THE EFFECTS OF TERRORISM
CAPTER ONE
At exactly 6.28 am on the 28th day of April 1994, Shum knocked on the door of his father's bedroom, and when the latter opened it, he shouted excitedly: 'Good morning, dad.' 'Good morning, my dear,' his father replied. 'I am set for school now,' Shum announced excitedly. 'I want Adam, the driver, to take me to school right away,' Shum continued. 'No, I can't allow my only son, the most intelligent lad in the world, to be taken to school by an unintelligent driver. I am taking you to school myself,' Safar firmly declared.
Mr. Safar Sha'ak lived in a town called Yallam. Yallam was situated in the West of Jos, the capital of Plateau State in Nigeria. He was a man of stupendous wealth. He was the sole owner of two commercial banks, three oil companies, five ships and five housing estates of one thousand units of four-bed-room flats each. His wife's name was Shegbwe, and they had only one son, Shum.
Shum attended the best and the most expensive secondary school in Plateau state, Hilltop College, Jos. On this day (28/04/1994), Shum was going for the third term of his final year in this school. He was so intelligent that he always took the first position in the terminal examinations in his school. It was based on this fact that his father believed that he was the most intelligent lad in the world. On their way to the school, his father asked him: 'What do you intend to do immediately after your graduation from the school?' 'I shall wait for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to release the results of the examinations which we shall soon sit for before I shall decide on the type of course I shall study at the university,' Shum told his father. After a little while, his father retorted: 'I had thought all along that you would join me in running the family business immediately after your graduation from this school.' 'Dad, I intend to study at a higher level in order to gain sufficient experience before I shall join you in running the family business. I promise, I will not disappoint you, Dad.' 'It is okay. I have no objection at all. You know, as my only child, I will always support you in whatever objective you want to pursue, provided such an objective is for a good purpose,' his father assured him.
On the 5th day of September, 1994, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) released the results of the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) held between June and July, 1994. Upon inquiry, Safar discovered, to his excitement, that his son, Shum, passed the said examinations with distinction (A1) in Mathematics, further Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Agricultural science, while he passed with very good credit (A2) the following subjects: Geography, English language and Christian Religious Knowledge.
With this result, Shum did not waste any time in applying for admission into the University of Jos to study Medicine. Consequently, the university offered him admission to study Medicine two days after Shum had submitted his application. Mr. and Mrs. Sha'ak were so over-joyed that they abandoned their business affairs and concentrated on making the necessary arrangements for their son's resumption in the university. Having completed the necessary arrangement on the third day of the receipt of their son's admission letter, Shegbwe went with her son to the university of Jos to pay the school fees. Safar, her husband, could not go with them because he was compelled by circumstances to attend to some pressing business issues.
CHAPTER TWO
While Shegbwe and her son were still in the University of Jos, some unknown gunmen attacked Yallam town, and having over- powered the security personnel of Yallam, started shooting indiscriminately any person in sight. At Safar's residence, the attackers forced themselves in, having killed all the security men at the gate. They thereafter shot and killed Safar and all his domestic servants and set the entire building ablaze.
Some hours after the gunmen had left, the survivors of the attack discovered that more than two hundred houses were completely burnt down and three hundred and fifty people were confirmed dead, while more than one hundred were fatally wounded. The fatally wounded people were rushed to the university of Jos teaching hospital for immediate medical attention. This was the most horrific incident ever experienced by the citizens of Yallam town.
At two o'clock in the afternoon of this fateful day, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Yallam town broadcast to the citizens of the town that the police authorities had confirmed that some terrorists from outside the country had invaded nine towns, Yallam inclusive. The police chief ended his broadcast by saying that concerted efforts had been put in place to bring the said terrorists to justice. He, therefore, urged the 'good citizens' of Yallam to be law abiding and go about their normal activities. That was the last the citizens of the town heard from the police, as far as this incident was concerned.
'I think we should go home right away,' Shegbwe told her son. 'Why mum? I think we decided right from home that after paying the school fees we should visit your younger sister, aunt Muyo. Why are you changing your mind now, mum? This is not fair.' 'I don't just feel okay. In fact, I am feeling frightened right now, and I don't know why,' his mother disclosed. 'Frightened? Mum, you just want to justify your reason for not wanting to visit aunt Muyo. You know very well that I do not know where she lives here in Jos, and this is the only opportunity that will enable me to know her residence so that whenever I feel bored at school, I will easily visit her in order to kill time.' 'This is not the time for argument. We just have to go home now. I promise to take you there before you will leave finally for your school,' Shegbwe concluded.
On arrival at their residence in Yallam town, Shegbwe and her son discovered, to their greatest shock, that their massive house had not only been completely burnt down, but also that Safar and the domestic servants were nowhere to be found. However, a police officer appeared from nowhere and explained to them that as soon as they had left for Jos that morning, some unknown gunmen had appeared from nowhere and had attacked anybody in sight. As soon as the police officer mentioned that Safar and all the domestic servants were so unlucky that they were all killed before the house was set ablaze, Shegbwe collapsed and died on the spot. Similarly, Shum also collapsed and remained unconscious. While the lifeless body of Shegbwe was deposited in the morgue at the general hospital, Yallam, Shum was admitted at the EXTENSIVE CARE UINT of the hospital.
CHAPTER THREE
Kyorol Sha'ak was Safar's elder brother. He was a civil Engineer by profession. However, his most terrible vice was gambling. He would spend the whole day indulging in one gambling activity or the other, and he would never win any bet. His second vice, of course, was drunkenness. Right from the gambling house, Kyorol would go to a bar where he would spend any remaining balance of the money from his gambling activities on beer/spirits. For this reason, he was always drunk, and would come home very late at night when his wife and children had already fallen asleep. His wife, a medical Doctor, was solely responsible for the feeding of the family. He was, therefore, very careless and irresponsible. Apart from being irresponsible, Kyorol was very greedy and wicked. Because of his involvement in gambling activities, no firm, let alone the government, was willing to employ him.
Seeing that his elder brother was in a very desperate and difficult condition, Safar gave one of his thriving companies, Mwa'ar shipping company Nigeria limited, to Kyorol. This company was declared bankrupt by a court of competent jurisdiction six months later, due to carelessness and irresponsibility on the part of Kyorol, its owner. It was based on this reason that Safar had ignored Kyorol completely, and would not give him any money, no matter the situation.
On hearing that his younger brother, Safar and his wife were dead, Kyorol went to the managing directors of his late brother's five companies and forcefully took over the management of the said companies at gun point. This took place four days after the death of Safar! As Kyorol was the only surviving child of his father's, there was nobody to challenge him.
CHAPTER FOUR
For six days, Shum was lying down unconscious in the hospital without uttering any word. At exactly four o'clock in the morning of the seventh day, his father, Safar, entered the ward in which he was lying down and sat on the edge of his bed. He told Shum to forget about everything that had happened and try to forge ahead with life. Safar further told his son that the original copies of all his important documents were kept in a safe in one of his commercial banks, City Top commercial bank limited. These documents included share certificates, certificates of occupancy (C OF O), certificates of Right of Occupancy (R OF O), bank statements, among others. He, therefore, urged his son to stand up and go home without any further delay.
When Shum opened his eyes at five o'clock in the morning (5.00 am), he did not see his father, and he immediately became aware that he was in the hospital. At that point, he began to recall all the events that took place the previous day (he did not know that he had spent almost seven days in the hospital). Who were those unknown gunmen that had killed his father? He asked himself, almost aloud. Where did they come from and what did they want from his father? Why did they kill his father and all the domestic servants? Where were the police and the State Security Service (SSS) personnel when the gunmen came? Did not the police and the SSS personnel get the intelligence report about the intention of the unknown gunmen to attack Yallam town before-hand? Who would help him to manage his late father's vast business, seeing that his uncle was completely careless and irresponsible? Shum asked himself bitterly. He kept on asking himself one question or the other, and yet he could not find answers to those questions.
At that point, the Nurse came in. She saw that tears were running down Shum's cheeks, and yet he was not crying. 'Good morning, patient. How are you feeling now?' 'Good morning, Nurse. I am quite okay, thank you.' 'Are you sure you are okay?' 'Yes, of course. I only lost consciousness yesterday.' 'It was not yesterday that you lost consciousness. You have spent seven days here.' 'Seven days! I want to go home now,' Shum declared.
From the hospital, Shum went straight to Saint Joseph's Catholic Church, Yallam with the hope of seeking refuge there, since his father's house had been completely burnt down. When he got there, he discovered that the said church had not only been completely burnt down, but also that the Parish Priest, Reverend Father Cha'am, the catechist and the seminarian had all been killed by unknown gunmen. He had, therefore, no option but to report to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Yallam to seek refuge there.
The officer in charge of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Yallam was lieutenant Durun. The staff strength of the IDPs camp was two hundred and four (204) people. This number was made up of fifty four (54) Military personnel, most of whom were of junior rank, one hundred police personnel (100), twenty (20) National Civic Defence Corps officers and thirty (30) civilians.
In completing the form and other documents in respect of his admission into the camp, Shum discovered that his admission number was 3,568. This meant that three thousand, five hundred and sixty eight (3,568) people had been officially registered by the camp authorities. Immediately after having been registered, Shum was given a pamphlet which contained the code of conduct of the camp. In addition to that, Shum was told that the time for breakfast was ten o'clock in the morning (10.00 am), while dinner was being served at seven o'clock in the evening (7.00 pm ) of every day. He was also told that there were only two designated places of worship. While the Christians, irrespective of denomination, were worshipping in Hall A, the Moslems were worshipping in Hall C, Hall B being the dining Hall.
At exactly ten o'clock in the morning (10.00 am) of that day, the refugees entered Hall B for their breakfast. Every refugee was served half a cup of pap, for this was their usual meal for breakfast. As soon as he had finished his breakfast, Shum stood up and walked towards the door. 'What are you doing here?' Malai John, an acquaintance, asked him, almost shouting. 'I am here for the same reason as you are', Shum replied. 'For how long have you been here?,' he continued. 'I have been here for one week today,' Malai replied. 'So this unfortunate incident affected you also.' 'My brother, I have lost my parents and all my late father's domestic servants. Now I am all alone in this world,' Shum stated matter-of-factly. 'I am in the same condition as you are. I am, however, quite sure that God will take care of everything,' Malai concluded. At seven o'clock in the evening (7.00 pm), they met again in the dining hall where they were served half a plate of tuwon masara with okra soup. This meant that every day the refugees were served with half a cup of pap in the morning and half a plate of either tuwo or rice in the evening. Apart from the fact that the food served was too small for any grown up person, it was not nourishing because the required ingredients were not being used in preparing it.
It was, therefore, not surprising that at the end of one month of their stay in the camp, more than half of the refugees were not only mal-nourished, but were also visibly emaciated. Quite a number of little children and old people started dying of hunger on weekly basis. Yet the government of Nigeria had supplied more than enough quantity of food stuffs required to feed the roughly four thousand (4,000) refugees in the camp at Yallam during the period under review. However, a little percentage of women, particularly young women, remained healthy and robust. This development led Shum and Malai to carry out a secret investigation into the management of food stuffs at the Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Yallam town. After a week of intensive investigation, Shum and Malai discovered, to their disappointment, that some of the officials of the camp were not only selling quite a large quantity of food stuffs meant for the refugees in the market, but also that the said officials were exchanging the said food stuffs with young women in return for sexual intercourse. This explained why the affected young women were healthy and robust. Whether this criminal act by the affected officials was known to lieutenant Durun was not confirmed by Shum and Malai, and they were not in any position to report to him. They were, however, left with the option of reporting the matter to the leader of the refugees, Chief Fos Mban.
'Good afternoon, sir,' they said. 'Good afternoon, young men. What can I do for you?' 'We have come to discuss with you a very important issue regarding the welfare of refugees in this camp, sir.' 'Who appointed you as the welfare officers of this camp?' He asked in bewilderment. 'Anyway, you can go ahead and tell me the rubbish in your minds.' 'Sir, we are here to inform you that a large quantity of food stuffs meant for the refugees in this camp is being sold in the market, and also that some of the camp officials are exchanging our food stuffs with some young women, who are also refugees, for sexual intercourse.' 'Are you out of your minds? Who told you? Are you not aware of the code of conduct of this camp? If you love your lives, then keep your big mouths shut, and don't mention this rubbish to anybody. If you are that bothered about it, I strictly advise you to go and pray to God for His divine intervention,' Chief Fos Mban brought the brief discussion to a permanent end. However, he was sweating profusely and his body was trembling terribly.
CHAPTER FIVE
Two weeks after Shum had been discharged from the general hospital, the head of the extended family of Safar, Chief Kochok, convened a meeting of the family. The purpose of this meeting was to consider late Safar's will. For this reason, late Safar's Attorney, Selen was invited. In his opening remarks, Chief Kochok said that he had decided to convene the meeting so that late Safar's will would be read out to the entire members of the family. According to him, this would not only serve as the authentic authority for the sharing of late Safar's stupendous wealth, but it would also enable his only son, Shum, to take control of the management of his late father's companies.
After a heated debate between Chief Kochok and Kyorol, late Safar's Attorney was called upon to read out the will to the members of the family. Barrister Selen regretfully informed the meeting that he did not come with the will because he was not informed of the purpose of the meeting. He further told them that he would need at least three days to prepare for the meeting because he had a very serious court case at the high court in Lagos, which would be heard the next day.
In his closing remarks, Chief Kochok thanked all the members of the family for their patience, and the meeting was adjourned until the third day as requested by late Safar's Attorney.
On his way home, barrister Selen was attacked by unknown gunmen. He was instantly shot dead, and his car was set ablaze by the said gunmen. Rumour had it that Kyorol was responsible for barrister Selen's death, but because there was no evidence to prove that, the case was not filed in a court of law.
When late barrister Selen's office and residence were thoroughly searched, the copy of late Safar's will was not found. Based on this development and also because Kyorol had threatened to kill Chief Kochok should he continue with his inquiry into late Safar's will, the family of late Safar closed the case permanently, and that meant that Kyorol had forcefully inherited all the assets of late Safar.
CHAPTER SIX
In compliance with Chief Fos Mban's advice, Shum and Malai established a prayer ministry called Advanced Prayer Movement (APM) in the camp. They started by preaching to young men and women that time had come for the refugees to take their plight directly to the Almighty God in Heaven. According to them, God would always answer the prayers of very poor, disadvantaged and persecuted people when such people cried to him with all the hearts and minds. They even promised their followers that within seven days God would definitely answer their prayers, and that food would be given to the refugees in abundance. For this reason, quite a number of refugees, the old, the young and even the little, joined their ministry. Prayers were being said at 5.00 am, 12.00 noon, 2.00 pm, 6.00 pm and 10.00 pm every day.
At the end of the seventh day of intensive prayers by the members of APM, there was no increase in the daily food ration in the camp, and more deaths were being recorded on daily basis. As a result of this development, some members of the movement started to complain openly. Shum and Malai assured them that God would answer their prayers in no distant time, and that they should pray for another seven days. Again, at the end of the seven days of intensive prayers, there was no increase in the daily food ration. This development discouraged more than half of the members of APM, who there and then withdrew their membership. Quite a number of the young women started indulging in prostitution, while some young men had to indulge in armed robbery activities in Yallam town in order to make ends meet. Because the officials of the camp, particularly the senior officers, were guilty of the same offence, they did not have the moral right to stop them from doing so.
At this point, Shum and Malai decided to consult a prominent prophet, Wi'il, in the camp about their predicament. When they explained their frustration in the camp to Prophet Wi'il, he asked them to give him thirty minutes. After thirty minutes of consultation and prayers, Prophet Wi'il told them that God did not answer their prayers because they had committed too many very serious sins. He further told them that God would not forgive them because He was fed up with them. According to Prophet Wi'il, Shum and Malai were too young and ordinary to understand the Scriptures. Prophet Wi'il disclosed to the young men that God had told him that if they would not close down their ministry, He would send down the Holy Ghost fire to consume all the members of the movement. At this point, Shum and Malai were so frightened that they had to rush back and closed down their prayer ministry permanently. However, it was later on discovered that Prophet Wi'il was in charge of the proceeds of the sale of the refugees food stuffs in the camp.
Based on this development and for the fact that the daily food ration had been drastically reduced, Shum decided to leave the Internally Displaced Persons camp and went back to the town. Malai told him that he had nowhere to go to, and would, therefore, not leave the camp.
CHAPTER SEVEN
From the camp, Shum went direct to the city commercial bank limited, his late father's company. About a hundred metres away from the said bank, a car pulled up abruptly in front of him. Two hefty young men instantly jumped out, and before he could utter a word, Shum was violently hit in the ribs. He slumped, with a dull thud, on the ground. His unconscious body was lifted up and forced into the boot of the car which drove away at a very high speed.
Two hours thereafter, Shum woke up with an excruciating pain in his ribs. He, however, discovered that the room, in which he was lying down on a mat, was quiet and very dark. So he could not see anything in it. Because of the excruciating pain he had in his ribs, he closed his eyes and lay still. The complete quietness of the environment in which he found himself made him feel uneasy. He attempted, twice, to sit up, but could not because of the pains.
After some time, the quietness of his environment was broken by a very loud cry of anguish from the next room. He could hear two men whispering, but because he was afraid, he could not utter a word. At this point, he became frightened and his body started trembling uncontrollably. What was the meaning of this? He asked himself in his mind. Where was he, and who was the owner of this building? He asked himself again. With great effort, he managed to sit up without knowing what to do next. As he was trying to stretch his legs, he heard a swift movement very close to him, and a bright torch was instantly shone at his face, which made it impossible for him to see the person holding it. Then a man growled at him: 'lie down, or I will blow up your big head.' He obeyed immediately, and asked in a low tone: 'who are you, sir?' 'Shut up your smelly mouth and close your eyes', the strange man barked.
Shum began to wonder as to why this man, whom he had not known from Adam, was being so unfriendly and cruel to him. When the man had lowered the torch, he had clearly seen the strange man's very round face with extremely large nose and red, bulging eyes. He had also seen very clearly the man's broad, hairy chest—and the man was seven feet tall. Had he ever seen such a giant of a man in his life before? Part of his inner thought answered this question in the negative. Who was this man, and who was he working for? Was he one of the dreaded unknown gunmen that were destroying innocent souls in Yallam town? He kept on asking himself one question after another until he eventually fell asleep.
Shum was violently woken up by a very loud gun shot, which sounded like artillery fire, two hours later. A few moments thereafter, there was dead silence—he could neither hear any movement nor any sound in the dark environment. He was so frightened that he could not even move his leg when he was bitten by a mosquito. He was, however, relieved when the light was switched on. As he opened his eyes, he saw a terribly emaciated young man standing by the door. 'Who are you, and what are you doing here?' Shum asked in a shaky voice. 'My name is Farmasi, and I am the captain of the flock', the emaciated young man replied. He continued: 'You are the luckiest man I have ever met on earth. By the way, what is your name?' 'My name is Shum. Why did you say that?' 'I am surprised that you are not chained and your hands are not handcuffed,' Farmasi replied. 'Why should I be chained?' 'Go and sleep. I will explain that to you tomorrow,' Farmasi concluded.
CHAPTER EIGHT
At about ten o'clock in the morning of the following day, Farmasi entered Shum's room and said: 'good morning, my friend.' 'Good morning, Farmasi,' Shum replied. 'Before I explain to you the meaning of the term "Captain of the Flock", I want to give a brief history of this place. This building is underground, and is owned by Kyorol Sha'ak. It is meant for instilling discipline into the stubborn heads of the enemies of his. That means anybody that is brought here hardly gets back alive. The master (Kyorol) has a staff strength of fifteen (15) hefty young men who are well trained security guards, four (4) drivers who are retired police men. All of them are highly remunerated, and so the question of disloyalty does not arise in the first place. Right now, there are twenty five (25) captives under this roof, myself inclusive. All the other twenty four captives are chained. I am not chained because my job is to switch on the lights when it is time for lunch, or when a captive wants to ease himself/herself. All the captives are permitted to eat only once a day. The twenty sixth captive was shot dead yesterday, on the instruction of the master, Kyorol. The guards had taken his body for destruction—that was why I sneaked into your room. I am here now because at ten o'clock every morning, I go round to check the condition of every captive. As soon as a captive is brought here, he/she is labelled "a goat." This explains why I am called the "Captain of the Flock." What surprises me up to this moment is the fact that you are not chained, and you are not labelled "a goat." How were you brought here?' Farmasi asked in disbelief. 'Kyorol is my late father's younger brother. My late father, Safar Sha'ak, was the richest man in Yallam town. He and my late mother were killed by unknown gunmen six months ago. As soon as my father had died, my uncle, Kyorol, forcefully took over all his companies and other assets—he did not even allow my late father's will to be read to the members of the family.
What did you mean when you said: 'the guards had taken his dead body for destruction?' 'My Brother, I will tell you this because you are Kyorol's nephew—and be informed that this is top secret. Whenever a captive is killed, his/her body is taken outside the building and either set ablaze or acid is poured over it until it is totally destroyed. Please allow me to do my work,' Farmasi abruptly brought the discussion to an end and hurriedly walked out of the room.
CHAPER NINE
Immediately after Farmasi had left his room, Shum lied down on the mat and firmly closed his eyes. He began wondering as to why Kyorol, his uncle, would build a large house underground for the sole purpose of torturing his perceived enemies. Who were the said enemies of Kyorol that numbered up to twenty six, or more? Did Farmasi tell him the truth when he said so? How could Farmasi, an innocent orphan, be classified as one of the enemies of Kyorol? Was Kyorol a member of the underworld referred to as the unknown gunmen? Why was he indulged in such atrocities? Why was he, Shum, counted as one of Kyorol's enemies? He could vividly recall that Malai had once told him, at the internally displaced persons camp, that he (Malai) had heard Kyorol swear that he (Shum) would not be allowed to live a month longer so that he would not challenge him for forcefully taking over his late father's property. This was then the reason for his being illegally detained in this underground facility, Shum thought bitterly. Was Kyorol running this illegal camp alone?
He had hardly got answers to the questions asked above when the door to his room swung open, and the strange, fat man that had brought him here entered almost immediately without saying a word. The two men kept on looking at each other as if they were dreaming. 'Will you sit up and stop looking at me like a dead goat,' the fat man growled at Shum, who sat up immediately. 'Tell me your name, or I will remove your big eyes at once.' 'My name is Shum Sha'ak.' I am Kyorol's nephew and...' 'Keep the details and don't mention my master's name again,' the fat man interrupted Shum. 'I am here to tell you that you should transfer the ownership of your late father's companies and other assets to your uncle, Kyorol, at once,' the fat man shouted. 'What is the need of doing that when he has already taken over everything by force?' Shum asked boldly. 'So you have the guts to ask me such a stupid question? I want you to get this into your fat, dull head: 'I don't have the time to listen to a filthy pig like you. When I come back tomorrow by this time, you must sign the document which my master has already prepared, or else I will force you to do it—I repeat, I will force you by cutting one of your large, ugly ears off,' the fat man growled at Shum and went out of the room.
Shum lay still on the mat while his heart was pounding uncontrollably. Did this mean that his uncle killed his parents so that he would take over his late father's stupendous wealth? He asked himself, almost aloud. Was his uncle one of the unknown gunmen? Would he sign the said document the next day? He answered this question in the negative. Would he allow the fat man to cut off one of his ears as he had threatened him? Again, he answered this question in the negative. How then would he get out of this filthy place? At this point, the door of his room swung open and Farmasi entered immediately. 'It is time for lunch,' Farmasi announced firmly.
In the dining hall, Farmasi noticed that his friend, Shum, was not as lively as he was when he had met him the first time. Because of the condition in which they had found themselves in, he declined to ask Shum any question about what he had observed.
At about eleven o'clock in the morning of the following day, the fat man violently pushed the door open and growled at Shum: 'will you sit up, filthy pig, and get down to business.' He continued: 'stop looking at me like a dead elephant, or I will forcefully remove two of your dirty teeth at once.' He consequently removed a neatly typed document from the file he was holding and handed it to Shum. 'You don't have to go through the document before you append your signature to it because I don't have the time for that.' As soon as the fat man had completed the statement, a loud, deafening explosion was heard within the building. The fat man dashed out of the room, leaving Shum alone with the document in his trembling hands. A few moments thereafter, Farmasi entered and shouted at Shum: 'get up! Let's move out.' He led Shum through the emergency door while the confusion was still on, and within two minutes, the two young men were out of the building.
CHAPTER TEN
On getting out of the building, the two young men discovered that they were in a thick forest—a jungle. The more they struggled to get out of the jungle, the more alarmed they became because they were afraid that the dreaded security men of the underground facility, from where they had escaped, would soon catch up with them. They kept on struggling in this condition for more than one hour before they could get onto a railway, and they immediately realized that they were somewhere in Kuru. They, therefore, hurried towards the railway station in order to catch a train. On their arrival at Kuru railway station, a train from Maiduguri to Port Harcourt was about to take off. They quickly got into it and looked for seats hidden behind a heap of passengers' luggage so that they would not be easily noticed, as they did not have the money to buy their tickets with. As soon as they had found such seats, the train took off.
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The cause of the explosion at the underground building was traced to a careless security guard, mallam Audu, who had lit a candle near a gas cylinder. By the time the fire was completely brought under control, seven of the twenty four captives had been burnt beyond recognition, while four sustained very serious injuries.
When the strange, fat man eventually came back to complete his business with Shum, he discovered that the door to Shum's room was not only wide open, but also that Shum was nowhere to be found. He immediately reported the matter to the chief security guard who ordered that the alarm bell be rung. Consequently, all the security guards rushed to the chief security guard's office at once. They were strictly told to bring back Shum, dead or alive. This order was useless because by this time, Shum and his friend were approaching Lafia railway station, which was about three hundred kilometres away from Yallam town. After two hours of fruitless search, the security guards were ordered back to the building.
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The train from Kuru arrived at Lafia railway station at exactly five minutes past one o'clock in the afternoon. As soon as it was brought to a halt, the officials in charge started moving from coach to coach, asking the passengers to produce their tickets for verification. When the said officials asked Shum and Farmasi for their tickets, the latter were unable to show them any evidence that they had bought any tickets at Kuru where they had boarded the train. They were instantly ordered out of the train, and were consequently handed over to the station police for interrogation. When the police on duty at the station asked Shum and Farmasi as to why they boarded the train without tickets, they explained their pathetic situation to him, and having been satisfied with their explanation, he eventually let them go. However, he told them that they should have reported the matter to the police in Yallam town, and that he had allowed them to go because the crime was not committed in his area of jurisdiction.
On getting out of the police station, they were confronted with the problem of where to go to. 'Where are we, and where are we going to stay?' Shum asked his friend in a low tone. 'I think I heard someone mention Lafia, or something,' Farmasi replied. As they were still standing there, a young woman, who was hawking plantain chips, approached them. 'Buy hot plantain chips,' the woman shouted at the top of her voice. 'Good afternoon ma,' Shum said. He continued: 'what is the name of this place, and could you, please, show us the way to the town?' 'Who are you?' the woman asked with surprise on her large face. 'We are from Yallam town in Plateau State,' Shum replied. 'Where are you going to?' the woman asked. 'We are stranded, ma. We were asked to get out of that train because we did not buy the tickets for the journey,' Sum explained further. 'So you are agbero boys? Why are you wasting my time then? Go to Lafia central motor park, since that is where you belong,' the woman shouted and melted into the crowd at the railway station.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
It was exactly half past one o'clock in the afternoon that Shum and Farmasi arrived at the Lafia central motor park. They went straight to the office of the chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Lafia branch. Having explained their situation to the him, they politely asked if he would employ them as cleaners at the central motor park. He regretfully told them that his union had no vacancies for such positions. He, however, asked his personal assistant to take them to madam Asoloko, a restaurateur at the Lafia central motor park. Having explained the young men's pathetic situation to madam Asoloko, the union official, mallam Buba, returned to his office. However, madam Asoloko told them that the only job she had for them was the hawking of iced water within and outside the motor park. She further told them that the daily wage for each of them was One Hundred Naira (N100.00). She clarified, however, that for each of them to earn that amount, his total sales must not be less than Five Hundred Naira (N500.00) a day. Both of them agreed to the terms of employment, and commenced work immediately.
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Lafia central motor park was situated in the centre of the town—on a piece of land measuring five and a half hectares. It was, therefore, very large. In fact, it was one of the busiest motor parks in the whole of North Central Nigeria. Here, passengers could board buses to any part of the country without any difficulty. It would officially open to motorists and passengers at six o'clock in the morning and would close at six o'clock in the evening daily.
As expected, a sizeable number of street urchins formed part of its population. In the day time, they would be roaming from one end of the park to the other, as was the case with motor parks in the other parts of the country. They would, however, retire, at night, to over- head bridges and uncompleted buildings scattered all over Lafia town for their sleep.
While the police and other security personnel would check the excesses of such street urchins in the day time, their freedom at night was strictly curtailed by the underworld warlords. The chief of the men of the underworld in Lafia town was known as Bala terror, the Boss. There was no record of Bala's father, mother or any relation of his. He was seven feet tall, huge, with very broad shoulders. He had very big, red, bulging eyes and a very wide mouth with very thick lips. He was so wild and brutal that whenever he uttered a word, some weak urchins would shiver and run into the bush to defecate. It was even remoured, among the street urchins, that Bala terror was a ghost of a certain man who had died in Maiduguri about a decade ago.
However, an account has it that Bala terror's ascension to the position of the chief of the warlords of the men of the underworld was as a result of his victory over others in a very brutal war that lasted for five weeks! This war was so brutally fought that at the end of it, more than one hundred men of the underworld were confirmed dead. For this reason, the Boss was not only feared, but he was also deeply respected by the men of the underworld not only in Lafia town, but also in the other neighbouring towns.
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At half past five o'clock in the evening, Shum and Farmasi handed over to their employer the following amounts realized from the sale of iced water that day:
Shum--------------------------------------------------N750.00
Farmasi------------------------------------------------N735.00.
They were instantly paid their wages of One Hundred Naira (N100.00) each. With these amounts of money in their pockets, they headed for the restaurant for their dinner. On getting to the restaurant, they were told that a plate of food cost Two Hundred Naira (N200.00). However, they were told that at the Chop Well joint—a place where food was being served to urchins—a plate of food with a piece of meat cost Eighty Naira (N80.00), while a plate of food without a piece of meat cost fifty Naira (N50.00). They, there and then, opted for the Chop Well joint. This place was located behind the restaurant. The following types of food were on the menu at the Chop Well joint:
(i) A plate of tuwon masara without meat cost Fifty Naira (N50.00).
(ii) A plate of tuwon alabo with egusi soup and without meat cost Fifty Naira (N50.00).
(iii) A plate of tuwon dawa with miyan kuka and without meat cost Fifty Naira (N50.00).
(iv) A plate of madidi with miyan taushe and without meat cost Fifty Naira (N50.00).
(v) A plate of tuwon shinkafa with miyan taushe and without meat cost Sixty Naira (N60.00).
(vi) A plate of moi-moi with tomato stew and without meat cost Fifty Naira (N50.00)
(vii) A cup of koko cost Twenty Naira (N20.00)
(viii) A bottle of kunu zaki cost Fifteen Naira (15.00).
Based on this development, the two young men would save at least Fifty Naira (N50.00) a day, since they would only eat once a day.
CHAPTER TWELVE
After having had their dinner, Shum and Farmasi were confronted with the problem of accommodation. As they were about to leave the Chop Well joint, five dirty, terribly emaciated street urchins arrived for their dinner. While one of them seemed to be friendly, with broad smile on his face, the other four looked quite unfriendly and hostile. 'Good evening. I am Shum, and my friend's name is Farmasi,' Shum said to the friendly urchin. 'Good evening. I am Kassimu Wamba. Both of you look very disturbed. Is anything the matter?' He asked while shaking hands with Shum. 'Yes, we have accommodation problem, and we have no money,' Shum said in a low tone. 'You shouldn't worry—I will introduce you to the Boss. You should wait for me to have my meal so that I will take you to him.' 'That is very kind of you. Thanks a lot,' Shum responded with a very broad smile on his face.
After about ten minutes, the three young men walked out of the Chop Well joint. 'I have to be very frank with you. The Boss is very unpredictable. One moment he is friendly with a person, and in the twinkling of an eye, he is very angry with that same person. So if he behaves abnormally when we are with him, you should consider that as normal,' Kassimu advised. 'Who is this Boss that you have been talking about for quite some time now?' Farmasi inquired with rapt attention. 'His real name is Bala Terror. Nobody knows his father's name, and he is truly brutal—I repeat, he is brutal,' Kassimu warned his friends. He continued: 'you should not argue with him—don't even ask him any question. He collects, or shall I say, he charges rent for the use of any uncompleted building, overhead bridge with a space for resting or sleep and any such apartment in Lafia town. Anybody who fails to pay his/her rent when it is due, stands to lose one of his/her limbs, and nothing happens to the Boss. I just want both of you to be aware of the situation in which all of us have found ourselves,' he concluded. Because they were truly terrified by what Kassimu had revealed to them about the Boss, neither Shum nor Farmasi asked him any further question again.
Bala Terror's office was situated in the south of the central motor park in Lafia town. It was five hundred metres away from the said park. It was a completely broken down coaster bus. In it was placed a shabbily dressed table with three visitors' chairs. The broken down bus was placed in the centre of the bush near a stream. Four shabbily dressed fat, young men were stationed round the broken down bus as security guards. Each of them had an AK 47 rifle. The office would open at ten o'clock in the evening and would close at half past four in the morning every day.
At five minutes past ten o'clock in the evening, Kassimu and his friends were ushered into the Boss' office. At the sight of the huge man on his shabby chair, Farmasi's and Shum's heart beats instantly increased by more than double. 'Good mon, sir,' Kassimu said, almost shouting. 'Good mon,' the Boss growled in reply. He continued: 'what's up?' 'I have brought two new tenants, sir,' Kassimu replied in a shaky voice. 'Give them the forms to fill in and disappear from here in ten minutes,' the Boss ordered. 'Tell them that their rent for the use of a space in the buss, as well as for their protection is One Hundred Naira (N100.00) per month,' the Boss growled.
Shum's and Farmasi's new apartment was a broken down luxurious bus which was located in-between two refuse dumps about six hundred metres away from the central motor park. There were thirty three tenants in this bus before their arrival. This meant that the number of registered tenants in this 'apartment' had now risen to thirty five. This total number was made up of thirteen females and twenty two males. The illegal rent paid by each tenant to the Boss was One Hundred Naira (N100.00) per month. This was the highest amount charged by the boss as rent because this 'apartment' was referred to as GRA (Government Reservation Area).
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Shum's closest neighbour in the broken down bus was mallam Garbai, whose parents were brutally murdered by Boko Haram terrorists in Bama town in Borno state. He was about seventeen years old. By the time his parents were murdered by the Boko Haram terrorists, he was said to be on errand in a neighbouring village. On his return from the said village, he discovered that his father's house had been completely burnt down, and that there was no sign that his parents had escaped. Right from there, he had moved into the Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Bama town. Having been dissatisfied with the condition of life in the said camp, Garbai had jumped into a moving train from Maiduguri to Port Harcourt. However, he was forced out of the train at the Lafia railway station because he did not have the ticket for the journey. This took place about five years ago.
For more than one hour, Shum remained awake as a result of the incessant, vicious attacks by mosquitoes. He kept on turning from one side to the other, but to no avail. However, he was not the only person in this condition—his closest neighbour, mallam Garbai, was also facing the same problem. 'What is your religion, Garbai?' Shum asked his neighbour. 'Religion? I don't believe in God,' Garba replied. 'Are you saying that you don't know that it's God who created everything, including human beings, in this world, and that He is the one keeping us alive?' Shum asked in disbelief. Mallam Garbai sat up and faced Shum directly. 'If you foolishly think that it's God that is keeping us alive, why are we here? Why has He not taken care of us? Why did He allow those stupid people who claim to be worshipping Him to kill my parents? Why has He not touched the hearts of the Government officials, or some rich people to take care of us?' Garbai shouted at Shum. 'According to the Holy Bible, God took proper care of our fore ancestors, Adam and Eve, in the garden of Eden, but because they disobeyed Him by eating the forbidden fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, sin came into this world, and it is this same sin that has brought us here,' Shum preached in a low tone. 'Sin? Did you kill anybody? What about those other people living in very expensive and comfortable homes? Are they different from us? Please don't bring up this issue again,' Mallam Garbai brought the discussion on this matter to an abrupt end.
'What are your future plans, Garbai? I have decided to save Fifty Naira (N50.00) a day,' Shum disclosed to his neighbour. I don't believe in any future. I am only concerned about the present—the future will take care of itself. I earn seventy Naira (N70.00) a day, and I must eat. This means that I spend Fifty Naira (N50.00) a day at the Chop Well joint, while I keep the remaining Twenty Naira (N20.00) a day for the payment of my rent at the end of the month. Where is the money to save, my brother? I am only waiting for death to come,' Garbai concluded. 'Do not think like that, please. Things will definitely change one day, as the saying goes: "no condition is permanent." So do not lose hope,' Shum advised his neighbour.
'By the way, for how long have you been in this condition?' Garbai asked. 'Roughly two years,' Shum regretfully replied. 'I have been in this condition for seven years now, and there seems to be no change in sight,' Garbai lamented. 'Let us not give up yet. What is constant in life is change. So there will definitely be a change in our lives,' Shum concluded. 'Back to the issue of Government, it is my belief that the Government will, one day, come to our rescue,' Shum confidently said to his neighbour. 'Why are you always dreaming about impossible things? Are you implying that the Government is not aware that we are suffering here? Are the police men and other security personnel not agents of Government? Why are they chasing us up and down when they know that we have nowhere to go to? Our politicians are only concerned about their own welfare and that of their immediate family members. It is only the very developed countries such as The U. S. A, Britain, France and Germany that take good care of the destitute,' Garbai stated matter-of-factly.
The two neighbours of circumstance kept on discussing issues that mostly affect them in hushed tones until they eventually fell asleep at about two o'clock in the morning.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
We'eng Mban, a native of Yallam town, was Shum's class mate at Hilltop College, Jos. Just like Shum, We'eng was very intelligent. He had gained admission into the University of Jos to study law in the same year Shum was admitted by the same University to study Medicine. At the end of his fourth year in the university, We'eng had graduated with a Bachelors of Law degree (LLB) with second class upper. After his one year intensive professional course at the Nigeria Law School, We'eng had also graduated with a second class upper Barrister-at-Law degree. Consequently, he was employed by the National Legal Aid Council after his compulsory one-year National Service. He was subsequently posted to the Lafia branch of the National Legal Aid Council. It is relevant to mention here that the National Legal Aid Council was established to render free legal services to indigent people in the country.
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In the seventh year of his struggle to get the basic necessities of life in Lafia town, Shum decided to hawk iced water at the premises of the High Court of Justice in Lafia town. He had arrived at the premises of the said court at the time the proceedings at the high court 1 had ended. Because barrister We'eng Mban had won the case between his client versus the State, he had come out of the court with a very broad smile on his face. As he was about to enter his car, Shum, who was standing about fifty metres from him, shouted at the top of his voice: 'buy cold water; buy cold water; buy fresh cold water.' Because the voice seemed to be familiar to him, We'eng stopped abruptly and said: 'cold water.' Shum, at first, did not recognise his customer. So he stopped very close to the car, put down his plastic container and brought out a bottle of iced water. As he was about to give his customer the bottle of iced water, Shum abruptly stopped and remained standing as if he was rooted to the ground. 'Shum, what are you doing here? Where have you been since all these years?' We'eng asked excitedly. 'My brother, it is a long story, I don't even know where to start from,' Shum replied. 'You should not worry, please get into the car and let us go home right away,' We'eng pleaded. 'No, we are two in this condition. The name of my friend is Farmasi. He is also from Yallam town,' Shum revealed further. 'Okay, let us go and fetch him, then,' We'eng said.
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At about half past two in the afternoon of that day, a luxurious bus, which was coming from Jos to Onitsha, pulled up by the side of the road, opposite the central motor park. As was almost the custom in this park, hawkers of different types of merchandise rushed to the place where the said bus had parked. 'Buy cold water; buy cold water,' Farmasi shouted to the top of his voice. 'Cold water,' a passenger called from the bus. Farmasi ran there immediately and handed a plastic bottle of iced water to the passenger. As he was about to collect the money, the bus started moving. This made him run as fast as possible in order to collect his money. As he was turning back, having collected his money, an on-coming car hit him violently, sending him into the air. He fell on the tarred road and broke his head. His brain was splashed all over the road, causing him to die instantly. Shouts and cries of anguish reigned the air, as the car that hit him sped off.
On being told about what had happened to his dear friend, on their arrival at the scene of the incident, Shum slumped to the ground and became unconscious. We'eng and other sympathizers rushed him to the general hospital, Lafia for prompt medical attention.
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In the evening of that very day, Bala Terror's men attempted to snatch a car at gun point five hundred metres away from the central motor park, Lafia. The police men on duty quickly responded to the distress call, and an exchange of very heavy gun fire ensued. All the hawkers, street urchins and everybody within the vicinity were running aimlessly, as the shooting was going on. Different types of merchandise were scattered all over the place, as the hawkers took to their heels. The traffic was at a standstill, as motorists could not manoeuvre out of the blocked road. After the situation had been completely brought under control, mallam Garbai was found dead with blood gushing out of his mouth and nostrils—he was hit in the head by a stray bullet. His lifeless body was taken away by the police to the morgue at the general hospital, Lafia.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It was at about twenty five minutes past four o'clock in the morning of the second day of his admission in Lafia general hospital that Shum regained his consciousness. He called to mind the unfortunate incident that took place the previous day—he did not that he had spent two days in the hospital. Was it true that he had lost his best friend, Farmasi? He asked himself in his mind. Was the driver of the car that killed Farmasi one of the unknown gunmen? Why didn't he hit any other hawker there, but Farmasi? Why did the said driver speed off immediately after Farmasi had been knocked down? In any case, he reasoned further, if Farmasi had been at home with his parents in Yallam town, would he have died the way he did? As far as he, Shum, was concerned, Farmasi's death was caused by the heartless terrorists in Yallam town.
After they had escaped from the underground building in the jungle at Yallam, Farmasi had told him that he lost his parents when he was only five years old! On that fateful day, Farmasi's parents had left Yallam town very early in the morning for Jos. Because his father was very fond of him, Farmasi had convinced him to allow him to travel with them to Jos. At Barkin Ladi, the car in which they were travelling had been stopped by masked gunmen. As it had been brought to a halt, the masked gunmen had shot Farmasi's father in the head. As his mother began to scream, she had also been shot in the head. While this was going on, Farmasi had crawled under the seat at the back of the car and hidden himself there. When the police men later arrived at the scene of the incident, they had found Farmasi under the seat unhurt. He had been brought out and immediately rushed to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camp in Yallam town, where he had stayed for twelve years! At the end of his twelfth year at the Internally Displaced Persons camp, and because he was now seventeen years old, Farmasi had decided to go back to his late father's house. It was while he was on his way that he was captured and taken to the underground building in the jungle by Kyorol's men. Shum could not, therefore, understand why the life of such an unlucky and disadvantaged young man be brutally terminated by an evil driver. As he was deeply thinking about his late friend, streams of tears were rolling down his cheeks.
'Good morning, Shum,' We'eng said. He continued: 'how are you feeling now?' 'Good morning, We'eng. I am still feeling very sad—I don't think I will overcome it,' he replied. 'You shouldn't think that way—life is full of ups and downs. Now we are mourning him—tomorrow will be anybody's turn. Human beings are bound to die—that is the rule of nature,' We'eng stated further.
'Good morning, young man. How is he now?' the Doctor asked We'eng. 'I think he has fully regained consciousness,' We'eng replied. After examining him, the Doctor discharged Shum without any further delay.
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As Shum was lying unconsciously in the general hospital, We'eng had traced his employer, Madam Asoloko, at the central motor park, Lafia. On arrival at her restaurant, and having introduced himself to her, he had told her that Farmasi had been hit by a car and had died on the spot. He had also told her that Shum had slumped and remained unconscious, on being told that his friend had died. Madam Asoloko had cried uncontrollably for more than thirties minutes, after which she had gone with We'eng to see Shum in the hospital. She had refused out right to receive any amount of money from We'eng, being the worth of the iced water the two young men had sold that fateful day. When she had decided to return to her restaurant after she had seen Shum, We'eng had clearly told her that Shum would not return to continue with his job in her restaurant. Although she had found it too difficult to agree with We'eng in that regard, because of the pathetic condition in which she had found Shum, she had no option but to oblige.
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As soon as We'eng had settled the bill for the treatment of Shum, the two young men got into the car and drove to We'eng's house, which was located one kilometre away from the central motor park, Lafia. After Shum had taken his bath, he was served with pounded yam with egusi soup and fried chicken. Shum could not, however, believe that what was laid before him was real because it was now more than eight years since he had had such sumptuous meals. After having their breakfast, We'eng left for his office.
It was after they had had their dinner that day that Shum narrated to We'eng all that had happened to him since they had left Hilltop College, Jos about nine years ago. He started from his trip with his late mother to the university of Jos for the registration formalities; to the gruesome murder, by the unknown gunmen, of his late father in Yallam town; to his admission in the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Yallam town; to his capture by Kyorol's terrorists; to his illegal detention in the underground building in the jungle; to their illegal boarding of the train from Kuru to Lafia and to their horrific experience at the central motor park in Lafia.
Having listened with rapt attention, Barrister We'eng paid particular attention to the illegal take-over of the property of Shum's late father and the illegal detention of Shum and his best friend, late Farmasi in an underground facility. However, he sincerely sympathized with Shum and assured him that he would institute criminal proceedings against Kyorol Sha'ak at the high court.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
At the time the police men were exchanging heavy gun fire with Bala Terror's men, a ranking military officer, Major General Shege Duka, was staying at the Top Rank Hotel, Lafia. He was posted to Lafia as the commanding officer of the newly created 150th Artillery Division of the Nigerian Army. The headquarters of this division was sited in Lafia.
Having listened very attentively to the heavy, deafening sound of the machine guns being used in the fight between the police and Bala Terror's men of the underworld, Major General Shege Duka came to the conclusion that the calibre of some of the guns being used in the said fight was either equal to or slightly above that of the artillery used by the Nigerian Army, and he wondered as to when the Nigerian Police Force had acquired such heavy guns.
After a very thorough and sustained intelligence gathering by the Nigerian Army, Major General Duka discovered, to his disbelief, that Bala Terror had more than fifty high calibre military rifles in his illegal armoury!
Two days after, the Commanding Officer, Major General Duka, of the Artillery Division of the Nigerian Army, launched a deadly attack on Bala Terror and his illegal army in Lafia town. At first, Bala Terror's men came out against the Nigerian Army with full force, but just within two hours of sustained attack, Bala Terror's empire in Lafia town and its environs was totally destroyed by the superior fire power of the Nigerian Army. Consequently, one hundred and fifty terrorists were found dead, Bala Terror inclusive. His extremely large head, the hands and the legs were completely shattered by artillery fire, leaving only the trunk to be buried in a mass grave along with the bodies of other terrorists.
When the news of Bala Terror's sudden death was broken by the spokes-person of the Artillery Division of the Nigerian Army, Lafia, all the street urchins and the destitute in Lafia town went wild with jubilation, chanting victory and solidarity songs. In fact, to say that Lafia town was in a festive mood is an understatement because all the streets were full of street urchins who were singing and dancing from street to street. They were celebrating their freedom from Bala Terror's bondage. In solidarity with them, madam Asoloko declared free food for all the street urchins and the destitute who were her customers in lafia town that day.
In the evening of that very day, mallam Kuda Iri Abacha, one of the chiefs of the men of the underworld, who had been roundly defeated in a supremacy battle with the late Bala Terror, convened a general meeting of all the street urchins and the destitute in Lafia town. This meeting took place at half past eight in the evening. A quick look at the attendance list revealed that almost all the street urchins and the destitute in Lafia town were present. In his opening speech, mallam Kuda Iri Abacha excitedly announced to his audience that from that day onwards, there would be no more payment of rent for any uncompleted building, broken down vehicle and such like in Lafia town, and that anybody who would forcefully attempt to collect rent from any of them using such facilities, would be publicly mobbed. A very thunderous ovation reined the air for more than twenty minutes. He closed his speech by announcing that from that day onwards, no street urchin would be subjected to any unreasonable control by any of the chiefs of the men of the underworld in Lafia town.
Mallam Kuda Iri Abacha's state of origin, like Bala's, was traced to Borno state. Before he came to Lafia, he was a staunch member of the dreaded Boko Haram sect. It was because of the intensity and the superior fire power of the soldiers of the Nigerian Army that he was forced out of Maiduguri and relocated to Lafia, where he had sought refuge. On arrival in Lafia town, he discovered that there was no job for him, as he had no educational qualification—he was a stark illiterate. Because he was kind and helpful to almost all the street urchins in Lafia town, they elected him their leader, just after two months of his stay in Lafia town! However, when late Bala Terror engaged him and others in a fierce supremacy battle two years later, he and the others were roundly defeated, and late Bala Terror legitimately assumed the mantle of leadership of the men of the underworld in Lafia town and its environs.
On being told that Bala Terror had been killed in a fierce battle with the soldiers of the Nigerian Army, Shum jumped up and shouted: 'justice always prevails over tyranny no matter how long it takes.'
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Two days after Shum had narrated his horrific experience in the hands of the men of the underworld in Lafia town, barrister We'eng completed compiling criminal charges against Kyorol. After having carefully gone through the said document, he put it in a file and handed it to the Director in charge of the Nigerian Legal Aid Council, Lafia branch for his advice, further directive and final approval. It was after three weeks of pains-taking scrutiny of the document that the Director, Barrister Anzaku, gave his approval by appending his signature to the document.
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Mr. Madas Fwe'et was the commissioner of police in Plateau state at this time. He was a highly disciplined police officer. He was a man of great integrity, and was completely incorruptible. It was widely said that, as a result of his unquestionable integrity, he had caused the removal of the Governor of a state. According to an account, the said Governor had mistakenly killed his cook. On that fateful day, the Governor had returned from the office one hot afternoon, and had asked the cook to give him a chilled bottle of wine. But because lunch was ready, the cook had decided to lay the table, after which he had brought a plate of hot jollof rice with fried chicken. As he was about to go and bring the chilled bottle of wine, the Governor had stood up and flung a table knife at the poor cook, which had struck him in the stomach. On getting to the hospital, the affected cook was confirmed dead by the Doctor on duty.
After the investigating police officers had completed the investigation into the untimely death of the cook at the Government House, the Governor had attempted to bribe them, through the commissioner of police, Mr. Madas Fwe'et, with the sum of One Hundred Million Naira (N100,000.00). Mr. Madas Fwe'et had not only turned down the offer, but he had also gone ahead to broadcast live to the citizens of that state that the corrupt Governor had attempted to bribe his men with One Hundred Million Naira to cover up the case of the dead cook. This development had led to a violent riot by the citizens of the affected state, at the end of which the corrupt Governor was not only removed from the office, but was also sentenced to life imprisonment by a court of competent jurisdiction.
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In the morning of the 25th day of May, 2002, Barrister We'eng and Shum left for Jos in order to see the commissioner of police over the issue of criminal proceedings against Mr. Kyorol Sha'ak. Having exchanged greetings with the commissioner of police in his office, Barrister We'eng informed him that Kyorol had built an underground facility in a jungle at Yallam where his perceived enemies were being tortured to death. On hearing the shocking news, the commissioner of police instantly sent for the assistant commissioner of police in charge of criminal investigation. As soon as he entered the commissioner's office, the later ordered him to mobilize his men for a special operation in Yallam town. A few moments thereafter, the commissioner contacted the state Director of the State Security Service (SSS) on phone and gave him a detailed account of the criminal activities going on in Yallam town.
After arresting Kyorol, a combined team of the police officers and the personnel of the State Security Service (SSS) headed for the underground building in the jungle at Yallam for special operations. Because none of them knew the exact place where the said building was sited, Shum was asked to lead them to the place. However, he was asked to return to Jos after he had pointed at the building from a distance of about five hundred metres. When the team of the security officers was about one hundred metres away from the building, the security guards at the underground building started firing at them, and a heavy exchange of gun fire ensued. In fact, the shooting was so intense that the dry grass and leaves in the jungle caught fire, which flames could be seen five kilometres away from the building. Having killed all the security guards stationed outside the building, the police and the personnel of the State Security Service entered the underground facility, where heavy exchange of gun fire ensued. At the end of the shooting, which lasted for more than four hours, all the security guards, except the strange, fat man who had interrogated Shum, were killed. Similarly, all the supporting staff and the captives, except two young women who were captured from the university of Jos campus, were found dead.
On the 26th day of May, 2002, the commissioner of police in plateau state came on air and broadcast to the citizens that a notorious criminal by the name Kyorol Sha'ak had been arrested by the state police command. He went further to state that the said criminal had an underground building, situated in a jungle in Yallam town, as his operational base. He, therefore, disclosed that the said underground building had been completely destroyed, and that all the security guards stationed around it had been completely wiped out. He concluded by saying that the police had concluded arrangement to charge the said criminal to court.
After a very thorough investigation into the matter, the police extracted the following pieces of information from the strange, fat man:
(i) The name of the strange, fat man was Jerry Fwanach—his nick name was Jerry Razor.
(ii) Jerry Razor's duty was to extract, through the use of maximum force, necessary information from the captives.
(iii) The underground building was solely owned by Mr. Kyorol Sha'ak.
(iv) That Mr. Kyorol Sha'ak usually ordered the execution of his captives through the use of concentrated acid, so that no evidence would be found against him.
(v) That Mr. Kyorol Sha'ak had raped the female students he captured from the University of Jos on more than three occasions.
(vi) That Mr.Kyorol Sha'ak did not, at any time, ask for a ransom for the release of any captive.
Based on this development, the police decided to use him, Mr. Jerry Fwanach, as a witness in court.
On the 27th day of May, 2002, the Plateau State Police Command, in collaboration with Barrister We'eng Mban, filed criminal proceedings against Mr. Kyorol Sha'ak at the high court, Jos. Because of the serious nature of the alleged offence, the case was scheduled for hearing at the high court 1 on the 30th day of May, 2002. The name of the judge in charge of high court 1 was Justice John Kurkum Da'as.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
At five minutes to ten o'clock in the morning of the 30th day of May, 2002, Kyorol, in hand cuffs, jumped out of the Black Maria and was ushered into the chambers of high court 1. By this time, all the court officials and other stake holders were already seated. At exactly ten o'clock in the morning, Mr. Justice John Kurkum Da'as entered the court room, and all the people stood up at once and shouted: 'co-u-r-t. As soon as he had sat down, he asked them to sit down. Then, one of the court officials shouted at the top of his voice and said: 'the State versus Mr. Kyorol Sha'ak.' Before the charges were read out, the Plateau State Director of public prosecution stood up and said: 'my name is Sho Pam. I am representing the State.' Next, Barrister We'eng stood up and said: 'my name is We'eng Mban. I am representing Mr. Shum Sha'ak.' Then, Kyorol's attorney stood up and said: 'I am Barrister Luke Menma. I am representing the accused.'
At this point, the court official stood up and said: 'Kyorol Sha'ak, could you, please, listen very attentively to the following criminal charges against you:
(i) You , Kyorol Sha'ak (sixty seven years old, male), on or about the tenth day of September,1994, forcefully broke into your late brother's office at No. 1 Ram street, Yallam town, removed all the title deeds in respect of your late brother's two commercial banks, three oil companies, five ships and five housing estates of one thousand units of flats each and forcefully took possession of them illegally, thereby committing offence punishable under cap 105A of the penal code laws of Plateau state of Nigeria.
(ii) That you, Kyorol Sha'ak (sixty seven years old, male), on or about the sixteenth day of September,1994, forged documents relating to your late brother's bank accounts and changed the signatory to the said accounts, thereby committing offence punishable under cap 111B of the penal code laws of Plateau state of Nigeria.
(iii) That you, Kyorol Sha'ak (sixty seven years old, male), on or about the 29th day of September, 1994, gruesomely murdered late Barrister Selen, your brother's attorney, by shooting him in the head, and thereafter setting his car ablaze, thereby committing offence punishable under cap 15 of the penal code laws of Plateau State of Nigeria.
(iv) That you, Kyorol Sha'ak (sixty seven years old, male) with two others at large, on or about the sixth day of April, 1995 captured Mr. Shum Sha'ak, took him to an underground building in a jungle in Yallam , located about five kilometres from Yallam town, and forcefully detained him, thereby committing an offence punishable under cap 104 of the penal code laws of Plateau state of Nigeria.
(v) That you, Kyorol Sha'ak (sixty seven years old, male) with two others at large, on or about the fifth day of March, 1995, captured late Mr. Farmasi Na'af, took him to underground building in a jungle in Yallam, located about five kilometres from Yallam town, and forcefully detained him there, thereby committing offence punishable under cap 104 of the penal code, laws of Plateau state of Nigeria.
(vi) That you, Kyorol Sha'ak (sixty seven years old, male) with two others at large, on or about the 8th day of April, 2002, captured Miss Sien Bwa'at and Miss Muyo Mu, students of the University of Jos, and forcefully took them to an underground building in a jungle in Yallam, located about five kilometres from Yallam town, and forcefully detained them there, thereby committing offence punishable under cap 104 of the penal code, laws of Plateau state of Nigeria.
(vii) That you, Kyorol Sha'ak (sixty seven years old, male), between the 8th day of April, 2002 and the 1st day of May, 2002 forcefully had sexual intercourse with Miss Sien Bwa'at and Miss Muyo Mu, students of the University of Jos, against their consent, thereby committing offence punishable under cap 14 of the penal code, laws of Plateau state of Nigeria.
'Are you guilty or not guilty,' Justice Kurkum Da'as growled. 'I am not guilty, my Lord,' Kyorol replied. His attorney stood up and said: 'I apply for my client's release on bail, my Lord.' 'This is a criminal case because it involves murder and acquisition of illegal fire arms, my Lord,' Barrister We'eng countered. 'Bail is not granted, and the case is hereby adjourned to the 5th of June, 2002. The prosecution should open its case on that day, please,' Justice Kurkum Da'as concluded.
As early as half past nine in the morning of the 5th day of June, 2002, the hall in which high court 1 was situated was already filled to capacity. Again, when Justice Kurkum Da'as entered at exactly ten o'clock in the morning, everybody stood up and shouted to the top of their voice, saying: 'c-o-u-r-t.' As soon as he had sat down, he asked them to sit down. A court official instantly stood up and shouted at the top of his voice, saying: 'State versus Mr. Kyorol Sha'ak.' And when he had sat down, Barrister Pam stood up and said: 'my name is Sho Pam. I am representing the State, and I am from the Ministry of Justice.' Next, Barrister We'eng stood up and said: 'my name is We'eng Mban. I am representing Mr. Shum Sha'ak, and I am from the Nigerian Legal Aid Council, Lafia Branch office.' Kyorol's attorney stood up and said: 'my name is Luke Menma. I am representing the accused, and I am from Kowa Chambers.'
After this stage, the court official stood up and asked the State counsel to proceed with the case. Barrister Sho Pam stood up, cleared his throat and said: 'my Lord, as clearly stated in the charge sheet, Mr. Kyorol Sha'ak is a very hardened and dangerous criminal who usually takes pleasure in wasting precious lives through violence and extreme torture. In order not to waste your time, may I call upon my witness No. 1, Mr. Shum Sha'ak, to go to the witness box, please.' Shum stood up and entered the witness box. After taking the oath, Barrister Pam said: 'can you tell this honourable court whether you know the accused, and how you know him.' 'I know the accused right from birth. He is my late father's elder brother. So he is my uncle,' said Shum. 'Can you tell this court what happened on the 6th day of April, 1995,' Barrister Pam said. 'I was on my way to the City Commercial bank, Yallam when a car pulled up in front of me at No. 6 Men's street and three men, in masks, quickly jumped out of the car, and before I could utter a word, one of them hit me violently in the ribs. I instantly slumped down. When I woke up two hours later, I discovered I was in a very dark room in a strange place. In the afternoon of the following day, a strange, fat man entered the room in which I was lying down on a mat, switched on the light and asked me about my name. Immediately after I had told him my name, he handed over a typed document which he said I should sign without reading it. He further told me that he was working for my uncle, Kyorol Sha'ak, and that I should sign the said document without asking any question. However, I refused to sign it.' Barrister Pam shouted: 'that is enough. Can you identify this document?' 'Yes, that is the document he wanted me to sign that day,' Shum replied. Barrister Pam continued: 'my Lord, the said document is about the transfer of all the assets of late Safar Sha'ak to the accused. Can you identify this man?' he asked Shum. 'Yes, he was the strange, fat man that wanted me to sign the document,' said Shum. 'My Lord, this man's name is Jerry Fwanach. He was also known by his friends in the underworld as Jerry Razor. My Lord, I hereby tender this document as exhibit one.' 'The document admitted,' Justice Kurkum Da'as announced. 'That shall be all, my Lord,' Barrister Pam announced to the court. 'Any cross examination?' 'No, my Lord,' replied Barrister Menma.
Barrister Pam stood up again and said: 'my Lord, may I call upon the witness No. 2, please.' He continued: 'my Lord, witness No. 2 was an employee of the accused, but, in order to get more reliable evidence, the security personnel, that is to say the police and the State Security Service, agreed to use him as a witness for the State. Can you tell this court your name and what you know about the accused,' Barrister Pam requested. 'My name is Jerry Fwanach. The accused, Mr. Kyorol Sha'ak, was my employer, and my job was to interrogate the captives and extract the necessary pieces of information from them. When the information had been extracted from them, the captives would be executed by the armed security guards, on the orders of the accused,' Jerry revealed. 'To the best of your knowledge, how many of such captives were executed?' Barrister Pam asked. 'Twenty of them, sir,' Jerry replied. 'That shall be all, my Lord,' Barrister Pam said. He continued: 'I want to tender two A. K. 47 rifles as exhibits 2 and 3, my Lord.' 'Exhibits 2 and 3 admitted,' Justice Kurkum Da'as said. He continued: 'any cross examination?' 'Yes, my Lord,' Barrister Menma said. He continued: 'Jerry, will it be correct to say that you are dishing out such wicked lies against the accused because you have been freed from prosecution by the investigating security men?' 'Objection, my Lord,' Barrister Pam said, almost shouting. 'Objection upheld,' Justice Kurkum Da'as ruled. 'That shall be all, my Lord,' Barrister Menma said.
Barrister Pam stood up and said: 'May I call upon witness No.3, my Lord.' He continued: 'can you tell this court you name, and what you know about the accused.' 'My name is Sien Bwa'at. I am a student of the University of Jos. When I was going to the lecture hall on the 8th day of April, 2002, a black Toyota jeep pulled up in front of me, and two men, in masks, came out of it and one of them hit me on the head with the boot of the gun. About three hours later, I woke up and discovered that I was lying down in a dark room in a strange place. My hands were tied up. In the evening of that day, the accused entered the room, switched on the light and moved towards me after he had locked the door. Before I could utter a word, he started undressing me. He tied my mouth with a towel, pressed me down and the rest is history.' 'What did you mean by 'the rest is history?' I mean that he forcefully had sexual intercourse with me,' Miss Bwa'at said in a shaky voice. 'That shall be all, my Lord,' Barrister Pam concluded. 'Any cross examination?' Justice Kurkum Da'as asked. 'Yes, my Lord,' Barrister Menma replied. He continued: 'why did you not fight back when he was doing that to You? Are you saying that you did not enjoy the thing?' 'Objection, my Lord,' shouted Barrister Pam. 'Objection upheld,' Justice Kurkum Da'as ruled. 'That shall be all, my Lord,' Barrister Menma concluded. 'Any more witnesses?' Justice Kurkum Da'as asked. 'No, my Lord. I have concluded my case,' Barrister Pam said. 'This case is hereby adjourned to the 11th day of June, 2002. The defence should be ready by then, please.' Justice Kurkum Da'as ruled.
When the usual court protocol had been observed by five minutes past ten o'clock in the morning of the 11th day of June, 2002, the defence counsel, Barrister Luke Menma, stood up and said: 'my Lord, may I call upon the only defence witness/accused to enter the witness box, please.' He continued: 'can you tell this court your name, and what can you say about the charges levelled against you?' 'My name is Kyorol Sha'ak. About my late brother's assets, I think I am the rightful owner. Regarding the murder of Barrister Selen, I did not ask my security men to kill him—I only asked them to break his legs. As to the issue of the captives, they were known terrorists. So I did that in order to help the Government. Concerning the case of rape, I was tempted by the devil. I am sorry. Please forgive me.' 'That shall be all, my Lord,' Barrister Luke Menma said. 'Any cross examination?' Justice Kurkum Da'as asked. 'Yes, my Lord,' Barrister We'eng said. He continued: 'Kyorol, was Shum a terrorist that you detained him in that dreaded place? Regarding Miss Sien Bwa'at and Miss Muyo Mu, did the devil tempt you outside or inside the rooms in which they were?' 'I have said I am sorry,' said Kyorol. 'That shall be all, my Lord,' We'eng concluded. After the lawyers, both the prosecution and the defence, had addressed the court, Justice Kurkum Da'as adjourned the case to the 20th day of June, 2002 for ruling.
At exactly ten o'clock in the morning of the 20th day of June, 2002, Justice John Kurkum Da'as commenced reading his ruling. However, towards the end of the ruling which lasted for more than four hours, he said: 'having carefully examined all the pieces of evidence as given by the prosecution witnesses and the very stupid response by the accused, it is my opinion that the accused is very shameless, stupid and dangerous. In fact, he is a very serious threat to the lives of innocent people in the society. I, therefore, find him guilty as follows:
(i) Murder of innocent people.
(ii) Possession of illegal fire arms.
(iii) Abduction and illegal detention of his nephew, Shum.
(iv) Abduction, illegal detention and rape of two innocent University students.
Based on these developments, I give the following ruling:
(i) In the absence of any will, Mr. Shum Sha'ak is the rightful owner of all the assets of his late father, Mr. Safar Sha'ak. He shall take possession of same immediately.
(ii) Mr. Kyorol Sha'aqk is hereby sentenced to death by hanging, and this must be certified by a qualified Medical Doctor employed by the State.'
Outside the court premises, shouts of jubilation reined the air, and as soon as Shum had come out of the court room, four hefty young men lifted him onto their shoulders and headed for home.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
It was after two days that Shum was able to take full control of his late father's assets, in line with the court judgement. However, it took him three months to reorganize the companies for optimal performance. The companies he inherited from his late father were:
(i) Two commercial banks.
(ii) Three oil companies.
(iii) Five shipping lines.
In reorganizing the said companies, he removed all the management staff appointed by his now late uncle, Kyorol and replaced them with very experienced, responsible and reliable managers.
Because of the great assistance rendered to him by his trusted friend, Barrister We'eng Mban, Shum freely allotted to him one million shares (I,000,000.) worth One Hundred and Fifty million Naira (N150,000,000.00) in City Commercial Bank P. L.C. and subsequently made him chairman of the bank. On being given the title documents in respect of the said shares, Barrister We'eng Mban remained standing with his mouth wide open, staring at the face of his dearest friend, Shum, without saying a word. In fact, he was short of words to express his very profound thanks for his friend's very humane gesture. However, it was Shum who broke the dead silence by saying: 'one good turn deserves another.'
Having fully settled down to business, Shum established an Institute by name RELEVANT TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE. The mission of this college was to uplift the pathetic condition of street urchins and the destitute by giving them the necessary technical know-how so that they could engage themselves in very productive ventures. Consequently, the admission of the street urchins and he destitute into this Institute was free, and they were even being given monthly allowances to sustain them during the period of the training. They were being trained in the following areas of specialisation:
(i) Plumbing works.
(ii) Shoe making.
(iii) Repair of radio.
(iv) Repair of television.
(v) Tailoring/fashion design.
(vi) Weaving.
(vii) Carving.
(viii) Painting.
(ix) Carpentry/wood works.
(x) Brick laying/masonry.
During the opening ceremony of the Institute, Shum excitedly announced to his audience that it was a thing of great joy for him to be involved in the training of the street urchins and the destitute because this would enable them to not only cater for their daily needs, but that it would also enable them to contribute to the growth of the Nigerian economy. He, therefore, challenged the Government to emulate him.
THE END.
Nigerian words used in the text.
All words are in Hausa, unless otherwise indicated.
PE—Pidgin English.
Agbero (PE)—Motor park touts.
Koko—Gruel made from guinea corn or millet flour which has been soaked in water for at least two days.
Kuka—Ground leaves of Baobab tree.
Kunu—Drink, usually sweet, made from flour, usually of guinea corn or millet, and flavoured with pepper.
Madidi—Pudding made from the flour of guinea corn, maize, wrapped in leaves and eaten with soup.
Miya—Soup.
Miyan egusi—Soup which contains ground rich seeds, dried fish, beef, pumpkin leaves.
Miyan kuka—Soup made from ground leaves of baobab tree.
Miyan taushe—Soup made with leaves of sorrel.
Moin-Moin (Yoruba)—pudding made from beans flour with palm oil, fish, or eggs.
Tuwo—food made from rice, flour of guinea corn, millet, maize, etc. which is cooked in boiling water and stirred until thick.
Tuwon alabo—food made from the flour of yam or cassava.
Tuwon dawa—food made from the flour of guinea corn.
Tuwon masara—food made from the flour of maize.
Tuwon shinkafa—food made from rice.