THE LAST INSURGENT

Twenty

Kamal came into the room with alacrity. The three Military Intelligence soldiers inside the room stood up and saluted.
“How did you get it?” He asked.
“It was posted on social media, Sir. Source-unknown.”
“Let’s have it.”
“Yes, sir”

The soldier put on the laptop and played a video.
A huge man with rough beards, wearing military uniforms with a bandage round his head appeared. There was an AK 47 hung over his shoulder.
Behind him were ten men, also dressed in military uniforms with masks on their faces stood grimly behind him.

Behind them was two trucks and they seemed to be in a forest.
The man with the bandage began to talk.
“You infidels! You Nigerians! I have a message for you. I had wanted to send this message long time ago but it is today Allah ordained. I am Sadiq Jahl Al-Bornawi. Enough is enough! We started with admonishments. Peacefully calling you to renounce infidelity, debauchery, oppression, ungodliness and embracing the devilish western education.

But you kept arresting us, killing us until you got us to the wall. The holy Jihad is on. We are not relenting, nothing will deter us until you all leave infidelity and embrace the laws of God!”
“Allahu Akhbar!” The men behind him shouted and they fired shots into the air.
“You leave girls to wander about, without getting married. You allow young girls to go into prostitution in the name of education. Young able boys that should serve God waste in your filthy schools. The time has come for a complete revolution. We will keep saving these girls by taking them off your dirty world and getting them married; give them Islamic education so they can make it to paradise.

You cannot stop us! You that call yourself the president of Nigeria, John or whatever they call you, we will deal with you. Your soldiers are nothing! They fear us! We kill them. Sending them to Borno is death sentence.
I know you attacked us last night. You think I am dead. Sadiq Jahl is alive! I am alive! I escaped the bomb blast. We are not scared of your grenades, tankers, fighter jets. You have ; we have. May the best man win. Here are some of the poor girls you send to doom in the name of school. Look…..”

The camera turned towards some girls who were force to sit down on the ground, all covered in veils, reciting a part of the Qur’an.
“The war has just begun.”
Kamal kept looking at Jahl.

“Get Derrick!” He said.
************

Leena was confused. She knew what he meant. He would leave if she told him that she was betrothed. It was more than just an introduction. If not for the abduction, she would have been in Adam’s house by now. His dowry was still there and a date has been fixed.

She would not lie about it. She would tell him the truth. He would understand. Understand? This was Mufty. He may have confessed his love for her but his string stand on issues like this made her thought twice. She never had the slightest idea that he liked her. Who could have thought he could express his feelings with such beautiful words?

She had to make a decision now.
She looked into his eyes and looked down.
“No. Everyone knows about the relationship but it has not been formalized.” She said. She felt ashamed  of herself. She lied to him and denied her relationship status with Adam. It was not her intention to deny Adam, or deceive Mufty. She was just not ready to let him go.

She Did not know where all of these would lead to. She knew he would always find out. This cannot be hidden for long but she just wanted him to still be around for now, and hoped things would be sorted out.

“Are you sure about that?” He asked and she found it hard to meet his eyes. With a courage that came from where she knew not, she looked directly into his eyes.
“I am sure about it.” She said.

There seemed to be a big relief on his face.
“I will stay behind. Leena. You are my solace; you pull me from beneath to surface; you keep me in position like shoe lace. I don’t want this to be a fling, because you shine like bling, and just when I thought I had exceeded the elastic limit you pull back the string.