I slept throughout the
whole night filled with the thought of the approach. Cult guys do approach
youngsters and poison their hearts. It wasn’t a new fact. This I have seen in
the home videos, but it was no longer one hell of an imagination, it had become
a reality. I was not sure what to tell Super if he approached me later, I was
just confused. I was expected to reply the young man the next day; it was a day
perhaps I was to test my manhood; like me being a man. But before the next day,
I was somehow uncomfortable with the incriminating item given me. Something
inside me was asking me to get it off the house. I couldn’t bear the pressure
anymore, so I met Shehu and told him that I could no longer keep the device
with me any longer, and that my aunt was getting suspicious. But that wasn’t
really the reason. I was just not conformable, somehow I was not. So I gave
Shehu his property before the next day.
As expected, the next day came. We all woke up from our beds to attend
to the normal duties of the day when we received news that Super is dead. What
happened? Many asked. He had an issue with a man called IK, who reported him to
the military. The military beat him up to stupor and broke his spinal cord.
That was it. Not long, we had the military ransacked the houses, breaking doors
after doors. They ended up searching my aunt’s room too, and to my beholding as
I sensed, the very place where I kept the item was searched. I had a very big
heart beat. How Lucky I was? How so short is life? Two Supers had died within a
short period of time. Only God in Heaven knew why it happened that way.
Life continued as
usual. I kept on doing the job I was doing then; selling for my mum. I got to
know more people day by day. I did all kinds of jobs. Cutting of mud, and
filling houses, carrying sands, to pushing and loading of drums in Local boats
that anchored at our jetty to carry loads to Port-Harcourt. Right from Nembe
Creek, my mum had been into diesel business. She bought Diesel from sellers and
sold them in drums to willing buyers. It was a heavy task. Sometimes, I and
others employed by my mum had to stay in the mangrove forest for hours to buy
the drums of diesel. But somehow, we had some issues with the military who believed
that anyone who traded on oil is a bunkerer. Many at times, they came to our
house and destroyed the drums of diesels with the knives affixed to their guns.
They never cared to ask. My mum diesel poured in the ground leading to wastage
at large which in turn also polluted the environment. My mum would cry at
length while I and my siblings consoled her. I was pained in my heart but there
was nothing I could do. But I dreamt of being a Lawyer someday, so I was sure
that someday I would have the guts to speak. The hypocrisy of the military was
so unbearable. So it was a general notion to eat with them with a long spoon,
because they were considered the DEVIL.
For me, life became
worse. I was becoming a pain in everyone’s neck. My stubbornness knew no
bounds. I was afraid of no one; not my dad, not my elders. My dad got fed up
once and threatened that I would no longer go to school again. I was sad and
wanted a change because though I was stubborn, my love for education never
died. But each time I tried, I found myself doing the young thing. I always
travelled to Port-Harcourt and bought music CDs. But each time I bought, I
never forgot to buy a Christian song. In the morning, I usually played the
songs sometimes against the customers’ wish. I remember one chronic Indian Herm
smoker who told me about his Christian wife who always helped him out in his
worldly life. He was one of the few who enjoyed the Christian songs each time I
played them. Sure, with the Igbo in
his hands. Anytime I played the Christian music; I felt contentment and asked
God for forgiveness. But one day or two, I would return to my sins. At a point,
I became tired of myself. I couldn’t understand my problem. I just did not know
why I ended up doing the wrong things all the time. But I can never forget
something someone told my mum: Don’t worry, he will change. Perhaps that lady,
who I cannot remember anymore, was right.
One day, I guess, I was
listening to the radio when I heard the teachings of one Bro. Awudese Azibalua
of the Gospel Deliverance mission. This was around late 2008. I was sure the
church is the one I had known when I was younger, the church where the truth
about God was taught. I was so happy.
I immediately took the mobile number of the church and called. I explained my
plight to the teacher who understood me and promised to pray for me. I
continued hoping and praying that all will be well some day. Then, I loved
singing a song by Don Meon titled: Heal me! Each time I played that song, I had
a kind of relief that all will be well someday. I tried running away from my
sins, but all wasn’t really well for me. The more I tried the worst I seemed to
become. I could not help it anymore so I called the pastor again, Bro Awudese.
Then he who knew what was wrong, being a spirit filled fellow asked me to visit
Port- Harcourt where I would be prayed for. I was happy, so I traveled to Port-Harcourt
and located the church. That day, he seemed to be the only person in the
church. The environment was quiet. I entered the church and lo, he appeared. I
was dressed with a cap, a collared shirt, a pair of trouser and a big chain with
a rubber head around my neck. He asked if I am the one, and I replied ‘Yes’. Then
he said: ‘You want to serve God, so why do you have such a chain round your
neck’? Seriously I never knew it wasn’t needed. I was used to material things
like that. As a Chelsea fan, many of my belongings were fashioned blue with the
Chelsea icons and insignia. The chain on my next wasn’t an exception. I
immediately refused it while he looked at me firmly. The next thing he said
was: Let us pray. Well, I needed prayer, so I closed my eyes. Seriously, he
prayed in a kind of silent way. No much noise. All I was hearing were words
like: Out, trees, down to abyss, move, come out, etc.
I was just wondering
what was happening. But all those while he was saying those words, I observed a
change in my body. I was getting lighter as if many things have been removed
from me. The more the prayer was offered, the more I became free. I just do not
know how to explain my feelings, but all I know was that the experience was one
of the most wonderful experiences I have ever had in my life. The prayer lasted
for almost an hour and our eyes were open. I looked at him firmly and asked him
for a book or anything I could be using for my personal study. He gave me a
book titled: ‘War between two kingdoms’ or so. I was so happy. I had a feeling
I had never had before in my life. When going home, the houses and everything
around me looked different and new. I felt like I was in a new world, the same
evil world I had known before.
After that encounter,
one change I observed was that I was able to say ‘No’ and it stands. I started
adding weight. My weight had been affected because of the much intake of alcohol
into my system, but there I was getting better. My family members observed that
I was getting better to the extent that one of my rugged aunt said: ‘Now we
have gotten our son back’. But her own too no good ooo! Aunt Rose can drink for
Africa. Somehow after a while, I find myself falling again. The environment
continued influencing me and I found myself in sin again. And this time, Satan
was ready for me.
Towards the end of
2008, bunkery activities were getting to an end in Ijaw kiri. Like an Ice that
melts into water, oil bunkery melted away. I went full time into diesel and
fuel business with my mum, moving from places to places to get life moving. There
was a time; I and a dude by name Nigga Raw were taken to a fishing camp named Obutumoburo. There we stayed in the bus
like area buying diesel in cans and filling them into the drums after which
they were rolled to the muddy ground and later loaded in a boat. The place was
so uncivilized that having good water to drink was a problem. No electricity,
no network, no nothing. Everything was just a gosh! We stayed there for weeks. Then
I was getting better. My zeal for God was increasing even though I had not
understood the gospel better. Then I used to preach the word to Nigga Raw who
used to listen to me. He was getting convinced and even stopped smoking
marijuana. But that didn’t last for long. He returned to his former ways after
a while. We left the village after some weeks. I toured with my mum to many
places but when it became clear to me that I had a dream that must be pursued,
I then spoke to my mother. I told her that I had to go to school. I had my WAEC
and JAMB exams to write, so I had to go and prepare. My mother who understood,
allowed me to go back to Yenagoa and so I returned.
Luckily for me, I
located the Gospel Deliverance Mission at Amarata, and was so happy. Then I
wondered why I had not known the location all those while. Perhaps, it could be
because I hardly walked around. I was still battling with sin even though I was
quite better than before. I arrived the church, and meet one Bro Allison. He was
the pastor heading the Amarata Branch at that time. I explained everything to
him and he prayed for me. I became better again. But then since, I was a babe
in Christ I had some issues with my growth but never relented. That had been a
quality given to me by God. Unless I am
dead, I do not give up on hope for any reason whatsoever. I started
attending church activities, asking questions and getting the answers I needed.
I studied the bible and got to know more about God. My love for God increased
day by day and I was glad I was free. At a point, I started developing a strong
hatred for sin and I was sure, there was nothing else holding me to get
baptized. So I made up my mind and ‘opps’, I was in the water. The day I got
baptized was one of the greatest days of my life. Instantaneously, I felt this
unspeakable joy in my heart that I cannot explain. I was so happy and bold to
preach the word. I was convinced the more of Christ and desired for more. Ever
since that very day, I could say NO to sin and it stands. Righteousness became
my badge and I am proud to say it. Not by my power, but by God’s. I was sure I
am no longer a baby but a mature Christian. I went about proclaiming the word
of God as my heart led me. I prayed and received answers and I had that
expected confirmation.
I was set for my exams,
because by then I had already registered for the exams. And as a Christian, I
knew malpractice was and is a sin against God’s will, so I had to read hard for
my exams. As it was in line with my dream of being an advocate, I registered
for Jamb and filled LAW for both options. But there were many battles I had to fight.
[There is no star
advocate in the episode. My life in Ijaw Kiri had ended but the memories came
once in a while, and so, as one good with the pen, I wrote a complex poem about
my experience in Ijaw Kiri. Below is the poem]:
THE FALL OF IJAW- KIRI
Merriment
died and so years elapsed
Few
months to ‘a call’
There
a baneful days
Living
dead foot-notes blaspheming life
And
a closing days of debt
They
make men make nothing of earth
Yea,
the note of dead men that live
Someone
had pains to sleep,
And
in wrestling breath, smells through fire
Was
breathed; One to two, two to one
There
was a discount and no discount for life
The
luminary was supplying beam,
Whiskey
poised as a cigarette
Forward,
toward a mental thing
Tobacco
gabled head,
That
was why, that was how they ended
Tobacco
gabled head
To
disregard men with highness
Eyes
in and fall
Fading
on physique and shadows
Full
light of dun flames
Eyes
gamboling in sorrow
A
smoke, a flame with soul,
So
slow, goes their soul
The
noise was everywhere
Money
mongers and mockers mocked
With
noise in their nose
So
much noise; they pretend
They
were pretender
Yea,
if the light quenched
Their
pretence ignited
They
were hot in a cold day
Hours
ahead the fire, they were hot
This
was the poison we had, it was my poison
The
earth was married to pollution
Yea,
the due was done
And
turned we were to scare-flesh
Beautiful
familiars drained
Beautiful
families of my flesh
Drained,
died and dried
A
capture of primordial semblance,
The
earth coronated me
Where
my males were enemies to me
And
my mouths howling in a drum
There
was this call of death,
There
were hundred magus hundred
Times
any: just in a space less end
Where
doom varies for the den of demons
For
die fastness, there were morrows of men
Complex
with dim radiation
Rain
was a prey of prayers
When
bartenders loss oil
There
were numbers of evil-tasks,
And
the least were not spared
Even
the aged was translated
And
men accounted to the heeded,
Men
begot vipers; women become men
To
hear the ardent music of real men
With
tone and voices, ears opened to nothing
But
opened to a sough afar
Abomination
structured their hearts
When
men kissed men
And
women died to the shape of their fellows
Youth
drank blood and die
While
men worked on their sepulcher.
The
wicked were invoked to inspire
In
the coercion of the forces
They
crumpled forgetting our occupation
To
bless their listless greed
They
were strikers; strikers of strokes
They
crucified the buccaneers
And
buried them in the waters
They
tried; they deserved bursary
But
not from him who was won by God
I
sought for the panacea
I
sought for the gear
To
blind my bean to my sickness
I
sought for the panacea
And
yet, I fell, and the land fell as well
I
was trodden by God
I
was trodden by Evil, the evil that happened to death
Ijaw
Kiri fell without Lots and wives
Without
thunders and fire
But
Ijaw-kiri fell and I fell
And shall never be risen
to death]
THE END
[Suspense –Next episode, readers would know the battles I fought. But,
hey, they were not physical battles. By then I no longer wrestle against flesh
and blood.]
WATCH OUT FOR EPISODE 7