The Last Insurgent

In the hands of the devils

Leena had a few seconds to remember her parents, siblings and Dammy before she felt herself drowning. The water was cold and dark. She never knew she was going to end up like this.  She had hoped to die and get buried and not under the river and float like an inflated balloon.

The last image that came to her was that of Mufty. She hoped he would come to realise his mistakes and eave that sect.

She began to sink until she was completely submerged. She felt something drifting out of her and she knew she was dying.

Then she felt something else. It was a pull and the next thing was air passing through her nose. Water gnashed out of her mouth and she began to cough.

It was a girl who had grabbed her and pulled her to the surface of the water. She could not identify the person. It was dark, and she was almost out of her senses.

The person helped her to a canoe before she was pulled up.

It was after the person began to compress her chest and pump water out of her she realised that it was Aisha.

Aisha had seen what happened and she immediately jumped in. She lived in a riverine area so she was accustomed to the river and was a very good swimmer.

The man who pushed her into the river laughed.

“Do not try to escape next time.” He said.

They kept paddling, rowing the canoes with the sad girls for over one hour before they arrived at a bank of river and began to stop. They now put on their flashlights, holding their guns and continuously warning the girls to behave well or get shot.

Leena felt better but still shocked. Aisha sat close to her. Both girls were wet and it was cold. Aisha was more used to it but Leena was shivering and felt sick.

“Welcome to Harabul Kusum.” A fat man with very big tommy said. His face was full of beards, and he wore a black turban. A rifle hung on his back and three armed men flanked him. He was waiting for them and he seems very happy to have them. “ Masha God. Girls that have been saved from a dirty world and brought into a pure world of Islam. No more taghut insha God.”

“Godu Akhbar!” An insurgent shouted.

“Godu Akhbar ! Godu akhbar!” They echoed.

This was sickening to most of the girls. How could they be praising God when they were doing the things God forbade? Where they just delusional or deceiving themselves?

They began to force the girls out of the canoe and ask them to line up for assessment and documentation.

The girls were made to line up.

“What is that?” One of the insurgents observed as he saw a silhouette. He sent a beam on it and they realised that it was one of the girls trying to escape.

The fat man removed his rifle and set it on her.

“Let me catch her Bamba.”

Pauw! Pauw!

He fired two shots and the girl screamed before she dropped.

“No catching.” The fat man, Bamba said with a smile. “The other girls need to know that it is dangerous to try to escape.” He returned his rifle. “You are all going to spend three days here before you are moved to your husband’s houses.” He began to send a beam of light on the girls. He produced halitosis and his breathing sounded like a snore. He was dirty and rough. His hair and beards were unkempt.

He paused when he got to Leena. He spent a few second admiring her before he smiled.

“I like you. Pray I pick you.”

Harabul Kusum was another camp the insurgents had close to Gumbau River. This was a place where captives were held for a day or two before being transported to their destinations . The insurgents preferred female captives and usually killed the men. They slaughter these men in cold blood in presence of their wives and children.

The place was cagey, known only to a few of the insurgents. It was guided by twenty heavily armed men, headed by Bamba. They all had ‘wives’ they picked from the captives.

Now these set of captives were to be transported to a camp between Nigeria and Cameroun. Some of the top men in the sect would come and relax with girls so they could feel more at ease and do God’s work. Besides, they said they extricating these girls who were just wasting their lives with taghuts in the name of school.

The canoe men had gone back but one of them came back the next morning.

He was the man who had pushed Leena out of the canoe. He met Bamba under a tent near the river.

“Peace be upon you, The Great Bamber; The bullet of God, The uplifted man of God, The one who loves to shoot a military man and wear his uniform.”

“Peace be upon you, Jalla. What brings you to my zone this morning?”

“You know I took part in the Bama operation. I was also part of those who blew Kasuwan Dare. I was the one who shot and killed Police Officer Kabiru Marte…..”

“What do you want?”

“You are a father of all and I have come to seek the hand of one of your daughters for marriage . I saw, I loved, I want, I seek, and I hope to get.”

“Hmmm….is she among the lucky girls of last night? Definitely yes because they are the only lucky ones now. The next shipping will be on Wednesday.”

“Yes. I was part of those who brought them.”

“I barely know them but these ones are special breeds and they are specifically for Baitul Nasr. I have to explain to them why I shot one of them and I also saw one of them I love and the marriage will be knotted later. I can explain why two are missing but not three.”

“Please Bamba. I could not sleep last night….”

“Come back on Wednesday. New girls will arrive. I can’t explain why three girls are missing under my auspices. That will make me look incompetent. I should have waited till Wednesday to have a new wife but I just fell in love with her. God saved her for me…I saw a vision that a girl will be sent to me from above. She will be thrown into the river but will survive because it is written that I will marry her.”

“I – I am confused.”

“I saw a vision so when I was told that one of the girls was thrown in the river as they came and another saved her life, I knew she the one.”

Jalla felt his mouth go bitter.

“Hmmm….”

“What?”

“Em…it’s nothing. I will wait until Wednesday.”

“Good.”

“won’t you wait for my wedding. It will take place later. I am going to have a bath today even though it is not yet Friday. For her , I will do that.”

“I wanted to ask you why you don’t take bath except on Fridays?”

“Washing my body wishes away blessings.”

“Hmmmm…”Jalla did not believe this. Even most of them were not islamically knowledgeable, except a few who misinterpreted the verses to deceive them, he knew Bamba was more ignorant than him.

“I see visions, and the spirits fear me. It is all because of how strong and blessed I am. My sweat is a healing. Would you like me to bless you by rubbing it on you?”

“Alhamdulillaah . My grandfather was a waliy and he blessed me with his Urine. I am already blesses thee great one. I think I will take my leave. I will be back on Wednesday.”

The night was bubbling with excitement. The girls were forced to come out and stand on the vast field which also served as their training ground.

The girls had cooked food. The camp was lit with electric bulbs powered by solar power.

The prison cells were made up of two big buildings were the girls would be made to share and sleep on bare floor.

Then the insurgents lived in small tents.

Bamba had taken a bath and wore a very shapeless caftan and a cap that looked like a wizard’s hat. He looked like a fictional character of an animated movie.

“Godu Akhbar!” He shouted.

“Godu Akhbar!!” his men replied.

“I am very happy tonight.” He said. “There is nothing as sweet as helping someone. I feel great when I touch somebody’s live and that is what I have been doing all my life.”

“May God reward you!” A man said.

“Ameen.” The men echoed.

Bamba paused, his eyes became thinner and the smile vanished.

“The next time I say Godu Akhbar and the girls don’t respond, or anyone prays for me and they don’t amen, then heads will roll. My enemy is an enemy of God. You see what we have been talking about? You were in a world where god is revered and feared. We say God is great and you keep quiet? SubahanGod! That must stop from this very moment. And I am very important in this movement to purify the world. It is imperative you pray for me. After prayers for the Holy prophet SAW, I should be the next before your parents. Godu Akhabar!”

“Godu Akhbar!” The girls joined them. They had not forgotten what he did to the girl who tried to escape.

He showed his dirty teeth.

“Masha God.” He said happily the joy in him was back.” I have a very good news for you. One of you is going to be blesses tonight. I know you all want to be blessed but it is not every girl that gets this golden chance. I am going to pick a wife right now…..”

The girls went silent. Hearts beating rapidly, praying not to be chosen by this beast.

He began to move slowly, looking at the girls. He got to one, extended a hand and then withdrew at once before laughing.

“She thought it was going to be her. I am sorry my dear. You are not the chosen one. I hope you are not angry.”

He did not know that the girl was thanking her God profusely.

Finally, he chose Leena and she was dragged out. The men began to clap and congratulating Leena.

A few rounds of bullets were fired into the air.

“Stop!” He shouted and there was silence. “When something good happens to your neighbour, felicitate with him, okay. Do not be jealous. Come and congratulate her one after the other.”

Leena began to cry.

“Ohhhhhh, tears of joy.” Bamba said hapilly. “ Food, food, food, serve food. Enjoy.”

After the feast and what he called a grand reception, he asked the girls to be taken back to their cells. Aisha cried profusely because she may never see Leena again. Leena was still crying as the dirty fatso led her away, making her want to puke with halitosis.

His tent was the biggest. His wives were two and lived in the cells. They only came out to cook, or come to his bed. Sometimes, they would come and sit with him outside while he cuddled them both at once.

Sometimes, they will puke due to his very bad breath and body odour.

Tonight was a special night because he had never had a girl as beautiful as Leena.

The tent was big with a small bed. It was dirty, with dirty clothes loitering, phlegm spat on the walls, undone dishes, unfinished decaying food. The room smelled and Leena felt like puking.

“I have the biggest here. It is a palace and you are now a queen. This is better than taken you to those old sheikhs. I just saved you. Now pull your clothes.”

He began to undress.

“I am a modern jihadist. I do know how to kiss.” He laughed and she could still detect his bad breath even though the whole smelt like s**t.

“Have you done it before?” He asked. “ Are you a virgin. I want to know so I should know how to handle you.”

“I am HIV positive.”

He laughed.

“There is no problem. I love you for who you are and not what you are. I don’t mind.” He began to breath harder and his eyes bulged out as he looked at her curves. “ Besides, I am blessed so I think my powers would heal you.”

He began to take off his clothe.

“I said undress.” He said and he looked anger now.

If suicide was not a sin, Leena would have killed herself.

“I can’t. I have never gone unclad in front of a man.”

“I understand. It seems you have never done it.” His eyes glittered more, excited that he had a virgin here. “You are now my wife and this not debauchery. Pull up my darling.”

She still stood still.

He stopped smiling. With a striking speed, he moved and slapped her before pushing her to the bed. He was now naked, and looked more disgusting. She wished his halitosis could kill her because she felt as if it came with poisonous gases.

He was going to rape her and there was no chance of anyone coming to save her.

She began to scream. The grubby fatso was used to this. Some of the girls never gave in easily so he had to break them until they realised there was nothing they could do.

He pinned her down until she could not move.

“You will enjoy it, okay.” He said as he tried tore off her pant.

Then he felt something very shard on his side. It was like being hit with a rod.

“Wayo!” he yelled and rolled on his side. He raised his face to see a man standing, with a face that looked like a mask of horror. Who was this? How did he get here.

“How dare you ?” Bamba said, trying to see how he could reach his gun.

“I am Mufty  Salman of Al-bait. I don’t know if you have heard of me.”

Who had not heard of Mufty the coldblooded sniper and clean-up agent?

Leena did not know when she smiled.

“I knew you will come for me.” She said in her mind and cried.