Chapter Two
The following day, the three selected men were on their way to Abuja to execute the mission. Musa Qaqa had given them the needed funds to do so as well as their hotel bill for two nights in a luxurious hotel. The crew that would transport the bombs to Abuja had left earlier that day and had been briefed on the need to steal three cars from their owners for the operation. Later that night, Danlami Goje, one of the selected suicide bombers, engaged his colleagues in conversation in a secluded area of the Abuja Hilton Hotel they were lodging. They had selected a quiet part of it where no one could hear them and, even then, they spoke in hushed tones.
“It is about time we left this wicked world and get rewarded with our seventy two virgins each,” he whispered looking over his shoulders from time to time. Bottles of choice wine littered their table.
“Life has not been fair at all,” Isah Magaji spoke next. “As soon as my father died in a motor accident when I was ten years old, I realized how wicked relations can be. No one was willing to support my education in anyway. Now see the way it is ending. I have enjoyed no good life until I joined this group five years ago. Now see the way it is ending,” he lamented adding ruefully “I only hope this story of Al Janna is true.”
“It cannot but be true.” It was Samaila Dutse the last of the three men. “Why would the Holy Book say so if it is not true?” he asked rhetorically. By the time the meeting ended and the three men returned to their different rooms, each of the men resolved to go on with the plan. Six bottles of wine lay empty on their table. They were not willing to have the sect members run after them for refusing to obey the order they have been given. Any which way, death was inevitable. It was better to do it honourably, they reasoned.
* * * * *
KANO, 1965
Hajiya Salamatu—Alhaji Idris’ second wife, was the first to notice Ayisha spitting around the compound, looking tired and withdrawn. Her slaps on Ayisha’s face moments later, could be heard outside the walls of the compound coupled with her intermittent “who is responsible for your pregnancy?”
Since Ayisha did not even know what it meant to be pregnant, she could only manage a weak “I…I… I am not pregnant ma!” Her innocent mind told her whatever being pregnant meant must be evil. She has never had any form of education—Koranic or Western, and no one ever told her anything on sex education.
“Shut up you evil child!” Hajiya Salamatu thundered on. “Tell me who is responsible this minute!”
The tears flowed ceaselessly from Ayisha’s face and soon, the entire people in the compound that fateful afternoon had gathered to witness the unfolding drama.
“Won’t you confess to us and save yourself further torture,” Alhaji’s third wife—Hajiya Rakia, demanded totally without any feeling for the child. Others in the compound including two of Alhaji’s male servants, his other wives and some of the children spoke in similar vein.
“I…I…I am not pregnant .I swear by Allah,” insisted Ayisha.
It was at this stage Alhaji Idris rode in on his white horse. One of his servants rode on another one behind him—a black one.
Shouts of “welcome rankadede” replaced the earlier commotion.
“What is happening here?” he demanded while jumping off the horse.
“Ayisha is pregnant Baba," Rabi— one of Alhaji’s grown- up daughters said.
After passing his horse to the servant for it to be tied to a big tree behind the huts, he ordered Ayisha to move straight to his own hut and went ahead to disperse the crowd with a terse “I shall get to the root of this matter myself.”
Every one obeyed instantly.
Left alone with Ayisha, Alhaji did not bother to ask her who was responsible for her pregnancy.
“I shall take you home to your father’s house tomorrow, insha Allah,” he told her and ordered everyone in the compound not to speak a word to her. Ayisha returned to her room and continued crying till she fell asleep. The meal of tuwo shinkafa and miyan kuka Alhaji sent to her room by one of the servants remained untouched. Everything still looked to her like a nightmare she hoped to wake up from.
* * * * *
ABUJA, 2001
Activities at the Mabushi Plaza, Wuse 2, Abuja were at their peak when the three stolen Toyota Camry cars laden with bombs drove into the premises. The plaza had four magnificent edifices facing one another located on a massive expanse of land. Each structure had two hundred offices within the five-stories structure bringing the total number of persons there that day to over two thousand. Each of these persons was either shopping for clothes, shoes, electronics, or one household item or the other or seeking one service or the other. Some offices were occupied by law firms, insurance companies, airline ticket offices, etc. Those who could not afford the stores had their wares displayed on tables around the edifices. These include watch repairers, newspaper vendors, cobblers popularly referred to as shoemakers, etc. The three stolen cars drove right inside the car park located in the middle of the premises. It was time to act.
“Allah Akbar!” The three bombers screamed several times over before detonating the bombs within seconds of one another. The explosions that followed could be heard kilometres away. Over half of each of the four structures was reduced to rubble. Dead bodies were scattered everywhere. Some had no heads, limbs etc. It was a gory sight. Most of the corpses were burnt beyond recognition. When the final compilation was done days after, over two hundred persons had been sent to the great beyond alongside the bombers. Also, over five hundred persons were receiving treatment for one injury or the other in both public and private hospitals within and around Abuja metropolis. Security men condoned off the area for weeks and it was all newsmen could do to get valuable information for their individual media organizations. Condemnation from all over the world greeted the attack especially when Shekau posted a video on YouTube claiming responsibility for the act and warning more attacks were ahead. The United Nations Organization through its Secretary General, the President of the United States of America, The British Prime Minister and the Federal and State Governments in Nigeria, were not left out. The Presidential spokesman of the Nigerian government—Jacob Abayo, explained to newsmen that the government was on top of the situation and promised no stone will be left unturned to ensure the “cowards” were brought to book.