CHAPTER 6: THE 28 EMAIL
1331 Words
CHAPTER 6: THE 28 EMAIL
*6:47 PM. Okoro Compound, Village.*
The goat tasted like victory. Like 328. Like “Behind The Scene Chapter 1” with 12,000 reads in 3 hours.
Ada sat on the veranda with Mummy, Daddy, and Mr. Jude. Phones out. Neighbors crowded the gate. *“328 GIRL”* was trending on Twitter NG.
Mr. Jude kept refreshing Dreame. “42 comments! Ada, people are calling you ‘Nigeria’s Katniss’! FUEN is shaking!”
Mummy was crying into the goat soup. Happy tears. “My Doctor Okoro. My own doctor.”
Daddy hadn’t smiled like this since before the 180. He kept touching Ada’s hair. Like she was real. Like she wasn’t almost sold for six months.
*6:49 PM.*
Ada’s phone buzzed. Not Dreame. Not Twitter.
*JAMB.*
Subject: *URGENT: RESULT UPDATE – 202560017382AB*
Daddy saw her face. “Ada? What is it?”
She opened it.
*Dear ADA CHIOMA OKORO,*
*Following a secondary audit of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination 2025, a critical system error was detected in your script for Centre: Eastern Centre 3, Exam No: EC3-0047.*
*Your previous score of 328 has been invalidated.*
*Your corrected score is: 28*
*Twenty-Eight.*
*This score does not meet the minimum cut-off for any tertiary institution in Nigeria.*
*We regret any inconvenience caused.*
*- Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board*
The veranda went silent.
Mr. Jude’s phone dropped. Crack. Screen shattered. “No.”
Mummy’s goat soup bowl fell. Hot soup splashed Daddy’s bare feet. He didn’t flinch.
Ada read it again. And again.
*28.*
*Twenty-Eight.*
From 180. To 328. To 28.
Too dumb for polytechnic. Too dumb for life.
Just like he promised.
*“Behind the scene never ends, Miss Okoro. It just changes location.”*
The mercy offer. Six months. Or 28.
She looked up.
The neighbors at the gate were still shouting “328 GIRL! 328 GIRL!”
They didn’t know.
*7:02 PM.*
Her phone rang. Unknown number. Abuja code.
She answered.
“Ada?” DSS Officer Emeka. “Ada, are you alone? Can you talk?”
“No,” Ada said. Her voice was dead. “He did it. 28. JAMB sent it.”
“I know,” Emeka said. Fast. Angry. “We saw it hit the server 6 minutes ago. Ada, listen to me. Dr. Kene wasn’t released. He was _transferred_. To DSS Abuja. For questioning.”
“Then how—”
“His _brother_,” Emeka said. “Dr. Kene Obi Junior. Deputy Director, JAMB IT. Same face. Same suit. We arrested the wrong brother at FUEN. The real one was in Abuja the whole time. With admin access.”
Ada stood up. The veranda tilted.
“Dr. Kene has a brother?”
“ twin,” Emeka said. “Identical. The one you met at FUEN gate today? That was Kene Junior. The real Kene Senior is in our custody. But Junior... Junior just nuked your score from inside JAMB HQ. We’re raiding his office now. But Ada...”
“But what?”
“The 28 is live,” Emeka said. “It’s in the central database. Universities are downloading it tonight. By tomorrow morning, FUEN’s admission list updates. Your name disappears. Legally, you scored 28.”
Mummy was screaming now. Daddy was on the phone shouting in Igbo. Mr. Jude was on his knees picking up glass.
*28.*
Ada walked into her room. Locked the door.
Opened Dreame.
*Behind The Scene*
*Chapter 1: 180 – 124,000 reads*
*Chapter 2: Room 304 – 89,000 reads*
She typed.
*Chapter 3: The 28 Email*
_6:49 PM. I got the email. They changed 328 to 28. Dr. Kene has a twin brother inside JAMB. His name is Dr. Kene Obi Junior. He runs JAMB IT. He did this._
_They want me to break. They want me to come to Abuja and beg for six months._
_I’m not coming._
_I’m posting his face._
She uploaded the photo. DSS had sent it 2 hours ago. *Dr. Kene Obi Junior. Deputy Director, JAMB IT. Wanted for Cybercrime.*
She pressed POST.
*7:17 PM. Dreame crashed.*
Too many reads.
*7:20 PM.*
Her phone rang again. Not DSS. Not Daddy.
*Withheld Number.*
She answered.
“Ada?”
That voice. Room 304 voice. But smoother. Colder.
“Dr. Kene Junior,” Ada said.
“You’re smart,” he said. He was laughing. “Smarter than my brother. He liked them young and scared. I like them smart and desperate.”
“What do you want?”
“The mercy offer expired at 6:00 PM,” Junior said. “When you posted Chapter 1. Now it’s the punishment offer.”
Ada’s hands were ice. “What punishment?”
“Six months becomes six _years_,” Junior said. “You work for me. Not in my bed. In my office. You help me ‘correct’ scores for governors’ children. Senators’ children. You become me, Ada. Or...”
“Or what?”
“Or 28 becomes 0,” Junior said. “And not just JAMB. WAEC. NECO. Your entire academic life. Deleted. You become a ghost. No secondary school certificate. No university. You’ll clean Midnight Bytes Cafe for the rest of your life, and thank me for the job.”
Ada closed her eyes.
Fatima Bello. 290 to 140. She almost poisoned herself.
412 students.
“Why?” Ada whispered. “Why do you do this?”
“Because I can,” Junior said. “Because your father is a farmer and my father was Registrar. Because 328 is not for village girls. 328 is for my clients. You took a slot that was sold for ₦4 million. Now you pay for it.”
“Go to hell,” Ada said.
“I’m already there,” Junior said. “Question is: Are you joining me? You have 12 hours. 7:20 AM tomorrow. Come to JAMB HQ Abuja. Alone. Or Chapter 4 of your life is titled ‘0’.”
Click.
*8:03 PM.*
Daddy was breaking down the door. “ADA! ADA OPEN THIS DOOR!”
She opened it.
Her face was calm.
“Daddy,” she said. “I’m going to Abuja.”
“No!” Mummy screamed. “No more FUEN! No more JAMB!”
“Not for six years,” Ada said. “For six hours.”
She held up her phone. Dreame was back up.
*Behind The Scene Chapter 3: 512,000 reads.*
*#JusticeFor328Girl #1 Trending Nigeria*
*Top Comment:* _@DSSNigeria Official: We see you, Ada. We’re coming._
Daddy looked at her. Really looked.
Then he nodded. “I’m driving you.”
*11:47 PM. Abuja – JAMB HQ Gate.*
It was locked. Dark.
Until 12:00 AM.
The gates opened.
Not DSS. Not police.
Students.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Holding phones. Holding signs.
*“WE ARE 328”*
*“BRING BACK ADA’S SCORE”*
*“JAMB IS PERSONAL”*
Fatima Bello was at the front. 290 girl. Alive. “Ada!” she screamed. “We read Chapter 3!”
Behind them: News vans. BBC. CNN. Arise TV.
And at the front of the crowd, walking towards Ada:
DSS Officer Emeka.
In handcuffs: Dr. Kene Obi Junior.
Face bleeding. Suit torn.
Emeka saluted Ada. “Miss Okoro. We got him. 11:30 PM. Trying to flee to Dubai.”
Junior looked at Ada. His perfect face was broken. “You... you posted...”
“I wrote the scene,” Ada said. “And Nigeria directed it.”
*1:03 AM.*
JAMB’s official Twitter:
*PUBLIC NOTICE: The result of ADA CHIOMA OKORO 202560017382AB was tampered with by a rogue staff. The culprit has been arrested. Her authentic score of 328 is now restored. We apologize to Miss Okoro and 411 other candidates. #JusticeFor328*
Ada’s phone buzzed.
*FUEN Admissions:*
*Welcome back, Doctor. Class starts Monday.*
Daddy hugged her. Mummy fainted. Mr. Jude passed out.
Ada opened Dreame.
*Chapter 4: 328*
_They tried to give me 28. Nigeria gave me back 328._
_Behind the scene is over._
_My turn to write the future._
POST.
- Writer
