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13th July, 2014 It was exactly a week after Ismail’s death and burial. In those days, my conversations with friends were buoyant and I got the impression that they raised eyebrows. This could’ve been because they expected me to be grieving, an appropriate expectation given how special our relationship was. Yes, special. We did not hang out regularly, as we both found contentment in our…

Six flats, thirteen adults, two teenagers, and two newborns. The humans in the building were cramped into one parlor, and I took the assignment to babysit them while my colleagues ransacked the other apartments. The men, alongside their women, except the nursing mothers whose infants were cradled to their mothers’ breasts to prevent them from crying, and the teenagers were trussed and prone on…

“The gods must be mad,” I said to the only other person in the room.The room was spacious, with no furniture except a dwarf stool and a long wooden bench. The bench and the stool were placed at the far end opposite each other. Pinned to the wall ahead of them was a piece of red cloth, at least two yards long, adorned with objects that looked like charms; cowries, snail shells with several colors…

Oreva and Kohwo ventured up the river, along the banks, throwing their nets around frantically, to catch the tiny fishes that dared swim towards the shore. As always, they were engrossed in the activity and paid no attention to me.I juggled my pouch and the clatter of shells clashing sent an unexplainable warmth to my heart. There was evidence, I thought, that I had been putting in work over the…

I looked at the sky and took note of the stratus clouds engulfing what remained of the light sheets. A drizzle was nigh, but I had nothing to worry about, at least not yet. I sat on a stool, and ahead of me were a group of 11 men, mostly in their late 20s to late 30s, and separated in two batches; in a number of 5 and 6. Each set was hunched over a game of Whot, 5 each, squatting around the deck…

I noticed the bleeding late, but I had no idea what was transpiring. I had stepped on the blood on my way to the sitting room, but being a clumsy child, I had confused the spillage for water, which I frequently spilled.“Ch…ieeef,” my mother drawled, her hand on her bulgy stomach, massaging all sides. I turned toward the voice and but it wasn’t until she called my name again that I found her. She…

We’re at warThe Fulanis are on the huntSlithering, baring their fangs at PeacePoisonous spits, coiled above us as we sleep They seek to take or plunder In haste to put one underIngrates to whom we extended handsWhich they severed to clutch our landsOur children die from their soulless toolsAged men drowning in crimson pools Able bodied men slaughtered for funOur women sodomized by their gunsThey…

My eyes opened and the first thing I noticed was the difference in the brightness of the environment. I wondered where I was, if it was heaven. I yawned and intuitively fisted my hand to cover my mouth. I could move my limbs again! I raised my leg to confirm it and it moved. I stretched and my limbs responded. I couldn’t contain my elation. “Yes!” I shouted. “Oga, na hospital you dey o,” a calm…

Football thrives on heroes.When Mateta had that horrible injury to the head that nearly took off his ear against Millwall in Round 5 of the FA Cup, I didn’t know how bad it was but it reminded me of Cech’s head injury in 2006. Later, when details emerged, Palace’s and global football fans sighed in relief that it was only a skin-deep cut, primarily to the ear, unlike Cech’s severe skull…

I walked home to retrieve a pair of pliers and some screwdrivers. I had made it a habit of buying handy tools, because I didn’t like to rely on anyone for anything. I had no idea what her locks looked like, but if I did not need those tools, I would improvise. As an afterthought, I added a hammer and a spanner to my bunch, threw them into a black nylon bag, and put them in my back pocket. I…

“I dey tell you bro. Police just dey stress me,” Papa Anna said. “You go think say nor be my pikin lost.”I noticed the sadness in his voice, and when he uttered those words, I could feel the pain he vehemently tried to hide. Another morning and we were perched at the usual spot, only a handful of us. Papa Sherume had been frequenting his village and taking multiple trips to the Police station,…

When she left, I rushed to my drawer to put a chewing gum in my mouth. I rushed to Majemite’s place to see if he’d returned. The door swung open 30 seconds after the first knock. “Yes?” Her voice, soft and excited, responded to me.“Good evening,” I said. “I’m looking for your husband.”“Why?”“We had a meeting in the morning, and he didn’t show up. I wanted to check in, if he was alright.”“He is…

The next morning, life remained empty in our compound. Everyone spoke in hushed tones and no one wanted to be heard laughing, perhaps for fear of coming off as insensitive. Even the kids, rambunctious little miscreants, had gotten the memo; they didn’t extend their movements farther than their veranda and maintained silence while they carried out their chores or activities before school. The…

I closed my eyes and took deep breaths for, a portion of my mind dedicated to counting from one to thirty. I opened my eyes to find Majemite watching me with intent, a smirk hanging on his bottom lip, and his eyes seemingly searching for an answer. I paid him no mind and closed my eyes, trying to enjoy the seconds of silence whilst hoping an answer would jump out at me. After what felt like a…

The Immunization Woman IV“That went well,” he said after we’d left. “I don’t know if anyone else would’ve seen what I was trying to do and helped out the way you did. I’m glad you could and did.”“I want the girls to be found as much as their fathers,” I said. We met the woman outside her apartment, washing her children’s clothes. She recognized me, our paths had crossed several times in the past.…

By the time the pictures came, we’d been joined by the three men from earlier and an additional two older men. Papa Anna had brought pictures of his daughter in school uniforms and one taken during the most recent Christmas break, as well as a picture with the missing girls holding hands and smiling.Majemite took charge, doling out instructions like a natural. He rubbed his hands together and…