“Yes I’m my name is Gbanga Durotoye I’m in SS3 , the six students are my classmates ! The police has refused to do anything ! They think they can intimidate us ? They shut Tobi dead what did we do ? We were only asking for the investigation and rescue of our classmates this is one week, nothing has been done by the police . We will keep protesting , other secondary schools are joining us tomorrow , we cannot be intimidated , about ten students were shut today , tomorrow the police should be ready to kill more of us .” He moved on to join his protesting colleagues , they were about four hundred young people on who blocked traffic on the road . The town was riotous with police still shooting in the air but the students were still matching towards the police station. Mama Tiwa had emaciated so much , she was fasting six to six , she ha closed her business , the brethren from her church were encouraging her and holding vigils for Tiwa and her classmates return . It was night in the forest Wasiu was smoking marijuana , Segun and Baba yeye had brought in more people . Wasiu was put on night wash . Amongst the new people were pregnant women . ” Tiwa I want you to pray for me ” Greatness said to Tiwa. ” Pray for you about what? I’ve been praying for us that God will save us .” It took long time before she spoke as tears dripped down her face . ” We’ve been here for two weeks, Chike has been killed , and Bidemi , you were taken in but God didn’t allow them kill you, we’ve been lucky they have killed more than fifty people since we came here , see students bags and clothes everywhere, see women shoes and bags everywhere . Clothes of over two hundred people , I feel my time is close o just want you to lead me to Jesus .” Tiwa squeezed her hands gently . ” Greatness just have faith in god that you’ll get out of here .” Tiwa prayed for greatness and the other two of her classmates, he led them to Christ . The place had a terrible odour of rotten human flesh . The horrible stench and putrefying odour from the stomps of human remains made the air unbearable. Bisi had developed malaria as a result of the big black mosquitoes biting them night and day . It had been four weeks since they were kidnapped. They’d witnessed the death of about ninety people. Ritualist did come to buy body parts to go and do Their rituals in their shrines. The other people just walk to the slaughter room when they asked them to go there . Seems their food was charged to hypnotize them and make them obey all instruction. Bisi was shivering badly . One woman amongst the ritualist came and collected a baby from a nursing mother . The mother began to cry . The woman who was the chef of the kidnappers group collected the seven months baby from the it’s mother’s arms , she strangled the baby and began to pound the baby in a mortar and began to pound the mother of the child wept so much , Tiwa had to console her . ” Tiwa I can’t believe my eyes..” Bisi whispered . ” Are this people humans? See how a woman collected another woman’s baby killed and pounder it ? I’m getting numb I’m not afraid of dying , I just hope I’ll see Jesus.” One of the guards was angered by the communication between Tiwa and Bisi ,he slapped Bisi ” if you talk again , I’ll make your death next , and I’ll make it to be painful”. He moved Bisi away from Tiwa. That evening Kunle one of their classmates tried to escape , he ran away when the guard went to ease himself Wasiu and Murideen chased after him , they teared open his scalp with Cutlass cut and drag his convulsingo body back to the slaughter house, which was after the common room. Bisi began to vomit as she saw her friend’s brain dragging on the ground. Greatness eyes were soaked with tears. Tiwa was just praying for God to intervene . “Iya Risi go and bring the baby juice water , chairman is here to collect his medicine.” Mama Risi went to a hut and brought a ten litre jerican where she had poured the pounded liquid of the baby’s flesh . ” Murideen go get two fans , one ball , two engine for chairman “. He went in with Wasiu ordered a woman to the slaughter house and ordered her to lie down on her back . He cut her throat and collected the blood in a calabash bowl . Then he harvested her hands which was the fan , he harvested head which was the ball , the engine which was her heart . That was the code they used for body parts . Chairman was given a concoction in a clay pot , those parts where boiled and pounded with which they mixed it with other herbal concoctions . And gave to chairman . He brought a bag of hard currency for the ritualist . Wasiu and the rest were praising and singing his praise . In Lagos the whole secondary schools in Ikurodu went on rampage , burning police vehicles, attacking police stations , blocking the highway . The governor called for the DPO of Ikurodu and ordered him to do something fast to get the students back . Mama Tiwa was praying and crying , she kept seeing those dreams of Tiwa being beheaded. She would pray and sleep off on her knees . ” Sister Joke have faith in the lord ! He’s the one who kept Danial safe in the lion’s den , the lord still protected Shedrack , Meshach and Abednego alive in the burning fire , I believe the lord Will bring Tiwa back alive.” The pastor and his wife with other church members were always around Mama Tiwa . They encouraged her to eat. She kept going to the police station to get information , they only told her they traced the kidnappers vehicle to Oyo state . In the jungle they dragged Tiwa into their slaughter house , she and another man . They had collected a drum of human blood , the place was smelling. They cut the man’s head , he was under their incantation he didn’t resist , the man came to Tiwa he put the knife on her neck and tried to cut , his hand became paralysed . He shouted Baba asked them to take Tiwa back that he would slaughter her by himself that no power can supercede his power . They came and picked Greatness , Tiwa and Bisi fought with them to rescue here , the more men ran Into the common room and held Tiwa and Bisi down. ” Thank you Tiwa , I am not dying I’m going to meet Jesus, thank you for letting me know Jesus…” She smiled while tears dripped down her cheeks as she was dragged away .in the slaughter house Greatness was heard making a gagging sound as she choked on her blood and she went still . Bisi cried so much Tiwa couldn’t console her . She cried through the night she rejected their food . Bisi became very sick mama Risi was asked to prepare herbs for her to drink , they wanted her to be alive when they sacrificed her. But Bisi refused to take their herbs they forced it down her throat she forced it back out . Tiwa held Bisi in her arms as she cried into sleep The compound was littered with so clothes and bags , new captives where brought in and they got slaaughtered for the various needs of their various client . ” Bankole I’ve told you that we don’t sell crayfish here , we made you a millionaire, and now you want to hit billion you have to bring ten million naira we need to use a pregnant animal for this special sacrifice , the gods wants the purity of the unborn baby and the love of the mother for her child , so if you’re ready for the sacrifice go to Iya Risi and deposit your money , if you continue disturbing me , I’ll make you dumb .” Bankole called Iya Risi to his boot and counted several bundles of one thousand naira notes ,he gave her ten point five millon five hundred thousand for herself . His boot was full of currencies in naira and dollars. ” Wasiu you go and tell Alfa that the pregnant animal should be slaughttered , her unborn baby and it’s placenta should be grinded into liquid , the woman’s heart should be roasted and grinded and brought to the shrine for me to do Bankole’s charm , collect her bloood for me to bath him with .” Alfa and Wasiu dragged the preggnant woman to the slasughter house . She begged them not to kiiill her that she was pregnant and soon to deliver. The men slapped her . They slauughtered her and remove her unborn child which they gave to Iya Risi who pounded the baby . Wasiu roasted her heart. Her other body parts they sold to smaller native doctors for little amount. Baba made the charm for Bankole , he was to bath with the concoction in the morning before he went for any business transaction or to source for contract . That same day a politician who was contesting for the post of governorship came with his escorts to see baba , he was told he needed a pure virgin for sacrifice and they asked him to pay thirty million naira, he asked his P.A to get forty million naira from his boot for Baba . ” Baba we have an issue ” Baba looked up at Alfa. ” What is the problem Alfa? Alfa chuckled , cracked his voice ” Baba we currently don’t have any virrgin girl , except for the stubborn girl that has refused to be sacrificed.” Baba got up and Alfa followed him . ” Bring her to the slaaughter room.” Baba was determined to slaughter Tiwa at any cost , he came he did his incantations and used his staff to run round Tiwa when he was to cut her throat , a supernatural force pushed him away , he fell far away . Alfa helped him up , baba asked Alfa to go and bring him more charms , Baba continued using all the powerful incantations he knew , another time he felt like he was having an electric shock .” ” Baba I think we should let this one go her head is too strong !” Baba was pissed at Alfa ” I’ve been doing this work long before you were born , never have I been disgraced like this , Agbarada must drink the blood of this girl . Go and bring my janjada charms I must kill this meat.” Tiwa was busy crying to God silently in her mind as she shut her eyes. Wasiu helped Alfa to carry all the bags of baba’s charm to slaughter house. Murideen and Segun had returned with another consignment of people, Alfa advice baba that they should go and get a virgin girl from amongst the new consignment but baba insisted he must have Tiwa’s head in his shrine that evening He tried to cut Tiwa again a lightening stroke him , and immediately burnt Baba like one of those stomps he and his boys was burning . It also stroke Iya Risi , the politician and his escorts ,Wasiu lay dead next to Baba though he was not burnt . Alfa escaped from the slaughterhouse. The bounds on the hands of the captives were loosened, the hypnotic charms on them cleared and people began to run. Tiwa got up an went to the common room that was littered with urine and excretes of the prisoners ,she saw Bisi lying in her vomit so weak and pale . ” Bisi get up let us run away with the others .” Bisi was too weak to stand . “Tiwa I’m too weak to go with you I’ll slow you down I don’t think I can make it to the end of today.” Tiwa refused to leave her friend behind . “Bisi you better use your last energy to fightt , if you don’t get up I won’t move , from here and the people would come back for us .” Then a strange man came in and gave Bisi some water to drink . ” Now get up Bisi let us run , Alfa and Nurideen with the others kidnappers are coming back , Alfa has gone to call them .” Strength came from no where and Bisi began to run with the strange man leading them , after ten minutes they started hearing sounds of gun shuts , Baba’s boys went on rampage hunting down the more than fifty captives that escaped . After the intervention of the governor , the commissioner of police investigated the kidnap of the students and traced the kidnap syndicate to Oyo state. He liaised with the Oyo state police commissioner , they combed through the forest , many groups of kidnappers were arrested . Fulani herdsmen and Yoruba ritualist , but they couldn’t find Tiwa and her classmates. Pastor Elijah called Mama Tiwa. ” Sister Joke how are you doing? The Lord has sent his angels to release Tiwa from the captivity of the enemies, but the battle is not over yet the agents of the devil have reinforced and they’re chasing them right now in the forest , we have to be prayerful.” Pastor Elijah called on his prayer warriors to pray for Tiwa they fasted and prayed for three days. In the forest the strange man led them away from the shooting . Alfa and his thirty boys were on their local war regalia, they were shooting and cutting any escaped prisoner they saw on the way . ” Nobody should escape among them , Tohibu go with Araro and five boys go and block Alaba junction, any of the animals you see kill them . Don’t allow any one to escape . Nurideen take ten boys go towards Niyi village trace the animals anyone you see kill them , do not allow anyone escape.” He was visibly pained and angry ” If you see that Tiwa girl don’t hesitate to kill her , make her death painful and bring back her corps to me .” With his fifteen boys he began his search, to trace Tiwa and Bisi , his dogs with spiritual eyes were taking them through the paths Tiwa and Bisi ” Tiwa I’m tired I don’t think I can run anymore , please go ahead let me rest a bit .” Bisi was sitting on some shrubs on the way. They have been running for two days , only rest they had was in the night when the kidnappers rested to eat . The kidnappers searched every house on that road to make sure they were not hiding any of the runaways. Any house they found their captives they killed all in the household. “Bisi the road isn’t far off just try and get to the road , If we keep running in two hours we would be at Shagamu and they we would see handset to call for help .” The stranger said comforting Bisi. ” No I can’t move again , see my leg ? Her both ankles were severely swollen. “Bisi I can’t leave you here !! You left the class to join me when we were chased for school fees , you’re not supposed to be here , I would rather prefer to die in your place . So get up let’s go or I’ll stay back and die with you here.” Bisi was just quit. The strange man bent down and asked Bisi to climb his back . But Bisi was too weak, Tiwa helped her on the man’s back and they began to run . Behind them they could hear the dogs barking , and voices speaking in Yoruba dialect pointing the direction they went . The men were shooting like it was a war zone the forest was a country of it’s own . The police had succeeded in arresting some of the kidnappers in Lagos after thorough investigation they traced them to Opara forest , but the forest was too broad , the combined police teams from Lagos command and Oyo command were making their way into the forest . The deplorable state of the road made the journey tedious and slow . ” Which way is your hideout? The police inspector asked one of the kidnappers. “One hour more oga ! You will pass oforo , Then go to Tegbaju, from there you’ll go to Alakara before you get to the shrine in kpokpa.” The inspector cocked his riffle . ” Niyi tell the lead driver to move faster it’s getting dark .” It was only two PM in the afternoon the dark forest made the place look like night . Main while in Lagos the church was praying and fasting for Tiwa and her classmates . Mrs Joke was a ghost of her former self for two months she’d not had a proper sleep , whenever she closed her eyes to sleep , nightmares horrible dreams wouldn’t let her sleep, she would watch helplessly how her daughter was being slaughtered. She would pray and cry begging God to save her poor daughter. In the school things had resume to normal situation. Students moved on with their lives after the protest and government promise do their best to rescue their classmates. Tiwa and the stranger who was carrying Bisi on his back had been running for over two hours. They met an old woman who asked them to rest , she went into her hut and served them with a calabash of water , Bisi gulped Down the water down greedily like a thirsty cow, the woman served Tiwa who drank and thanked her, Tiwa drank and gave some to the stranger , which he politely objected . She showed them a short cut to Shagamu, immediately they got up they got up to leave, the old woman and her hurt disappeared. They kept running for another hour, the strange man put Bisi down. ” Tiwa I can not go beyond here, you and Bisi should keep on running in fifteen minutes you’ll see Shagamu main town , don’t stop to rest , do not look back, even if Alfa and his boys are shooting at you don’t stop keep on running.,” He turned back strolled into the bush and disappeared. Tiwa and Bisi kept running , they had started hearing noise from Shagamu Bisi was so weak , she sat under a mango tree, Alfa and his boys were coming so close , the big dogs were backing, they started shooting at Tiwa and Bisi two bullets hit Bisi on the stomach and she crumbled like a sack of beans , they hit Tiwa on her arms , Bisi was motionless , Tiwa began to run towards town . The sound of the gun shut attracted the police men who were heading into the forest , they began to exchange fire . Tiwa was rescued . The fire power of the police became too much for the kidnappers and they began to retreat into the forest . Some police men carried the motionless body of Bisi into their van ,and bandaged Tiwa’s arm they took her with them as they rushed them to the nearest general hospital. To give Tiwa treatment and deposit Tiwa’s body in the mortuary. Immediately they got to the hospital , the emergency doctors were on Bisi’s body , checking to see if she was still breathing . ” Take her to ICU,. Nurse Titi put her on oxygen , leave the way leave the way ! The doctors were running up and down trying to resuscitate Bisi. Tiwalade refused to move an inch from the ICU , her arm was bleeding . They treated her wound , it was just a flesh wound . One of the police men gave her his phone to call her mum .Her mum picked on the first dial “Hello mummy”. Tiwa said in a weak soft way . “Tiwalade is that you ? Her heart was beating so fast , she was praying for it not to be a prank. ” Mummy it’s me , we escaped from the ritualist den ,”. She was screaming at the top of her voice . Tiwa could hear the neighbors rejoicing and praising God with her mother. Mama Tiwa went mad for Joy ” Tiwa!!! Tiwalade! Ahhh thank you Jesus !!! Tiwa were are you now!! ” She was silent for a while . She was crying as she said ” I’m with Bisi in the hospital, they shut her this morning while we were running from the kidnappers.” Mama Tiwa’s tone changed from elation to that of concern . ” How’s she doing ? “Mummy she’s not doing well! She’s unconscious”. “Tiwa stop crying, let us pray for her , she’ll not die. What about all your other classmates? Tiwa was silent for some seconds then she spoke . “Mummy they killed them all.” The line went silent as she heard her mum’s. Solemn cry. Alfa was giving instructions to his boys , as they retreated back into the forest. The three teams had converged at one location after searching for Tiwa in the forest for over two days . ” Nurideen let us go back the Police men are close by .” Inspector Ade was determined to capture or eliminate as much of the criminals he could , he was not letting them go . The sounds of gunshots could be heard from miles away . The inspector had succeeded to bring down five o Alfa’s men , they combed the bush and caught those hiding , they were put in a police van that was waiting. The police surrounded Alfa at Agbarada village , they asked him to surrender with his men . ” Taaarh! Police you’re too small to arrest me ? Me the lion Kokoro ? Me the eagle that has five hours , me the owl that has nine lives !! Police man I’m not running anymore. Let us settle this matter here now ! He began to do incantations and he invoke powers to destroy the police men , they all collapsed and fainted even his boys collapsed , but inspector Ade stood like a rock . He too said some incantations before he fired at Alfa . Even Alfa was surprised that the bullet pierced through his chest , like the thousand of innocent people he had slaughtered in his lifetime , he began to experience the feeling of dying before his own time , he felt life sucking away from his legs and hands , there was no feeling in them . ” An Iroko tree that has grown too tall for the soil that feeds it would get blown down by the wind . And a stubborn bird that makes nest on the tree that belongs to the cobra , would make it’s offsprings food !! Alfa I warned you ! Today your day has come ” Inspector Ade tapped his men who were unconscious they woke up and pack Alfa’s men who were under Alfa’s spell into their van . Tears dripped down Alfa’s face as he died in the middle of the village square. The villagers celebrated his defeat . They knew what was happening in the forest , but they have been scared of Baba and his boys . He threatened to send them into extinction if they were to tell the outside world of what was going on in the forest or about his shrine.Baba had ordered his boys to kill some stubborn elders and hunters who tried to run down his operations. They took the police to Baba’s shrine , were police saw a dump hill of people’s belongings , clothes shoes , handsets laptops , then there was a pit full of human remains , then in Baba’s main shrine room where more than twenty skulls and skeleton were found . The police men couldn’t hold back their tears . The villagers brought down the gigantic compound inside the forest after the police had snapped the place and burnt it to the ground. ” Please Doctor Kudirat you’re needed in the theatre. ” The doctors were running up and down trying to save Bisi , the bullet had touched some of her vital organs , she was in the emergency theater for six hours , she was bleeding , the doctors were determined to save her life . “Tiwa we’re heading back to Lagos , you should go with us , the police woman sergeant there will be with your friend till her mother reaches here.” Inspector Ade tried to convince Tiwa to go with them to Lagos . But Tiwa won’t move an inch without her friend . “Sir we’ve been here for two months, just waiting a few more days won’t do me any harm”. The police inspector offered to buy food for Tiwa she said she wasn’t hungry so the police men contributed ten thousand naira for Tiwa before leaving . The doctors were still going in and out of the theatre fighting to stabilize Bisi. Bisi’s mum got to Oyo in the evening she embraced Tiwa and they both cried for a long time . ” Madam are you the mother of the patient in ward two ? Bisi’s mum cleaned tears from her face . “Yes ma ! Has anything happened to my daughter? The doctor’s smile was reassuring. Madam your daughter’s surgery was successful. It was a complicated one . The bullet ruptured her liver and also touched her left kidney, it’s a miracle she was alive when they brought her here , she’s still sleeping you can go and see her now “. Bisi was sleeping like a baby, seems she was having a dream tears rolled down her eyes . She was in the hospital for three days before she could open her eyes. She was so happy to see Tiwa and her mum, she tried to get up but the pains was too much. She had gotten herself well enough to be able to travel to Lagos . The hospital bill was about five hundred thousand naira, but the hospital asked Bisi’s mum to forget the money . The woman was overwhelmed as she prostrated to appreciate the MD of the hospital. They travelled to Lagos in a police Hilux truck with two police escorts When Tiwa got to Lagos, she was so happy to see her mum and siblings they hugged each other and wept , the whole of her street turned out to celebrate her . She was looking very emaciated. Two months in the hands of the ritualist. Tiwa was invited to the government house to see the governor. She narrated their whole ordeal to the governor, who placed Tiwa and her siblings on state sponsored scholarship. And donated twenty Coaster buses to carry students to school in Lagos for a token fare, so they won’t have to board commercial buses anymore. Tiwa and her mum were watching the ten o clock news when the story of came up. A reporter was interviewing Munurideen one of the kidnappers. ” What’s your name? The journalist asked “My name is Munurideen Ajala ” ” How old are you? “I’m twenty seven years old .” “Munurideen why are you in the police cell? ” They arrested me for Kidnapping.” “Oh you kidnap people for ransome? The reporter asked . ” No we kill them!” “Really why do you kill them? “For rituals.” “How many people have you killed? “They’re plenty ni.” The reporter was still pushing “How many is plenty?” Nuru took some time to calculate. “I’ve killed up to hundred people”. The reporter was terrified. ” Like how many people your gang has killed”. He was silent for almost a minute ” We killed more than five thousand people since I joined baba gang three years ago.” Tears dropped down Tiwa’s face as she remembered how people were slaughtered like chicken, how her classmates were not spared death. She remembered how the baby was cut out from the pregnant woman. She cried her mum embraced her and consoled her . Bisi had made full recovery, The both of them skipped WEAC for that year . THE END @Author Marvelous
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