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Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 18

I sat in solitude as I smoked a wrap of

Indian hemp; we called it Kpoli in Abakaliki

Prison. I was outside the Cell at night but

within the confines of the Prison Yard. I

needed to think out the way forward in my

life, I had been doing this for the past six

days.

First of all, I do not have a Father, I do not

have any sibling, and I do not have any

known Cousin, Uncle or Aunt. I grew alone

with my Mother, we hardly received Visitors

except for those that seek to buy domestic

Animals on non-market days that would

come and ask my mother if she knew

anyone that has to sell.

I did not visit anyone socially, even on

boxing days when Children visit relations in

the spirit of Christmas; I never participated

for once in my life. My mother brought me

up the hard way, she was scared of losing

me, and I was always within her sight.

Eventually when I came of age I ventured to

leave the Village to carve out my destiny and

all these calamities are befalling me. Okay!

Let’s say life is not a bed of roses, let’s say

everyone has his or her own issues in life! I

agree. They say the Rose flower also has

thorns, but mine are merely thorns! All the

flowers are withered. They say it is him that

wears the shoe that knows where it

pinches; I decided not to wear just a shoe

but a Boot! But my Boot is full of thorns! It

pinches me all over!

Joining the Army was not an easy feat to

endure but I survived depot without a visit

from any one for the whole nine months.

Instead of staying in the Army and reap the

fruit of my labour, here I am in Prison; borne

out of my negligence! I have wasted almost

four years of my life waiting for an elusive

freedom. I do not know how much longer I

would stay here.

Now, my Mother, my only relation, she was

the reason I left home for Zaria, I wanted to

prove my Village People wrong, I wanted to

change the name of my family for good, I

wanted to redeem our lost glory, I wanted

Mama to be able to walk tall in the Village, I

wanted to help change her life in the City so

that when she returned home, tongues will

wag and people will marvel at the

transformation in her life. I wanted the

constant frown that has left permanent lines

on her forehead to be wiped off! I wanted

her dimple to return to her face by putting a

constant smile on her lips.

I had it all planed out right from the day I

entered the Army. Even though I was not an

Army Officer, my earnings would have been

enough for me and my mother. I had rented

a Shop for her already and I had money set

aside for her to start a business with, my

trip to the village had started the magic of

restoring our family’s dignity, I had plans to

enroll in school and get a degree so as to

apply for commissioning to the Officer

cadre, or better still I resign and get a civil

job, I had it all planned out!

My Mother has gone mad; some silly Soldiers

had lied to her and broken her heart. She

was called “iya oloju kan” in the Village, the

Woman with a lone eye, I was the lone eye

and now the supposed lone eye is plucked

out! How would she see? She has gone

blind! Her world has been plunged into

pitch darkness completely! She now sees

nothingness! Barrister Amaka said my

Mother gazed at her but did not see her, I

know my mother, she is just waiting for

death to take her, if not for the fear of God,

she would have gone to drown herself at

the Osun River. She had always talked of

committing suicide but for the consequence

when she gets to heaven, she would have

killed the two of us whenever things got so

tight and we went without food for days.

Only if I could do something from here! My

God! Why have thou forsaken me? Why is

my own so different? Please God help my

Mother, save her! If she dies, what becomes

of me? What is the essence of all my

aspirations? I will be likened to the lunatic

on the street who has no family to be

identified with. Even his biological relations

point at him from a distance and shake their

heads in shame at his plight.

I needed to see my Mother! If she sees me

she will regain her senses, I was positive

about that. I only need to cuddle her and

keep her close to me and gradually she will

be well, it may not be instantly, but she will

eventually recover if we stay together, I

know what to say to her, I know her

favourite songs, I will sing them for her, I

know she loved to watch me dance, I will

always dance for her, I will sit her down and

plait her hair, I used to plait her hair, I know

the foods she loved, I will prepare them for

her and feed her like my baby. Oh mama mi.

But I am in prison, even if she is brought

here to see me, I can only cuddle her, I

would not be able to keep her close, wont

her condition become worse if she is

brought here and taken away? The moment

she sets her eyes on me, would she let go?

She would go berserk if she comes here to

see me and after ten minutes I am ushered

back to my cell, away from her. Whatever

string that is still holding her between sanity

and total insanity would snap!

The other person that seems to affect me

somehow now is Barrister Amaka. I do not

really understand how or where to place

her. She is supposed to be a paid legal

consultant to me but she has gone beyond

that! The way and manner she is taking my

case called for concern because she had not

even requested that I paid for all the cost

she had incurred so far. She had dug up

much about Mr. Chike, she had gone to my

home town to see my mother, and she had

visited the Army Barracks to collect my

Cheque book. All these moves cost money

yet I have only paid her for the initial

consulting fee. I hope I would be able to pay

up when she eventually gives me her bill. I

have a lot of money saved up now though

lately I have stopped saving after the news

of my mother’s health got to me.

To tell myself the truth, I secretly wished this

Barrister was not so high in status! Imagine

the daughter of a senior advocate of the

federal republic of Nigeria! The daughter of

a magistrate Court Judge, handling my case!

How on earth could I have come in contact

with her in normal life? But she is so

unassuming and down to earth. She does

not treat me with disrespect and there is no

iota of pride or arrogance in her. She even

had to shed tears with me the other day

when I was crying and begging her to help

me because of my poor mother; she also

lost the spark in her eyes when she wanted

to tell me about my mother’s present state

of health. She knew it would break my heart

and she was not happy being the harbinger

of such news to me. She has got a good

heart.

I was on the third wrap of kpoli when Oga

Inside came to join me; he sat quietly

starring at me as I dragged on my kpoli, I

was in another realm and my brain cells

were charged and running errands. I looked

at him and offered him the Indian hemp, he

collected it and took two long drags, he

allowed the smoke to run errands in his

system before exhaling thick smoke which

he directed to my face, we were

communicating, I got the message; we

laughed out loud together.

We finished smoking the parcel together in

silence before Oga Inside broke the silence.

Ojo I want to talk to you! He had said.

Oga mi, talk! I dey listen. I said.

This Indian hemp wey you don start to dey

smoke everyday now no good o! I sabi say

you be Soja before you come here and Kpoli

no be new thing for a Soja, but I no sabi say

you dey smoke am well well like this nah!

Oga inside! I interrupted; life don tire me I

beg! I just tire for everything!

Hmm,I understand your situation Ojo, he

said; this na my twenty three years for this

Prisons work and I don serve for eight

different Prisons all over Nigeria so my eyes

don see plenty! Your case no be the worst

o! At all, at all! In fact your case better pass

plenty People own. No be People dey for C.C

cell? Thank your God say you still get hope of

leaving here someday. Thank God say you

get sound health, you dey fit to eat and

drink, you dey even smoke Kpoli! Old boy! I

don see cases wey worse pass your own

well well! You wey dey inside Prison and you

still dey do business, you dey complain!

Oga Inside! I interrupted; wetin be the

importance of the money wey I dey make

when my Mama, the only Person wey I get

for life don kolo? What is the use? I asked.

The use be say, you still fit use that money to

cure her and take care of her! He said; but if

you use your money to smoke Kpoli finish,

how you go take carter for your mama

medical needs? How you go take settle your

Lawyer? Even me wey I dey here with you,

you think say na because I like you? I go run

from you I swear!

You mean am? I asked him.

Before nko? He asked; no be quarrel me and

you dey always quarrel before? Abi you don

forget? The reason I dey close to you na

because you dey settle me o! If not, wetin

go make Warder and Prisoner sidon

together dey share Kpoli smoke? Look! You

better wise up o! Stop this yeye habit wey

you want to start now before you ruin

yourself! Kpoli dey very expensive inside

Prison and at the rate you are going, you go

smoke your money finish then your eyes go

clear! By that time, your case go bad pass

your mama own sef!

And that your Barrister! He said; he be like

say she like you! The way she dey carry your

matter put for head dey make me to wonder

whether no be me connect her to you

again!

Wetin you mean Oga? I asked

Just be careful not to hurt her or disappoint

her by misbehaving or giving up all hope, let

her continue to see the drive and desire to

survive in you. Stop burning your money on

Kpoli! Don’t emulate these Politicians here!

These Guys have chains of businesses

churning out money for them outside the

walls of these Prisons and abroad. The only

source of income you have now is the illegal

trade you are indulged in here, and

remember that no be everybody like you!

Some people dey jealous you already if you

must know! But no be everything I go dey

tell you! The fact that you are doing

business in the Prison does not mean that it

is legal and allowed! It is illegal! But we just

look the other way, and for your

information, the day our Oga or external

inspectors will come here and they happen

to find out, all of us including me will deny

you three times before the rooster crows!

So make your money while you can and stop

squandering it, because nothing lasts

forever!

Before we parted ways that night, we

agreed that he contact my Lawyer and

together they should see that my Mother is

brought to a Psychiatric Hospital in

Abakaliki. From then we shall know the way

forward.

I will forever be grateful to Oga Inside for

our discussion that night.

Oga Inside did not embezzle my money,

although he had used up some of it for

family issues but he promised to pay back.

The balance of eight thousand naira with

him he had deposited into my Bank account,

he brought back the deposit slip to me for

keeps


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