna!” another shouted. “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” the others laughed. The three bombers screamed in terror. Jigawa State, 2001 Governor Shehu Ankali of Jigawa State was not prepared to allow free and fair elections in his state. He knew he would be badly beaten by the candidate of the major opposition party - Alhaji Ibrahim Buzukura. His policies left only debts. He also knew, but for the immunity he enjoyed as governor, he would have been arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, long ago. He had, therefore, made contact with the Boko Haram leader to help him deal with the situation through one of his trusted aides. The options that Shekau had given him were two - either that Alhaji Buzukura be assassinated or for ballot boxes to be snatched on Election Day and the results rigged in his favour. Governor Ankali had settled for the second option after consulting with key members of his cabinet and political party. They knew Alhaji Buzukura’s assassination will not be swept under the carpet due to his extensive international connections. Half of the agreed amount Shekau had demanded, were packaged in several Ghana-must-go bags in dollar denomination and sent to him with the gentleman’s understanding that the other half will be sent to him as soon as the election was won by Alhaji Ankali through the most loyal aide the governor had along with few inner caucus members of the State Security Service, SSS. No sooner had the operatives reported to the state than the governor bought over their loyalty. A bungalow each in a choice part of Abuja did the magic. The arrangement had gone according to plan as hundreds of operatives of the Boko Haram sect rode on motorcycles to the polling booths within the state and forcefully carted away voting materials at gun point. They had gone on to thumbprint the ballot papers in favour of Governor Ankali and members of his party vying for the state house of assembly positions. Those who resisted were instantly shot. Officials of the electoral body were given money well wrapped in envelopes to overlook the anomaly and go ahead and declare the results. ****** Two days after the election, the final results were announced as the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, was properly settled with a mouth-watering sum. The ruling party had retained its position at the gubernatorial level as well as at the state house of assembly level by a landslide victory. Governor Ankali was overjoyed. He organized a lavish party at the Jigawa State Government House which lasted till the early hours of the following day. Exotic wine and dishes from all over the world were served the numerous guests that attended the party. He danced around happily with his potbelly bouncing up and down. He was a short man but the size of his belly could easily belong to a giant. He could best be described as a man carrying a nine months old pregnancy. After waiting a reasonable time for the other part of his money to be paid, Shekau sent a message across to the governor. The only response he got was that he should be patient as “arrangements are in the pipeline to address your issue.” That patience was to extend for another two years yet nothing came out of the pipeline. Shekau struck shortly afterwards. ****** Not willing to take any chances, Governor Ankali decided his successor must be loyal to him to a stupid level. He knew all he needed to do for him to go to jail for a long time, was to handover to a disloyal aide. After looking around for a while, he unilaterally, decided to settle for his younger brother - Alhaji Yunusa Ankali. Alhaji Yunusa was a green horn in politics but he knew enough to cover his elder brother’s tracks. The highest position he had attained was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs at the state level and he climbed through the ranks as a civil servant to achieve this. His elder brother saw to it that he got to this level without much hassles. He had served briefly as a special adviser to the governor on Hajj Affairs but had been told by the elder Ankali to resign and take care of his massive loot scattered all over the world. The governor could not bring himself to trust anyone else to do it. Now he was rounding up his constitutionally-allowed second tenure, he needed all the cover he could get so he could enjoy the rest of his life in peace until Allah called him home. This was not to be, however, as Shekau was still smarting from a gentleman's agreement he failed to honour three years back. ****** One day, Alhaji Yunusa who had contested and won the ruling party’s primaries to fly its flag at the gubernatorial level in elections less than a year away due largely to the influence of his elder brother and incumbent governor, had just finished from the Dutse Central Mosque where he usually prayed on Fridays. The mosque sat majestically in the hot afternoon sun with its unique features which include six minarets measuring about sixty metres, with several beautiful domes that were twenty metres in diameter and fifteen metres high. It occupied about twelve thousand square metres and it is eighteen metres high. It has a capacity to accommodate over ten thousand worshippers. The press from the crowd towards the ten entrances of the mosque, as usual, was enormous and it was all the security agents could do to control it. The attempts by the several al majiri to get a little money from dignitaries did not help matters. Alhaji Yunusa, after spreading a few crisp currency notes around, was heading for the comfort of his personal Jeep metres away, after successfully meandering through the crowd with the assistance of his security details when sounds of gunshot suddenly rented the air. Alhaji Yunusa fell headlong along with four others - three of his personal aides and an innocent young boy of not more than ten years. They were all rushed to the hospital while the assailants made good their escape on motorcycles. None of them made it alive from the hospital. Governor Shehu Ankali got the message instantly. His brother’s blood was the atonement for the agreement he failed to honour, three years back due to forgetfulness, delay or treachery in dealing with Shekau. The opposition political party won the election as there was no time to prepare another candidate with clout for the election. Less than six months afterwards, Alhaji Ankali got a long jail term after the courts found him guilty of corruptly enriching himself to the tune of billions of naira. No one who had dealings with Shekau, after this incident, ever reneged on the initial agreement again. Kano, 1965 The ride to Ayisha's father’s house was uneventful. Alhaji Idris rode on his white horse while Ayisha and one of the servants rode on the other black one. The previous night was the worst in Ayisha’s life. She kept having one nightmare after the other until daybreak. Alhaji had ordered breakfast of fura da nono for her to prepare her for the two hours journey ahead of them. They entered Birnin Kudu and met Yakubu, Ayisha's father, performing his ablution in preparation for prayers. He immediately suspended it to welcome Alhaji Idris, surprise written all over his face. He would have been more handsome than he was if not for the hardship he had passed through in life. He was very tall and skinny. His teeth were all brown from years of chewing kolanut. “Welcome rankadede. You did not tell us you were coming,” he said extending his right hand for a handshake and returning the hand to tap his chest while bowing slightly. “Something has happened. We must discuss immediately,” Alhaji responded following Yakubu as he led the way to his small hut - one of only three in his small compound surrounded by a wall made of wattle. Ayisha, after kneeling to greet her father, ran straight into her mother’s hut clutching her in a tight embrace as soon as she set eyes on her. The tears flowed freely afterwards. Ayisha is a carbon copy of her. There was no time to waste, Alhaji reasoned. “I have taken the four maximum number of wives Islam permits, else, I swear by Allah, I would have married Ayisha. Notwithstanding, I shall give you five cows and five pounds and she shall stay with you till she puts to bed.” Yakubu’s jaw dropped. “But...but…but… Alhaji,” he stammered weakly, “you…you…you…did not tell us you were taking her for that purpose.” “Okay then, I shall make it ten cows and ten pounds.” Yakubu smiled broadly. “That is most charitable Alhaji. Only a king’s daughter attracts such bride price these days and you are not even marrying her,” he remarked. “See to it that no one spreads the story. I do not want my image smeared by this incident. Do you understand that Yakubu?” “Yes rankadede,” he responded bowing again. “She will be well catered for here and the story will be kept a secret. I swear by Allah.” Alhaji Idris left without even a word to Ayisha. He only just managed to wave to her mother while she knelt to greet him, a small frown on her face. The entire visit had lasted barely fifteen minutes but Yakubu did not mind. He was now ten cows and ten pounds richer overnight. This was enough to give him another wife with plenty of change left, if he wanted. Ayisha’s mother did not find her daughter’s story funny. She did not understand most of it so she moved straight to her husband as soon as Alhaji Idris left. “We are now ten cows and ten pounds richer. Allah be praised!” Yakubu blurted out raising both hands to the sky. “Is that so?” Ayisha’s mother demanded smiling broadly and falling on her knees with both hands lifted to the heavens. “Allah be praised indeed!” she screamed. The entire household was suddenly thrown into jubilation. Ayisha’s siblings, who had been moving around confused, suddenly became excited too. Only Ayisha was left out. She remained in her mother’s hut, the tears still flowing freely from her eyes. Seven months later, after excruciating pain, she gave birth to a baby boy in the hut of the local midwife. It was clear to the midwife that she would suffer from vesico vaginal fistula (VVF) due to the small size of her pelvis. It was not a new thing in the Northern Region, the midwife reasoned. Many women suffered from it and still managed to live fulfilled lives, she explained later to the family.