THE CHRONICLES OF A GHOST TOWN

[A True Life Story]

Prologue Part I:
A Storm Approaching

This is dedicated to three of my dearest friends who lost their

lives to the murderous rampage going on in Maiduguri. May their
souls rest in perfect peace!

Prologue [Part I]

September 29, 2012.

I remember waking up feeling excited. I always feel
excited when I have a studio session and that Saturday was
no different. It was the first job (Im a music producer and
an Engineering student) I was taking on since resumption
and so, I was feeling more excited than usual. The semester
was still young and the past few weeks had already been
quite eventful. Academic activities were lazily picking up
pace and I was making plans to start studying by the next
week. I havent been too serious with my academics
recently and my performance hasnt been up to my
standards. This semester is going to be different! I promised
myself and I really meant it.
A cock crowed somewhere nearby and jolted me out of
my reverie. Lazily and quite reluctantly, I opened my eyes
(I love sleeping and so I always find it difficult to leave my
bed). My room was unusually quiet and it took a while for
my brain to boot.
Where is everyone? I thought to myself. I usually wake up
to the sound of Abdul and Halimas voice cheerfully
chatting or having one of their funny arguments. I smiled
at that thought. They were one of a kind! Most people still
believed them to be siblings and they helped spread the
rumours themselves (they really enjoyed doing that). It
didnt help matters that they closely resembled one another.
3

Abdul and Halima have been inseparable from the time

they got to know one another. That they would end up
dating each other had always been evident to me even
though, Abdul always swore that it would never happen. I
laughed to myself as I started going down memory lane.
Abdul was my closest friend and so, I knew him just as
much as he knew me, we could always tell when one was
lying to himself. Soo many escapades wed had and
Boooooom!!! A distant explosion rattled my window pane
softly as the shockwaves from miles away reached my
room. I sighed to myself and lazily rolled out of bed.
Maiduguri was getting worse by the day and the whole
world didnt seem to care anymore. The sound of gunshots
and explosions were now as common as cock crows and
wed all gotten used to it. Every day was on orgy of blood
shed between the warring factions in the state and the
innocent citizens of Maiduguri were hopelessly caught up
in the crossfire. The body count would probably be running
into thousands if the media were to be truthful in their
reports and the majority of the people slain were people
who were in no way related to the fighting. Innocent
passers-by when a bomb exploded, more innocent passersby when the inevitable gun battle that ensues after an
explosion erupts, targeted assassinations, factor in all these
things and the body count in a day would quickly be
running into hundreds. At night, numerous assassination
gangs plagued the city and every morning, countless people
wouldve been slain for one sentimental reason or the other.
4

Most times, these vilians would lay waste a whole family,

sometimes sparing only the women. These were stories we
heard every day and what more, every once in a while, one
of these numerous innocents would be someone you knew.
This was the Maiduguri we were living in and the future
wasnt looking positive.
Why then, you may ask, were we still in Maiduguri?
Why have parents been allowing their kids to continue
schooling in a war torn state. For many of the ordinary
citizens, Maiduguri was and is the only place they have
ever known. Most people literally have nowhere to run to.
Furthermore, the crisis rocking the state capital has largely
been isolated to certain areas such as the Custom and
Gonge wards, and though there was usually some spill over
violence, one was usually safe if he or she avoided those
areas prone to crisis. The things to fear for most people
were the numerous assassination gangs that plagued the
city at night seemingly un-encumbered by the dusk till
dawn curfew in place. These blood-suckers were the real
terror for most people living in the state capital for they
caused people sleepless nights, as no one could predict
where they would strike next. Still, there was a pattern to
the madness and their areas of operation were usually
limited to certain places. In these areas, terror rained
supreme. Suffice to say, some of us such as the university
students and lecturers stayed on because our campus was
situated in an area that had, by the mercies of God, not
been over-ridden by the violence engulfing the state. Since
5

the dawn of the crisis a few years back, places like the
Unimaid campus, old and new G.R.A, Pompumari and so
on, have had almost a zero occurrence of violence. These
could be attributed to many things such as the calibre of
people living in these places [by calibre, I mean people, both
Muslims and Christians, that are largely educated] and so
on but I would rather attribute it to the mercies of God.
Thus, we all continued schooling with the hope that the
status quo would remain un-altered for if we stuck to our
campus, we were largely safe from the violence. The only
problem was when you inevitably had to go to town for
some business [such as going to the banks]. Going into
town in Maiduguri was more like gambling for you never
knew where or when the next battle may erupt. You could
literally walk right into a bomb explosion or a shoot-out
between the warring factions and so, it was always a risky
business that was best avoided. So, we stuck to our campus
and the surrounding areas of the university and we were
relatively safe. Still, we were very much aware of the
carnage going on for we could hear and feel the bombs
exploding on a daily basis in town, as well as the gunshots
that seemed to be a constant background chatter.
I pushed all these thoughts out of my mind as I
quickly took a shower and got ready to go out. Still
wondering where they were, I looked out of my window
hoping to see Halimas car. Not there. I picked up my
phone and was about dialling Abduls number when I
suddenly remembered that they hadnt spent the night in
6

my place. Fool! I jokingly cursed myself for being so

forgetful. It wasnt entirely my fault [I am actually a really
forgetful person though] for I was so used to having them
around and so it was entirely plausible for me to find their
absence weird. Abdul and Halima had been spending most
of their nights in my place on campus since we resumed
this semester. My mum didnt mind having Halima over in
our house anytime for she knew the nature of our
friendship as being just really good friends. We had rented
a place for Abdul in the 202 housing estate opposite the
university campus a year back and the rent had just expired.
Thus, he was staying with me full-time until we could find
a place for him. Wed decided that he should move in to
campus for though the areas surrounding the university
such as the 202 and 303 hosing estate were relatively safe,
the violence in the state had been steadily escalating and we
were all beginning to be uncomfortable with being
anywhere other than school. Halima was also trying to get
a space in one of the new girls hostels [some of the girls
hostel blocks in Unimaid are quite comfortable to live in
unlike most of the boys hostels. Thus, ladies were usually
quite content with taking up accommodations in school]
but until then, she usually slept over whenever it go too late
to go back to the family house in town for there was a
curfew in place and night wasnt a time to be moving
around in a place like Maiduguri anyways. Thus, every
night was usually fun in my house with Abdul and Halima
around, cheerfully gisting, playing call of duty on the xbox 360 or doing some other crazy thing.
7

Last night however, Abdul and Halima had gone to

sleep over in Halimas family house in town and so I had
spent the night alone. I checked my time. I needed to be on
the move. My phone rang and slightly startled me. I picked
the phone and answered,
Hello I said.
Von-D how far now, I still dey wait for you O! Mykebos
voice replied on the other end.
No vex abeg, I don already leave house
No wahala Ina jiran ka dan Allah. Ka jii ko oga! said
Mykebo. I chuckled when he called me oga.
Habba mana no dey call me oga abeg. You know say na
you be boss I chipped back. And so we continued, until we
got tired of calling each other oga. I dropped the call after
promising to be at the studio in ten minute.
The studio was just a 5-minutes walk from my house.
Opposite the school park, it was situated right at the heart
of the students off-campus residential area. It was however
not well known and that suited me just fine for I tend to
like serene environments. I had only recently begun
working with the studio just after my friend Mykebo took
over management of the studio. In the few weeks or
months we had spent running it, wed managed to churn
out quite a number of songs and some of them were quite
popular with the students. I went through a check-list of
the things I needed to do for the day in my head as I walked
8

deliberately slowly to the studio. I needed to call A-maz, Id

already called Dino and told him to meet me at the studio, I
needed to call Abdul and Halima too. I put off calling
Abdul and Halima for I guessed that they would sooner or
later come to look for me wherever I was.
I felt queer as I stepped out of the university gates.
There was always a feeling of danger that came over you
these days whenever one stepped out of the university
campus. A military van sped past as I was about to cross,
closely followed by an armoured car. The soldiers in the
leading van where all wearing some sort of masks,
fashioned out of red handkerchiefs and camouflage
material. They looked like ninjas in camouflage wielding
guns and cutlasses. It almost looked like a scene straight out
of a Holy-wood movie. Civilians hurriedly moved aside to
create a path for the military convoy. I shook my head and
sighed. Soldiers in Maiduguri had become like demi gods,
having the power to do and undo. Military blockades
covered every nook and cranny in the state, causing a
traffic bottleneck that choked and almost ground to a halt
the already dysfunctional economy of the state. The
soldiers themselves well more on that some other time. I
watched the convoy disappear in the distance and the
familiar ache and sadness over the current state of affairs
returned to my heart. Traffic returned to normal after the
passage of the military convoy and I crossed the road and
hurriedly walked to the studio.

Deep breath! I closed my eyes and savoured the feeling

of being in the dark studio. Mykebo was outside fiddling
with the gen, trying to make it come alive. Here at least, is
a place where I could get lost in my own world, creating
tunes while remaining oblivious to the carnage and
madness that was raging on all around me. And lost did I
get, for I completely lost track of time as I immersed myself
in the song we were trying to compose. The next time I
checked my wrist watch, it was already past four in the
evening and that was late by Maiduguri standards. Dino
had at some point joined us in the studio and he was
heartily gisting with Mykebou and Sammy. I needed to get
moving. I closed my eyes and absent mindedly played some
chords on the Yamaha PSR keyboard in front of me.
Von D. We go enter beach today abi? The sound of my
name jolted me back to reality. Dino obviously had plans
for the evening. I however was feeling a little bit downcast
for no reason and so I wasnt in a going out mood.
Men Dino, I dey on a low o! I no too hold bar like that
Abi you gallant? I replied.
Bros, you know how things be now Me self I dey empty.
Dino said.
See your head you wey just come back from jay yesterday.
You wan tell me say u no hold ground? Gerrout jor! I scrawled
my face to make him believe I was serious.

10

Dino laughed for he saw through the ruse. I heartily

joined him and the conversation so0n turned to more trivial
things.
How far now, I never see Shizzy and Heych today o!
someone said.
Me self dem suppose block me for studio but I never hear
from them. I sure say they don go relax for one joint now na why I
never see them. If they enter area sha I know say dem go find me
was my reply.
I suppose call Shizzy self I said again. I picked up my
phone but changed my mind for no apparent reason. I
reasoned that Abdul [Shizzy] was probably not nearby and
so I made up my mind to call him later.
Abi make we go track them for 202? Dino asked me
again.
Emmm make we go ATM first abeg. E be like say I get
some small change for account. We fit use am flex small if we jam
with them At least, make we no dull ourselves now. How you
see am?
Idiot! So you get money self. See your head. Dino fired at
me.
I laughed at him and stood up, hailed everyone and
stepped out of the studio. Dino was right behind me and we
briskly strolled into school, all the while, talking about
music and other random stuff. Ten minutes later, I had
withdrawn the little cash I had in my account and was
11

contemplating going into 202 with Dino to meet up with

Abdul and Halima. I was however, still feeling a little
down and so I changed my mind and decided to head home.
Dino was disappointed for he had wanted us to hang out a
bit before it got late. I shared the little money I had with
him and we parted ways.
I walked home slowly, enjoying the cool evening
breeze. The university campus was after all, quite serene.
One often forgot that he was in Maiduguri when on
campus, except for the distant sounds of bomb blasts and
gunshots that occasionally pierced the otherwise calm
environment. I stopped by briefly at a shop to buy some
packets of Indomie. Abdul [Shizzy] and Halima [Heych]
were definitely going to meet me at home sooner or later
and they would definitely be famished as usual. Got home
by about 6:00pm and turned on our generating set. I lay
down on my bed and played around with my phone, all the
while expecting to hear the familiar hum of the engine of
Halimas car driving into our compound. A-maz and Alfred
[Ola-Blaq] came over at some point, and we all settled
down to play some soccer [PES 2011 I think].
I think I dozed off for a while. It seemed more like
5minutes to me but when I looked at my watch, it was
already around 9:00 oclock. A-maz [Steven] and Alfred
[Ola-Blaq] had already left for home. I checked my phone
and saw about 5 missed calls. Snazzy!

12

I sighed to myself and lazily stretched on the bed.

Where was Abdul [Shizzy] and Halima [Heych]? It was
already past curfew time and I still hadnt heard from them
all day. It was a little bit queer that Snazzy would be calling
me so many times at such a time in the night. I was
beginning to get a bad feeling. I picked up my phone and
dialled Snazzys number.
Snazzy, how far now?
Von D... e get one funny rumour wey just dey fly around o!
I no know wether you fit clarify am for me? Snazzys voice was
shaky at the other end of the line and I immediately sensed
that something was wrong.
Guy, wetin happen? Tell me wetin you hear
MenPerson just call me now dey tell me sayShizzy and
Heych were found covered in blood in 202
my mind went blank. I felt dizzy and my room
suddenly felt icy cold. I chuckled and thought to myself it
was just a joke or was it not? A storm was approaching
and I wasnt sure I had the fortitude to get through it.

13

Prologue Part II:

Things Fall Apart

14

September 30, 2012.

I was shivering. I wasnt feeling cold but I kept
shivering. It was about 12:20am or so and my room seemed
darker than usual. Snazzys call a few hours ago had sent
chills running down my spine. Shizzy [Abdul], Heych
[Halima], found covered in blood I chuckled to myself. It
seemed to me that Snazzy must have over-dozed on
something, and I wasnt finding it funny at all. Id already
spent the past one or two hours making phone calls, trying
to put together a picture of what was happening, but all Id
gotten were vague answers and lots of speculation. I sighed
to myself and adjusted my blanket. Strangely enough, I
wasnt scared, sad or even feeling any emotion at all. I just
had a cold, grey emptiness slowly engulfing me, my mind
thinking clearly and methodically going through all
possible scenarios, weighing all my options, deciding what
needed to be done. Looking back now, I think it was God,
who held back the floodgates of emotions from
overwhelming me that night for I needed to be strong for
what lay ahead.
I picked up my phone and dialled D2s[Yakubu]
number. For one thing, he was the only person that I could
trust to give me a true and detailed account of what was
going on. D2 was blood, and one of the few people that held
my confidence. We had a history together too and he was
one of the artists signed to I and Shizzys record label
15

Sound Unit. His house was on the same street with

Shizzys apartment in 202 and so I expected him to be
abreast of whatever was going on in that area.
The number you have dialled is unavailable at the moment,
please try again later. I sighed to myself. Id lost count of the
number of times Id dialled D2s number, and I was getting
frustrated with the automated message that kept playing
each time. Where was D2 when I needed him? I scrolled
through the contacts on my phone and dialled A-mazs
number. He needed to know what was happening.
I closed my eyes and slowed down my breathing,
trying to calm myself for the adrenaline in my bloodstream
was making me really nervous. The wind was whistling
eerily outside and I tried to imagine the scenery that had
just been described to me by Snazzy. I had a duty to call
Shizzys parents to let them know what was happening but
I didnt have the guts to. What was I going to tell them?
Besides, I didnt even believe that Shizzy and Heych were
dead anyways and so
The door of my room burst open as Shizzy and Heych
rushed into my room in their usual jovial manner. Heych
jumped on me and started tickling me until I was nearly out
of breath.
Guy how far now? You don dey crash already? Shizzy
asked as he helped to drag Heych off me. She was giggling
uncontrollably and she was obviously having a good time
torturing me.
16

Meeeeeenwhere una dey since now? You know the kind

rumours wey don dey fly around? Ive been really worried O! I
replied when I regained my breath. I felt like a heavy
burden had just been lifted off my back. Id never been
happier to see Shizzy and Heych.
Haba Dee Stop looking so serious now! Wetin you hear
like dis wey dey make you fear? asked Heych with a puzzled
expression on her face.
Boys just dey call me dey tell me some kind fuuny things o!
Say una don fall for 202 you and Shizzy covered in blood or
something like that.
Abdul chuckled in his usual self-confident manner,
Guy how you go ever believe say I don fall ehn? Abi no be me
dey your front like dis? Abeg jor, on Xbox for us make we tan
Call-Of-Duty small jare
I smiled as I lazily stretched to turn on the game console.
All was well after all
The sound of distant gunshots jolted me awake. I
sighed to myself and realized that I had just been dreaming.
I was half awake and I was finding it difficult to
differentiate my dreams from reality. Was I even dreaming
at all?
The rest of my night was spent drifting in and out of
sleep, each-time having a different dream about Shizzy and
Heych They all seemed so real! I finally got frustrated by
the dreams and forced myself out of bed. I checked the time
17

and it was already about 5:00am. Curfew was not going to

be over until 6:00am but I couldnt wait till then. I needed
to get to the bottom of all the rumours once and for all and
so, I hurriedly cleaned up, put on some clothes and got
ready to leave home. I silently snuck into my sisters room
and gently woke her up.
Jay! I whispered, Im going out and Im not following you
guys to church. Im hearing some rumours that Abdul and Halima
were killed in 202 and I need to go and find out whats happening.
Help me tell mum coz I dont wanna wake her up!
Julie was speechlessI didnt wait for her to reply as I
briskly walked out of her room, out of the house and into
the darkness outside. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach
that I was going to have an awful day.
Walking has always been a way of making myself
think and that morning was no different. What was I going
to do? Id already made up my mind that I was not going
back home until I had found Shizzy and Heych, and put an
end to the silly rumours going around. It still wasnt 6:00am
yet and it was a risky business going out in Maiduguri
during curfew hours. You would definitely be shot down by
the JTF if you were found violating the curfew in place. I
knew the risks but I could no longer sit at home and do
nothing. I walked briskly towards Gate-4 while trying to
formulate a rational plan in my mind. Heychs brother,
Umar was living in 303 and I knew that if anything had
happened to Heych, he would be on top of the situation. I
18

needed to see A-maz first however before going over to

Umars place. I needed a brother by my side and I knew
that A-maz would stand right by me.
I made it to A-mazs compound without being shot.
He was already waiting for me and from the expression on
his face; I could tell that he hadnt slept too well either. It
was a melancholic gathering, as we all sat down [I, A-maz
and Blaq] in silence. No one had the will to say anything.
Words werent needed to express the grief and gloom in the
atmosphere.
Von How do we confirm any of this now? Blaq asked
me.
Meenmake curfew finish make we enter Umar side. Ive
been unable to get him since yesterday I said with a heavy
sigh.
I was lost in my thoughts when A-maz called me out
so we could head out. It was time to find out the truth!

We arrived at Umars house at some time after

6:00am. A-maz re-adjusted his parking while I quietly
walked into the compound and headed towards Umars

19

room. A few guys were hanging around door and it seemed

strange that no one was talking to anyone.
Where is Umar abeg? I asked one of the guys hanging
by the door. I got silence for an answer. I brushed past the
guy and made my way into Umars room. The sight that
greeted me was heart-rending and the worst of my fears
were confirmed in an instant. Mama [Heychs immediate
Younger sister] was weeping un-controllably on the floor.
Some other guy was sitting at the other end of the room, a
pained expression on his face. He was obviously at a loss of
words to comfort Mama. Holding back my own tears, I
rushed to her side and hugged her I was also at a loss of
words to console her too. It tore me inside to know that
there was nothing I could do at that moment to spare her
the grief that was definitely eating her up. The other guy in
the room, who was Umars roommate, spoke up;
Von-D, whereve you been now?
Brona curfew hold me for inside school O! Where Umar
enter now? I asked.
He just left like 10 minutes ago. He said he was going to
look for you at home
Give me his number abeg
I collected Umars number from him and dialled it.
Umar confirmed to me that he had just entered the school
campus and was heading towards my house. We set up a

20

rendezvous and I reluctantly left Mama in the care of

Umars roommate.
I met with Umar just outside the school main gate. His
eyes were swollen and bloodshot, and it was obvious that he
had had a long night. I shook his hand and gave him a bro
hug. We stood in silence just staring at each other, neither
of us having the will to speak up I was praying a silent
prayer, pleading with the Most-High to wake me up, for I
was trying hard to convince myself that it was just another
nightmare.
Von-D Where is your friend now?
Umars question took me aback. What in the world did
he mean by where is my friend? He was obviously referring
to Shizzy and my mind couldnt comprehend what he was
trying to imply. A faint glimmer of hope sprang in my
heart.
Wetin you mean by where is my friend? I thought he was
with Heych last night when I couldnt bring myself to
complete the sentence. Umars expression was grim.
He wasnt with Heych last night o! We found Heych with
one other guy last night covered in blood and we havent seen
Shizzy since. People think the other guy is Shizzy but we actually
dont know who it is. Nobody was able to identify him. I was
beginning to comprehend the complexity of the situation
and I could see why he had rushed to my place first thing
after curfew. If Shizzy had somehow managed to survive, I
would have been the first person he would have gone to and
21

so it made sense that Umar would come to me first. My

heart began to race and despite the gloom around me; I felt
a sudden warmth surge through my heart. So my wing-man
wasnt dead after all. Shizzy was the toughest guy I knew
and I was sure that there was no way he wouldve gone
down easily.
I never hear from Shizzy o! I was thinking that he was the
one with Heych last night I said.
Men! Umar sighed. Things were getting really
complicated.
I need to send Mama home... Shes too traumatized and I
cant let her stay here. She needs to be where shell be looked
after.
Umar was right. We needed to make arrangements to
take Mama home. I was still desperate to get the details of
what had transpired the previous night but I was not
willing to put Umar through the ordeal of recounting such a
story to me, at such a delicate time. Umar joined us in Amazs car and we headed for his house to make
arrangements for Mamas departure.
Last night was awful man. Umar spoke up.
What really happened bro? I tried to reach you last night
but I apparently had a wrong number.
Some soldiers came to my house last night around like
9:00pm in the night to tell me that they had just found my sister
dead. I nearly fainted I could see the sorrow in Umars eyes
22

as he tried to fill me in. No one really knows what happened, I

just know that some unidentified people murdered them I spent
the whole of last night getting Halie to the hospital and answering
questions at the Police station. I am even supposed to report there
this morning self.
...and you said that no one knows where Shizzy is? I
needed to be sure.
Yes broI really need you to help me look for him. I believe
hes the only one that can let us know what really happened. I
could see that Umar was also really hopeful.
Ok heres what well do. You take Mama home and then
report to the police station. Ill go into 202 and do everything I can
to find Shizzy. Just make sure that you keep me informed on any
developments on your side. I said to Umar.
Aite bro Ill keep ya posted.
We [I, A-maz and Blaq] dropped Umar at his house
and headed back for A-mazs place. A lot of questions were
swirling through my mind. Who would want to kill
Halima? Was Shizzy Alive? If yes then why hadnt he
looked for me? Were things so bad that he could not afford
to contact me? Was he too injured to make it to my place
last night? Was he hiding somewhere and if so, where
could he be hiding? Why couldnt he. I had a million
questions running through my mind.
Oh God please let him be aliveplease Lord! Please please
please was the silent prayer echoing in my heart. I tried to
23

be rational. I needed to let Shizzys parents know what was

happening. I needed to find D2 too, for he would have
known what had transpired the previous night. I also
needed to find I.B and Ayo, for they stayed in the same
compound with Shizzy and it was Ayo who had originally
discovered the corpses, according to Umar.
We got back to A-mazs place at probably around
7:00am. The ride back home had been awfully silent as each
one of us had been lost in his own thoughts, pleading with
God for the safety of our dear friend. The fact that Shizzy
was probably alive had lit a fire within me and I
immediately set to work, making phone-call after phonecall, trying to piece together the events of the previous
night. I finally had to make the most difficult phone call of
my life
HelloGood morning daddy I greeted Shizzys dad. I
knew he had sensed something was wrong but he didnt
push me.
Morning my son How have you been? came his reply at
the other end of the line.
Daddy we have a problem o! My voice was really shaky;
Halima was murdered last night in Abduls house with one other
boy but we dont know who it is. We have been looking for Abdul
since last night.
The silence at the other end of the line was deafening.
I lack words to express how much pain was communicated
to me in that brief moment of silence. I had gone straight to
24

the point coz Shizzys dad was a military man and so I

believed that he wouldve been capable of bearing the news.
Furthermore, I couldnt bring myself to call Shizzys mum
and tell her that her son was missing; I didnt just have the
courage to do that. Looking back now I think I might have
delivered the news in an insensitive way. Shizzys parents
and Heychs parents had gotten to know each other quite
well because of their childrens relationship. Heych had
even spent a few days of her previous holiday in Shizzys
house in Abuja and her mum had become quite close to
Shizzys mum. The news of Heychs death must have hit
Shizzys dad really hard for she was like a daughter to him.
Tell me the truth Damsha Is Abdul dead? Just tell me the
truth There was much distress in his voice.
Daddy I cant lie to you about something like this Im
really worried coz I havent heard from him since yesterday.
ok. Dont call Abduls mum yet. She wont be able to bear
it. Ill be the one to tell her. Ill send some soldiers to meet you so
that you people can look for Abdulplease my son, I need you to
do everything you can to find him
Ok sir Ill do my best I promise!
The sun was just coming up and the town was
unusually quiet. I paced up and down trying to calm myself
down. A-maz was sitting by the varenda, a serene look on
his face. Blaq was leaning by the car, absent-mindedly
fiddling with something in his hand. The news and reality
of Heychs death was beginning to sink in, and the pain
25

that followed this realization was too much for us to bear.

Heych, oh sweet Halima! My heart ached as I thought of
her beautiful smile and her fragile physique. There was
simply no other girl like her in the whole wide world and
anyone who had known her would testify to that. Jovial
and gregarious, stubborn, strong-willed and extremely selfconfident yet, humble, caring and extremely generous. She
was a perfect mix of opposite qualities and she had
something about her that made you just love her. Tomboyish in nature and probably the best female rapper in
Unimaid, one could probably never guess that she was an
indigene of Borno state from the prestigious family of the
Damcidas. Heych was easily Unimaids most popular girl
and her reps in school was unquantifiable. Heych was one
word; Awesome! That anyone would want to harm her was
simply unthinkable for me. I felt empty and I knew that I
would probably never recover from the loss.
Where was Shizzy then? And where was D2 anyway?
Could D2 have been the guy murdered with Heych? Highly
unlikely for if he had been the one found with her, Umar
and many other people would have instantly recognized
him. I needed to find D2 for he was perhaps the only one
who could point me in the right direction. I made up my
mind to head into 202 and meet up with I.B so I could get
proper eyewitness accounts. I would head to D2s place
from there and one way or the other, get to the bottom of
all that was happening. I told A-maz I needed to borrow his

26

car and he gladly gave me the keys. I was almost at the

door of A-mazs car when my phone rang;
I.B. wassup man I spoke into my mouthpiece. Im
headed over to your place right nowhope youre home.
Yeah sureummm Von-D something really bad just
happened manI dunno how to tell you this. I felt like my heart
just dropped out of my chest. Shizzy was just found in the
same compound He is dead bro! Hes gone
I.B was sobbing at the other end of the line. For
melife had just changed permanently. I looked at A-maz
and broke the news to himI didnt wait to see his reaction.
I jumped into the car and zoomed off. Shizzy was not dead
and there was no way I would ever believe that! Even as I
headed for I.Bs place, I knew deep within me that the
course of my life had been irreversible altered. My life was
literally falling apart.

27

THE CHRONICLES OF A GHOST TOWN

[A True Life Story]

Prologue Part III:

The Eye of The Storm

28

Prologue [Part III]

September 30, 2012.

What do you do when you are told that your closest
friend has been murdered? For me, I just did not believe it.
I was driving slowly, absent-mindedly chewing hard on my
finger and heading towards I.Bs apartment. My mind was
blank my phone was continuously ringing but I kept
ignoring it. My mum had called a few minutes back and she
had been devastated to learn that Halie was dead. Shed
wanted to come over immediately and meet me but I
insisted that she go to church and that I would update her
whenever anything came up. In-between sobs, she kept
asking about Abdul and I kept reassuring her that Abdul
was alright and that I was doing my best to locate him.
Was that a lie? I dont think so for I actually did not believe
that Shizzy was dead. I was never going to believe that
unless I saw and held him myself. Slowly, reality began to
sink in and for the first time since the previous night, I
began to truly contemplate the possibility and implications
of Abduls death and the enormous responsibility that was
going to fall on my head. Emotions were beginning to
churn within me and it took a huge effort to bottle them in,
for I needed to be strong for what lay ahead.
I got to I.Bs residence and found him sitting outside.
I.Bs was looking dejected and his eyes were bloodshot it
was easy to tell that he had wept a lot in the past few hours.
29

I parked by the gate and slowly shuffled to where I.B was

sitting. He rushed and gave me a very emotional bro-hug
and I found myself speechless. We sat in silence for a few
minutes before I found my voice again.
What really happened man? I.B, tell me all you know! I
said coolly, showing no sign of the turmoil within me.
Im not really sure what happened broall I know is that
Ayo came back from school yesterday in the evening and found
Heych and another guy butchered in you-and-Shizzys old
apartment. He spent the whole of last night getting the JTF on
scene, answering questions andyou know how police wahala is
now. I actually thought the guy found with Heych was Shizzy but
apparently, it was someone else. A JTF convoy just went back to
the compound a few minutes back and did a thorough search and
thats when they found I.Bs voice trailed off and there was
pain in his voice.
Are you really sure its Shizzy they just found?
Von thats what eyewitnesses are telling me o! The JTF
are still in the compound right now self and people are running
away from that street because no one really understands whats
going on and you know how the JTF can be if they start
questioning peoplewas I.Bs reply.
It took me less than a second to make up my mind;
Im going there now I said as I stood up.
No wait Von-D... I.B stood up and tried to hold me
back. The soldiers are all over the place man and they may
30

mistake you for. Calm down bro. I dont think its safe to go
over there
I was about to start arguing with him when my phone
rang. I picked up the phone and Umars broken voice spoke
at the other end;
Bro, have you heard whats going on? They just foundthey
just found your bro, man. Hes gone Hes Umars voice
was really shaky and I could not even fathom what he was
going through. I was silent for I had nothing to say.
The JTF just called me to come over to the compound so Ill
be there in a few minutes. Ive told them that you are coming to
stand in for Shizzy so Ill call you when I get there Umar said.
Thanks bro Ill be waiting. Im even nearby Stay strong
man was my reply.
I sat down again and a look of relief swept over IBs
face. He assumed that Id changed my and was obviously
glad about it. I told him about the conversation I had just
had with Umar and he grew apprehensive again when he
learnt that I was still to go over to the scene and meet up
with the JTF. I chewed my fingers as I fiddled with my
phone and scrolled slowly through my contacts down to
one of the entries. I dreaded the phone-call I was about to
make and it took the greatest amount of willpower I could
muster to make that phone call. I had the responsibility of
breaking this final piece of bad news to Abduls parents I
found it really ironic. On another day, in another place, at
another time and on a different turn of events, it would
31

have been Abduls responsibility to call my parents. But

here I was, alive and breathing while my best friend had
crossed to the other side. I must confess that I lost my faith
in God at that point
I called Abduls dad and there was a faint glimmer of
hope in his voice when he picked the call, for I guess he
believed I was calling him to give him some good news.
Hello sir umm we found Abdul sir Hes umm
Abduls gone sir Hes gone I said softly.
A very pained wail went out from Abduls dad and he
pushed the phone away from himself for a while I could
still hear the mourning in the background though. It was
very touching to hear a soldier weep, quite unbearable to
hear a father shed tears for his son. I was about to drop the
call for I could not bear to listen anymore when his voice
spoke to me again from the other end with remarkable
composure.
Im sending my brother to meet you my son, so be calm and
stay strong. Make sure you dont call my wife Ill be the one to
tell her myself. Im booking the next flight to Maiduguri so please
try and do what you can to get Abdul to the hospital before I come
ok? Call me every few minutes and continuously update me on
whatevers going on There was a certain coldness to his
voice now and I was taken aback by how quickly he had
composed himself. He was a military officer after all
Ok sirno problem was my muffled reply. A few
minutes later, Umar called me to come over to the
32

compound and I left I.Bs house and headed for Shizzys old
apartment.

I walked towards Abduls apartment for it wasnt far

from I.Bs place. Actually, the apartment belonged jointly
to I and Abdul and wed rented it the previous year when
we were trying to set our studio up. It was a self-contained
apartment having a single room, a kitchen, parlour, toilet
and bathroom. The house was in the last compound on the
street and it overlooked a valley just behind the 202 housing
estate. The view from behind the house was breathtakingly
picturesque and the cool evening breeze that blew
consistently made it an ideal place for relaxation. Abdul
had stumbled across the house at some point in our 2nd year
and had immediately fallen in love with the place. In his
usual boisterous manner, he had put up all the money he
had, which was roughly equivalent to half the rent before I
had even gotten to see the place and before I knew it he had
already secured the place for us. I was mad for a while but
as always, he knew just how to placate me and within a few
weeks, I had managed to scrape together the remaining half
of the rent money and the apartment became ours. I turned
into the street and spotted the gate of the compound from
afar and a million memories came gushing at me. I sighed
to myself, for the scene that confronted me was a sharp
33

contrast to the fond memories I had of the house. From my

vantage point, I could see two JTF Toyota-Hilux parked at
the gate of the compound. Uniformed men were all over the
place and I hesitated for a second; I suddenly felt like I
didnt want to be there at all. Umar, whod met me while I
was walking into the street, gently gave me an encouraging
shove and silently communicated the words Be strong bro
to me. I closed my eyes still hoping that I would wake up
but I opened them to see the continuation of my
nightmares. We were almost at the compound and I could
see a group of policemen talking to two men dressed in
kaftans. From their looks, I could tell they were Halies
uncles. Her car was parked under a tree outside [in her
favourite parking spot] just opposite one of the JTFs Hilux
truck. I heard a gun cock and looked up to see it pointed at
me;
Yessssss Stop right there my friend and identify
yourself! said a uniformed man. I couldnt blame them for
their weariness for they had suffered a lot of casualties from
innocent looking suicide bombers and thus, were extremely
cautious and suspicious of anyone that crossed their paths.
Hes the one I was telling you about. The boys friend he
can get you in touch with the boys family. Umar quickly said
and the weary soldier let his gun drop down. A look of pity
actually came over his face and he encouraged me to be
calm.

34

Where is he? I asked Umar as we got to where the

vehicles were parked. Umar pointed to a Hilux and I slowly
walked towards it My breath became really shallow and
time seemed to freeze for an eternal moment, as the corpse
that was in the truck slowly came into view. Abdul lay
peacefully in the back of the truck and his eyes were
partially open. Blood was still flowing a bit from the back
of his head where a blow had inflicted a serious injury and
his throat was slit and not by a sharp knife from the looks
of it. My God! Why didnt they just shoot him Lord. Why?
This is just too brutal was the thought that kept ringing
through my head. I felt faint headed and nostalgia
overwhelmed me. I stretched my hand and adjusted his
hair, held his hands and stared into the face for a very long
time allowing the truth to finally sink in. Shizzy was really
dead.
Someone gently pulled me away from the car and the
JTF began questioning me. In the background, I could see
the soldiers receiving tactical orders from their leader and
assuming some sort of formation. They all split up and
fanned out in different directions and I deduced that they
were conducting a detailed sweep of the surrounding areas,
especially in the valley. I faced the policemen left behind
and absent-mindedly answered all their questions. It was
decided that I would accompany them to the morgue to
drop Abduls corpse and also facilitate their meeting with
his family members. Before leaving for the hospital, Umar
asked me to accompany him into the apartment and help
35

him search for Halies car key. A shiver ran down my spine
when I set foot in the compound. The compound was
completely deserted and the door of our apartment was
partially ajar. The door showed no signs of a forced entry
and there was little to indicate that a struggle might have
occurred in the compound and this seemed peculiar to me.
With Umar in the lead, we slowly walked into the
apartment and I immediately felt the nauseous. The living
room was and blood covered every inch of the floor
[Abdul had packed out and so there was no furniture in the
house]. Splashes of red littered the walls and I shuddered
at the thought of the savagery that must have occurred the
previous night. My heart ached as images of what might
have transpired flooded my mind. I tried to picture the men
over-whelming poor sweet Halie, putting a knife to her
throat and I couldnt take it no more so I silently stepped
out to get some air.
Is this where they were all found? I asked Umar when he
finally emerged from the apartment.
No. Halie was found her with the other guy last night while
Shizzy was found there He pointed at the third apartment.
I sighed and said no more, turned around and went back to
where the JTF men were still discussing. When they had
finished their arrangements, we got into the truck and were
soon on our way to the UMTH [University of Maiduguri
Teaching Hospital] leaving Umar and his uncles behind to
take care of things at the apartment with the other JTF
officers.
36

I was sited in between two police men in the back row

of the Hilux-truck. Three uniformed men were sitting in
the trunk together with the corpse while two other JTF
men were in the front of the vehicle, one driving and the
other in the passenger side. We were moving in a convoy
consisting of two cars and ours was the one leading. Now
that Id come to terms with the truth, an unnatural calm
came settled over me. I knew what needed to be done and I
got busy doing it. Phone calls to Abduls father and uncle to
let them know what was happening, phone calls to some of
my guys to help me look for D-2 I tried to keep myself
occupied for I did not want to dwell on the thoughts that
were threatening to overwhelm me.
Who was he? The officer to my right asked me. I
briefly told him about Abdul and Halima. Upon learning
that the deceased was an officers son, who had even served
for some time in Maiduguri, the countenance of all the JTF
men in the vehicle changed and I could see that this little
fact had made the murder take on a new dimension for
them. It was not just another random murder on the streets
of Maid; it was the murder of one of their owns son and
that made it really personal. They were quite aggravated
and I smelled trouble for I knew that they would be looking
for an outlet to pour out their pain. The driver became
much more reckless, weaving through the streets at breakneck speed while blasting his siren and cursing whoever
was unfortunate enough to be in his way. Meanwhile, the
other men began to recount their losses in the past few
37

weeks to me, blaming most of it on the civilians. I dared to

ask why they felt a lot of the civilians were responsible and
they gave me numerous instances of how some civilians
connived with the insurgents to aid them by selling out the
military men, hiding them and sometimes even employing
their services to take care of perceived enemies. I didnt
know what to make of their accusations but it was clear to
see that they had a lot of grievances and there was no
appeasing them. No wonder a lot of people usually got
caught up in the cross fire whenever they unleashed their
vengeance on insurgents and suspected civilians alike.
Wed been driving for about 15 minutes and were
almost at the hospital when our driver suddenly pulled on
his hand-break and brought us to a halt in James-Bond
fashion.
Wetin happen now? asked the guy in the passenger sit
beside the driver. I was also a little bit alarmed and was
wondering if we had run into an ambush.
Bros I don spot them.look there, He said pointing at a
junction across the road. See those boys repairing the road
where that big pot-hole is? Na them be that! He added, while
simultaneously cocking his gun and putting the car in
reverse gear.
How you know say na them? Make we no go attack
innocent civilians o! asked one of the other policemen.
Its them jor! shouted the one beside me.
38

Where have you been ehn? Dont you know that they have
developed a new way of attacking us? Lately theyve been
disguising as all these boys that repair roads for small change
from passers-by. They plant bombs while repairing the roadif
we leave these ones now trust me, in the next thirty minutes y0ul
hear an explosion at this same spot. Thats how they killed those
soldiers last week in that area after Gumboru now. I was there
when it happened. said the driver as he expertly used his
hand-brake once again to make the truck skid and turn to
face the junction. The truck that had been following us had
also come to a halt and I could see the policemen in the
truck disembarking in acrobatic fashion while cocking their
guns at the same time. The soldiers that were at the
checkpoints ahead and behind us saw the manoeuvre of our
convoy and immediately stopped the flow of traffic as they
also readied their weapons and began talking into their
radio devices. Within the blink of an eye, the JTF men that
had disembarked from our convoy surrounded the boys that
had been repairing the road, and started firing warning
shots into the air to scare them and warn civilians to keep
away. There were about five of them repairing the road and
it was clear that wed caught them unawares. I expected
immediate surrender but I was taken aback when two of the
boys dropped their diggers and immediately took on their
heels, clearly intending to resist arrest. Some soldiers
immediately broke up from our group and began pursuit as
the boys swiftly headed for residential areas. It was obvious
that they were intending to get lost in the crowd of civilians
inhabiting these areas. Gunshots suddenly erupted all
39

around and I heard one of the JTF commanders ordering

his men to avoid civilian casualties and ensure that they
captured the boys alive. The policemen meanwhile began
questioning the remaining three while hand-cuffing them
when gunshots erupted from somewhere within the
residential areas. The JTF looked alarmed and I guessed
that it wasnt friendly fire. The last boy that was yet to be
hand-cuffed took advantage of the brief distraction and
took to his heels, fleeing in a different direction from the
previous two. It was curious to see him flee against all odds,
disregarding the warning shots being fired and trying
desperately to avoid capture even if it meant his life. It
occurred to me that an innocent person would have never
fled like that; the gunshots would have been enough to
paralyze any normal person with fear. Strangely enough, I
was not scared, anxious nor having any sort of emotion at
all. Here I was, still sitted in the truck, Abdul in the back
and a battle raging on around me and yet, I was unnaturally
calm. Ironic, I thought to myself, how only two nights ago,
we were having fun in my house, playing games seemingly
oblivious to the distant carnage that ceaselessly occurred in
town while today, I was caught right in the middle of one
of those skirmishes with Abdul dead in the back of a JTF
van. It seemed surreal. I kept watching the scene unfolding
around me. The first two boys that had fled had managed to
get into civilian populated areas and so, I couldnt see what
was happening where they were. There was however rapid
gun fire coming from the area they had run into and it was
impossible to tell if the soldiers were the ones shooting or if
40

they had come under attack of an insurgent squad. I said a

silent prayer for the people in that area and turned to watch
the other things going on. The last boy to have fled
meanwhile was un-able to run into the residential areas, for
he was unlucky to have run in a direction having shops and
houses with tall fences and no arterial streets. Thus, he was
forced to keep fleeing on foot on the main street while the
policemen and soldiers gave chase and manoeuvred to
corner him. I spotted the driver of our truck running back
to our vehicle, his gun pointed up and firing warning shots
into the sky. He jumped in and revved the engine and I
realised he was determined to not let his bounty escape.
Screeching and skidding, the car performed manoeuvres
that I hitherto believed were only possible in movies, and
soon caught up with the boy. I was scared our driver was
intending to hit or shoot the boy but the boy, with
unnatural agility, turned into another street at the last
moment and our vehicle sped past him. I feared the worst
for I assumed we were going too fast and were going to end
up in a ditch that was adjacent to the junction the boy had
branched into but our driver calmly and expertly pulled on
his hand-brake and performed one of his James-Bond
manoeuvres again. The car skidded dangerously to the edge
of the road and miraculously spun perfectly into the street,
avoiding collision with another vehicle by less than an inch.
The tires screeched once again and gave chase while I
stared mouth agape at the driver. My respect for him had
just quadrupled in the space of a few minutes [this is a
random fact but I used to do some stunt driving for fun
41

back in my early university days and so I could appreciate

the skill of the driver in ways others might not have].
Barely 10 seconds later, we caught up with the boy yet
again and he ran into a nearby building like a cornered
animal holding on desperately to anything that could keep
him away from captivity. Our truck parked and the driver
jumped out [before the vehicle had even stopped] and ran
into the building after the boy. By this time, the frequency
of gunshots all around had increased ten-fold and I knew
not if the JTF was being engaged by sect-members or if
they [the JTF] were just firing warning shots to keep
people at bay. I looked up again to see the building that the
boy had run into surrounded by a police-man and two other
soldiers alike. I feared for the innocent people within and
hoped that the building was un-occupied. The gate of the
compound was ajar and I could partially see what was going
on within. The compound seemed to be deserted and I
could see the soldiers searching room by room. The boy
suddenly jumped out from hiding and attempted to jump a
fence but he was taken unawares by two policemen who
had anticipated his move and out-flanked him in advance.
He was caught and this time, there was no letting him go.
He was beaten mercilessly and it took two men to
restrain our driver from shooting him at the spot. He
seemed to be extra-pissed by the whole affair and I could
hear him shouting;

42

Make una leave me make I shoot am for hear jor u see the
way wey dem kill our boys last week for Gomboru ehn? Leave me
to teach them a lesson here. You are lucky that commander has
ordered us to refrain from killing anyone today. said the
driver as the boy was cuffed and bundled into our car. I got
a good look at him as they pushed him into the back of the
truck, forcing him to lie down beside Abduls corpse. His
eyes were blood-shot red and he seemed to be no older than
twenty-one. His teeth were all stained red with blood and
he had bruises all over him. There was an air of defiance
about him and even though he was trapped with no were to
run to, the look in his eyes clearly challenged the JTF men
to do their worst. He had this fierce disposition that clearly
indicated his desire to kill anyone he could lay his hands on.
The other two boys were also brought to our truck and we
soon resumed our trip to the hospital amidst joyous
salutations from the other JTF men manning the various
check points on our route.
We headed for the central command post of the JTF
for that sector [which was along custom road] to drop the
captured boys before heading back for the hospital. The last
boy to be captured made futher feeble attempts to escape
and he had to be beaten to the point that he couldnt walk
before we were able to have an eventless journey. The
gunshots died down soon after we left the area and so I
assumed that the JTF had either captured the other two
boys or achieved some victory of some sort.

43

After the skirmish and arrest of those boys, we finally

headed to the hospital to drop Abdul. I felt queer when I
was asked to fill in the details for the mortuary card for
Shizzy and I thought how ironic it was that I was filling
out the information for my best friends death certificate. It
still was hard to accept. Abduls uncles met me in the
hospital and I left them with one of the officers while we
drove to the building where the morgue was located. I
helped them carry Abdul into the morgue and afterwards,
stood there wondering where Halie was. I didnt have time
to ask that for the JTF were in a hurry to get back to their
posts and so, they took me back to their station and took
statements from me and followed all the other necessary
protocols for de-briefing.
I was about to be discharged when one of the
policemen suddenly had the idea of showing me the other
guy found with Halie the previous night to see if I could
identify him. I personally thought it was pointless for I
reasoned that if all the people that had found the corpses
and had been questioned [including Umar] had not been
able to identify the unknown third person, there was little
or no chance of me knowing who it was. I was tired and
the fatigue was getting to me for I had been through a lot in
44

the space of a few hours. I however obliged [not that I had

much of a choice] and I found myself heading back to the
morgue with one plain clothed officer.
On arrival, we were led into an inner chamber where
the corpses were kept in fridges by one of the morticians
and I thought how awful and lonely the place looked like.
The smell of chemical preservative was heavy in the air to
the point of almost choking. Numerous metallic fridges
were stacked in rows and columns from the floor reaching
to almost the ceiling of the building and across the hall, I
could see a small group of Boys Scout boys dressed in
undertaker clothes coming to claim one of the corpses. The
procession was really solemn and the futility of life dawned
on me in all its magnitude. I sighed and the officer that
accompanied me asked me if I wanted to see Halie. I stilled
my mind and nodded, and the mortician strolled to one of
the fridges and pulled out the corpse within. Halie looked
asleep, dressed in a vest and a fitted trouser; the colour had
drained from her skin and clotted blood was all over her.
Her throat was tears came to my eyes and I told the
mortician I had seen enough. The officer gently tapped me
on the back to reassure me while the mortician closed up
and led us to another fridge. He slowly pulled it out and I
received the biggest shock of my life yet. Lying fully
clothed, a gentle smile on his lips and hands folded on his
chest was a face that I had not in any way anticipated.
Time seemed to freeze for me and it took a long time for
me to recover from the shock I turned and looked at the
45

officer. He had seen my reaction and realized that I knew

the person. I spoke softly to him and said;
His name is Yakubu but we call him D2.

The rest of the day unfolded quickly. Learning that the

3rd guy was D2 had greatly unsettled me and the events that
occurred afterwards seem like a blur to me now. I
remember taking the officers to D2s apartment, remember
running into my mum after leaving the officer at D2s place
for she had come immediately after church into 202/303 to
look for me and Abdul. I remember the heart rending wail
that went up from her when I told her Abdul was gone. My
aunts that had accompanied her had to support her back to
her car and I insisted that they go force her back home for I
needed to finish settling things with the JTf. I remember
going home after everything to meet a million friends,
waiting to condole me and to know of the situation update.
I remember locking myself up, and shedding no tears at all
for my mind had been simply blank too numb to feel any
emotion. I recall Minta [one of Halies closest friends]
coming over to share in my grief. I remember the sorrow
we all felt when A-mazs came over later that evening to
keep me company for I could not bear to sleep alone in my
room.

46

Its really sad that I could not attend any of their

burials; really sad that Abduls parents could not be around
for his burial either. It was insisted by his relatives that
Abduls father, being a military personnel, was bound to be
targeted for assassination if he came into Maiduguri for the
burial for it was common knowledge that he had lost a son
and so everyone, including unknown enemies, would have
been keeping an eye out for him. Halies mum had
collapsed upon receiving the news and had to be
hospitalized for about a week. The news of the loss of her
only child really shook her up and as such, she was not able
to attend the burial too. A series of explosions occurred in
the early hours of Monday, 1st of October and as such, all
major routes in the city were barricaded by the JTF from
dawn till dusk, grounding almost all movement in
Maiduguri that day. Abdul was buried in Maiduguri on that
day and I was told that his people almost rioted against the
JTF forces, for they insisted on burying their dead
according to Muslim rights regardless of the security
situation in the town. We from the university whod
wished to attend could not however because of the
blockades in town. Halima was carried back to Biu, our
home town that same Monday and laid to rest. Her convoy
had luckily left Maiduguri before the blockades had been
put in place by the military. Yakubu [D2] was laid to rest
on Wednesday in Maiduguri, which sadly enough, was the
day I went on exile. I found myself on the first available
flight out of town that day for my parents, and even
Abduls parents were agreed on the fact that it was probably
47

not safe for me to be in Maiduguri any longer since the

identity and the motive of the killers were unknown and it
was impossible to determine if it was a random act of
violence [these kind of random murders have been a
common occurrence in Maiduguri since the dawn of the
insurgency and it was not far-fetched to consider that
possibility] or if our clique of friends had been purposely
targeted. As my flight took off, I looked through the
window and watched Maiduguri slowly shrink away and I
wondered what the future held for me. One thing was
certain; life was never going to be the same again.

48

Aftermath
A sequel to The Chronicles of A Ghost Town Series

Picture: From Google

Written by VondBeatz

I am sitting on a couch, deeply lost in my thoughts and

paying little attention to the laptop in front of me. Its a
very cold night in Volgograd and the wind is howling
outside, sounding really eerie. The internet says its about 4
degrees Celsius outside but it feels much colder than that.
The cold, combined with the vodka in my system is making
me really moody tonight. I stretch back on the couch, my
mind over six thousand kilometres away. At about this
same time last year, I received a message that irrevocably
altered the course of my life. I sigh to myself as I adjust the
pillow my head is resting on, a million thoughts running
through my mind. One year and what do I have to show for
it? Fine I lost Shizzy, Heych and D2 but what have I done
49

for them in the past one year? I have not been able to
accomplish any of the things I promised myself I would do
for them. One word, Im bitter; with myself, with the
world, with whatever I would dare say I am really close to
questioning my maker but I know better than to do that. I
left Maiduguri last year October after the cold blooded
assassination of three of my dearest friends Shizzy
(Abdulmalik), Heych (Halima) and D2 (Yakubu) and life
hasnt been the same for me. I get off the couch and move
to the dining as I try to put the events of the past year and
the aftermath of my friends passing, into perspective.
Meeting their parents had been really emotional for me; the
few weeks I had spent with Shizzys parents still fresh in
my memory. I remember how queer I had felt during that
period, always thinking how ironic it was that I was the one
alive, spending time with Shizzys parents while only a
few weeks back, we had both been together in that same
house. The period after that had been really lonely and
depressing for me, I spent the whole semester away from
school and only went back for about three weeks to write
my exams and then, relocated back to Lags for my
Internship. I sigh to myself as I get up to make some tea.
Jay just called me a few minutes back and she has done a
very good job of lifting my spirits up. But the torrent of
thoughts in my mind is almost overwhelming.
My tea is ready and Im back to my sit. I open up my
chrome browser and launch the tweet-deck app to monitor
the tweets on #shizzyheychd2day.
A-maz, being ever
50

prolific with ideas came up with suggestion that we come

up with a way to make the 29th of September every year a
Memorial Day for the trio we lost. I sigh to myself as I
sluggishly sip my tea and scroll through the tweets on my
TL, re-tweeting the relevant once while doing so. My
problem I think, is that anything I, or we, try to do to
honour them always seems too little or insignificant to me.
I really want to do soo much! As I scroll through my
messages, my heart skips a bit as I glance through a
conversation I had a few weeks back with a really close
friend of Shizzy. I remember feeling nostalgic and very
depressed for a few days after our conversation and right
now, going through the messages again bring up sharp
pangs of emotion in me. The conversation had left me
feeling like I had been talking to Shizzy through an
intermediary its hard to explain so I will just place a copy
of a portion of our conversation here;
[Note that I have used a false name in order to hide the identity
of the person I am chatting with as I do not wish to infringe on
her privacy. Nevertheless, I have published this conversation with
her full permission]
I am @vondbeatz while the lady is codenamed @x
@x :
Hey, How u doin today

@vondbeatz :
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Heeey! Am gud.... Jst stayin home all day 2day :D

.... feel soo lazy Lolz....ow bout u?

@x :
Lolz. Am ok, feelin kinda down nd sad
Dreamt bout Shizzy
It ws so real, we tlked as though he was alive :(

@vondbeatz :
Rily?...ur missin him:)....I dream about them a lot
too
N it always feels sooo ril
...The one year remembrance is comin up soon
I wanna do smthn special 4'em

@x :
Yea, thnk u shld
We were talkin n he said he misses bein on earth nd
he misses all his frnds especially VonD
He said nt bein wit u hurts him a lot
He asked hw Sound Unit is doin, buh I said I dunno
52

Cuz I rili don't knw

I told him we now get along well wit u nd he ws
soooo hapi
Wen he was alive he teases me, dat I'm havin a crush
on u cuz I always ask aftr u wen he coms to my room
He'd be lyk heeeey my [x] is havin a crush on my
frnd :)
Nd I'd be lyk "shizzy take ur tym o"

@vondbeatz
Wooow...he sed dt?...my life's bin upside down sins
he left...I fil lost
Sound unit is now dysfunctional...its nt bin d same
without him around

@x :
Awwww
Woooooow
Am so sori to here dat D

53

@vondbeatz
:)...so he used 2 tease ya ehn...hehe...dnt mind him
He had a way of bringin ppl 2geda...
Ya....muzik's nt jst d same for me...if u cheq my
twitter bio it says retired....der's no mor fun in it 4me
anymod
Ppl say am givin up on our dreams...I dunno if dts
tru...
4me its just...muzik wasn't bout bein succesful n
famous....I was just enjoyin d whole journey...n d
numerous crazy thinz we did...

@x :
Omg

@vondbeatz
....Nw...I feel like a part of me died with them on that
day...
Hard 2 explain...nobody understands..
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Sumtimes I feel guilty...coz I kno he would want me 2

continue...but 4me its nt jst d same anymo...
Its nt worth bein successful...if he aint here 4 us 2 be
successfull 2geda...
I'm talkin too much...sowie dear...dnt mind me:)

@x :
No no no pls u can tlk
I undrstnd hw u feel
Just do wat u feel it's ryt

@vondbeatz
Ummm...did u read a story I posted on one website
like dt a few weeks bak?

@x :
No I didn't
Do u knw I askd him who kill em nd why wld d
person do dat?
*Killed*

@vondbeatz
55

U did?...wt did he say?

@x :
He jst nodded nd said I don't wanna knw
He asked if I've seen his corps
I said no nd he said, it was just one person who did
it....dat was all he said
Rili don't undrstnd wat he means by dat

@vondbeatz
*sigh*.... He won't tell you ehn...I'l stil find out
sumday..
Wow...u guys rily talked...am kinda jealous :$
Jst one person?...hmmm

@x :
Aww pls don't, I feel hapi we tlkd
Papa said d same thn too...he must find out

@vondbeatz
Hehe...dnt mind me:)
56

Ma dreams about dem hav always been fuzzy

I only wake up n realize dt I was dreamin...n den
remeber dt dey gone.....den d ache comes bak:(

@x :
There's dis his T-shirt I luv...NO WIFI
I askd him 2 gimme buh he said he can't

@vondbeatz
:) I kno d shirt...
If I'd known I cud'v kept it 4ya

@x :
Awwww I wld luvd dat
I wish to hav somthn of his

@vondbeatz
I wud get smthn 4 u dnt worry:)

57

@x :
I hated myslf for wakin up lst nyt

@vondbeatz
I kno d feelin...:) dreams u wish wud never end
Wish I cud have more conversation with him
Dnt be too sad dear...everythin'l be alright Godwillin

@x :
:) yea sure

Its about 3:30am right here and I cannot recall the

moment the drink in my hand changed from tea, to a
Russian Beer of which I am clueless to what is written on
the back of the can. Reading this conversation always
makes me feel Shizzys presence around me. I feel like they
all watching and the truth is that I miss them so bad it
hurts. Maybe I am half-drunk write now as I am writing
this but hey life is too short. I know you all watching me
right now and so I take this time to tell you this; I miss you
all and I wont let our dreams die. Its a promise. RIP!
#shizzyHeychD2day
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