The Abandoned Child – Episode 12

By Dominic Awoleye 

Contrary to my expectations, the navy did not torture Chioma and Oga Dan in order to get their confessionary statements. They were given the VIP treatment.

When we returned to Owerrinta base, we went to the commandants office and gave him the update of our journey. He joined us in his official car and together we drove to the naval police unit.

Commodore Aboderin went into the office of the Naval Police CO while his orderly took Chioma and Oga Dan to the guard room section and handed them over to the petty officer on duty. I was later called in by an SO and was given a note pad to write my statement.

After writing my statement and submitting the note pad to the SO, Oga Dan requested for the note pad so he could write his statement too.

Not now! You are not ready yet! The petty officer said to him.

Me? No o! I am very ready sir! Oga Dan said.

No sir! The PO said, when you are ready you will know.

The CO NP( Commanding officer naval police) and commodore Aboderin met us at the counter of the guard room, the ratings in the Office came to attention and saluted the presence of the personnel that walked in. the Commodore acknowledged the salute.

You are Mr. Daniel kwo? The CO NP asked Oga Dan

Yes sir! I am Daniel Maduabuchi sir!

Kai! You are the man sucking brea$t in your office kwo? Shege! Dan banza! See ya mouth! The CO said and started to laugh as Oga Dan bowed in shame.

And you are the Chioma kwo? He asked Chioma

Yes sir! Chioma nodded her head. Good afternoon sir! She said 

Yoowa! Em, PO! Please give them the VIP treatment first! You know they are civilians, this one is an Oga in the hotel and this one is a girl, dont torture them o! Just start with the VIP treatment! The CO said. If they dont cooperate, then you can torture them.

Yes sir! The petty officer saluted and called on the SO.

Oya get the korofo marshal and his tool box!

Yes sir! The SO who is a corporal equivalent answered and scurried out of the office.

Thank you very much sir! God bless you sir! Oga Dan said after the senior officers as they walked out of the guard room section.

Bolaji! You guys can go home from here! I am going back to the training school! The Commodore stopped and told us; and by the way, I hope you got all your belongings from the hotel?

Oga! This stupid man here! Pointing at Oga Dan. Don share all Oga Bolaji property finish walahi! He say he think say Oga Bolaji don yamutu! Even the clothe wey he wear when we enter him office na Oga Bolaji own! The Orderly said.

Hmm, life! Commodore Aboderin shrugged and went to his Car.

Wetin be VIP treatment? I asked the Orderly; and by the way sef! Wetin be your name? Me and you don dey waka together since yesterday and I no know your name! I said

Oga Bolaji, dem no dey ask Soja man for him name o! My name dey my name tag! He replied.

Oh sorry! Na true you talk o! And I dey with you since yet my mind no go there! I said and saw that his name was Adamu Shuaibu.

Okay Adamu, wetin be VIP treatment? I asked

It means very important personality Adamu replied.

I know nah! But how is it like? I asked

You want to know? He asked

Yes! I want to know! I replied

Okay! Make we go outside go wait and see. He said.

After about fifteen minutes, the soldiers brought Chioma and Oga Dan outside to the mini-parade ground in front of the NP building. Chioma and Oga Dan had been kitted with military porch bags strapped over their shoulders, helmets on their heads and boots on their feet; they also gave them condemned riffles to carry. Oga Dan looked funny because he wore these regalia on his boxers.

They were told to stand apart, they looked confused and terrified. After minutes of standing outside, the korofo marshal, a giant creature came along dragging two ferocious looking Rottweilers. Immediately the dogs saw the duo of Oga Dan and Chioma, they charged and started to bark and prance towards them. The dogs knew the drill.

Oga Dan and Chioma wanted to run, but to where? They ran into each other and started to scream out loud. The marshal chained the dogs to a pole on the floor close the where Chioma and Oga Dan were told to stand.

Now listen to me! The Soldier said; I am the Korofo marshal! I am LS Slaughter or sergeant Slaughter if you like! This is my small parade and I hate people that do not follow my instructions! He used the big swagger stick in his hands and drew a circle on the sandy ground.

Oga! Enter here! He told Oga Dan

He drew another circle on the floor

Oya Auntie! You enter here!

They both entered the circle while adjusting the bags strapped over their shoulders.

Something dey inside that bag? I asked Adamu

Yes! Na wet sand and stones full am!

Jesu Christi o! I exclaimed

Now listen to the instructions of this parade! The marshal continued

Number one! Thou shall not leave the circle under any circumstances! Anything you want to do, either to sh*t or to piss, to laugh or to cry, never leave the circle!

Number two! Thou shall not drop your armament! No matter the condition, rain or shine!

Number three! Thou shall not sit down!

If any of these rules is broken, there shall be consequences! He said and looked at his wrist watch, then he turned around to leave.

Sir! Oga Dan called

The marshal turned swiftly back and stood at ease to face Oga Dan; yes? He asked.

Biko, please! Oga Dan said softly almost in tears; what is the consequence sir?

The dogs will tell you! The marshal said and turned abruptly to march out of their presence and at that instance, the two dogs started to bark and jump towards Oga Dan and Chioma.

Chineke me e! Oga Dan screamed

Awuna na m o! Nkita a ta gbuo m na barracks ndi navy o! chaii! Ewu ata go m atu nisi o! 

Chioma too was crying and calling for help

Bolaji please forgive me o! I am sorry for everything! Eewoo! Mama m o! Please o!

Oga Bolaji, I beg me I want to smoke cigarette o! You dey smoke? Adamu asked

No, I no dey smoke, I replied

Oya make we go sidon for under that mango tree there! He said

We moved towards the Mango tree close to the office from where we could watch the VIPs. There was a wooden bench there and a woman with a cooler on a small table in front of her. We greeted the woman and sat down.

Akwai kunu? Adamu asked the woman

Akwai sir! She replied

Akwai sanyi? Adamu asked

Akwai sanyi sosai! She replied

To! Bani insha! Adamu said.

She gave him a cup and a chilled bottle of kunu

Oga, you sabi this one? Adamu asked me as he pulled off his beret and clipped it on the shoulder of his uniform.

No! I replied. 

It is made from dawa! He said.

Dawa? Na wetin be dat one? I asked

Wheat! It is like pap but made from wheat and it is watery unlike normal pap made from maize. The thing good well well and he dey give blood for body! He said.

What? He dey give blood? I asked; no be wheat you say dem take make am? I asked.

Yes nah! He replied.

Okay o! I said. Is it alcoholic? He dey shack? I asked

Haba! No o! kunu no dey shack person! Na the senior brother pito dey shack! That one na gero dem dey take do am! He said

Wetin be gero? I asked

Kai! I no know the English name faa! But na gero every body dey call am. He was referring to millet.

Walahi if you drink pito ehn? You no go drink beer again! Adamu continued as he brought out a pack of Rothmans from his brea$t pocket and lit a stick.

You mean am? I asked

Walahi! He replied. Just as Oga Dan started to shout.

Chioma o! chioma o! ogini ka m mere gi nuwa!? Kedu ka isi tiyem nime udi nsogbu a! chioma what did I do to you that you would put me in such a situation as this! Chai! I am suffering o! These bags are too heavy o!

Oga Dan was restless; he was shifting the weight of the bags from one shoulder to the other.

Chioma was doing the same but she was not shouting like Oga Dan. The two were sweating profusely and the dogs were getting more agitated.

They are lazy people! Adamu said as he puffed out smoke from his burnt lips. They wont last! He said.

How long do you think they will last? I asked

I dont know, but they will be there until they break down! He said

Break down? I asked; how will we know they have broken down? I asked

We will all know! Even the dogs will know! He replied.

Ha! Okay! But how long can a normal human being last with the VIP treatment? I asked

Three hours maximum! He said

Hmm, so you mean you can endure this treatment for three hours? I asked

I was able to do eighteen hours in the depot! He said. It was competition for us. He said; the person that won the competition endured it for 48 hours without sleep, but that record has been broken by another set where some one did it for seventy two hours! Three days!

But you said it was three hours maximum for normal human being? I asked.

Yes! Three hours max! He said puffing out smoke into the air above his head. He tossed the butt away and lit another stick.

Oga Dan, Chioma and the dogs were all shouting.

It was over one hour that we had sat under the tree that Oga Dan suddenly changed the tune of the music.

I want to sh*t o! I want to sh*t! A choro m iyu nshi biko nu o! He held onto his buttocks as he jumped about in the circle.

How will he sh*t now? I asked.

sh*t for there! Dan bura uba nka! Adamu shouted back at him laughing hysterically; it took me fifteen hours before I sh*t on myself that day! Adamu said. Everyone must sh*t under the VIP treatment! He said as he enjoyed his kunu and cigarette.

Walahi this your Oga Dan na lazy man fa! Even the girl strong pass am I swear!

We did not know that Chioma had already excreated in her pants without making any noise about it. She was just crying and stamping her feet on the ground. She was holding her waist and writhing in agony of pain and discomfort.

My waist o! My shoulder! My waist o! Can I sit down please? She was begging and crying.

Oga Dan too started begging to sit down after he had emptied his bowels on his body. The pebbles fell off his boxers while his urine combined with his sweat soaked his boxers. He was shaking all over like some one with cold.

Biko o! ukwu m o! My waist o! My shoulder o! My belle o! Biko gbahara m o! ndi navy gbahara o! It is the devil o! Oga Dan lamented.

The Korofo marshal came around for inspection after two hours.

Listen! He said as the duo and the dog continued to shout; I am going to untie the dogs now! If you leave your circle, you will be eaten alive!

Why? Why? Oga dan shouted; biko dont lose these lions o! They will chop us o! we have not broken the rules nah!

The marshal loosened the dogs.

Chai! O kam si na? O otua kam si na? Oga Dan kept shouting. O bu Nkita gata gbu om? Is this how I will go? To be eaten alive by dogs?

But the dogs did not bite; rather they put more fear into them by sniffing them up.

Chioma closed her eyes and was screaming for her mothers help. Oga Dan made the sign of the cross and started singing a gospel song in tears.

Adamu was just laughing uncontrollably, clutching at his stomach. I was scared of what the dogs could do to them. The Marshal marched away.

At two hours thirty minutes Oga Dan fell down flat with a loud noise and he lay still. One of the dogs sniffed his face and walked briskly to meet the Marshal who was already on his way with a bucket of water to pour on Oga Dan.

That one has broken down! Adamu said; if the marshal had not shown up, the dog would have gone to call him, he said.

Wow! I exclaimed.

At two hours fifty minutes, Chioma collapsed; the dog sniffed her face and barked at the marshal who was on standby with a bucket of water after carrying Oga Dan indoors.

Now they are ready for their statements! Adamu told me as he stood up and slapped his back side clean. I stood up too as Adamu paid the kunu seller and we went home.

The reason for my death was the most stupid one! Out of her quest to get even with me and her friends when the news of our relationship got to her, she had gone to join the Black Brazier the most dreaded female confraternity on Campus. Her plan was to deal with me, katty and messy, but DJ Slam was the obstacle as he would definitely know where the attack is from. The former boy friend of Chioma, Major was given the job to eliminate DJ Slam but DJ Slam has friends every where so the plan licked to him and he quickly organized his men and they took out Major and his number two man “Lusaka”. 

With Major and Lusaka out of the way, the Black braziers knew they were in trouble so they used their police connection to ki*ll DJ Slam at an illegal Police checking point, he was slaughtered and his body dumped at the gate of the hotel in the dead of the night while his head was thrown into the bush, the idea was to make it look like a rival cult murder, after all two known cultists were just murdered. Chioma sent emissaries from the Federal polytechnic at Nekede to round up Tessy and Katty, they were beating and bathed with acid. They have left school for good.

The hotel was shut down for some days after the body of Slam was discovered so as to allow the Police to investigate into the matter but Chioma went to the hotel and black mailed me. She told Oga Dan that whenever I am seen he should call her first and try to hold me down until the Police arrived.

The corrupt police men at Owerri were arrested and charged to court with Chioma and Oga Dan including some members of the Black brazier confraternity.

…To be continued