Ahlam yearned for acceptance, but was rejected by all -except for her Grandpa, Omar Bako. Unlike most hybrids, she wasn't proud to be one. She was tagged as a Kabila and shunned serially.
General Omar Bako was an affluent man who had a capital M to...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Kaduna, Nigeria.
By Allah, they all wished he had died!
At 3am during the last week of December. An ambulance siren howled far away, hurtling towards the residence of Omar Bako. It was pitch-black, one could barely open their eyes, nor lift a finger due to the frigid weather. Most of them were tucked in an elegant duvet, with room heaters for warmth. Before then, everywhere was serene. Snoring, hum of room heaters, tick of clock and other household items were the source of sound inside the Manor. While the courtyard was filled with howls and fallen leaves that swirled in the wind.
Just 40mins after the accident, or maybe, murder which was what they all speculated. A body was found laying helplessly in a pool of blood. It was the mini parlor, where General Omar Ismail Bako liked to relax, and have a good time.
The room had no CCTV or TV Set, just a rug neatly placed, with cushions of different sizes and design...
The local ambulance arrived amidst the confusion but Engineer Hussain Omar one among the twins, and son of Omar Bako forbade them from stepping into the manor.
Grandpa Omar Bako tagged them as caskets for peasants, and in no situation should any of his kids, or grandkids be involved with such lowlife lifestyle. They had their personal doctor, in a private hospital funded by him and other elite members of the country.
Omar Bako was a wealthy man, not the politician garden-variety show biz-rich driving Mercedes and business class type. He had a Capital M to his money and longed stopped counting it in millions, we talking about Billions here.
The Bako Lifestyle was the dream for all-rich, cultured, Hausa family. Everyone admired them, they had a distinct, charming lifestyle. To party with them, or secure a job at their firm, was a dream come true. Those who married into the family were carefully chosen, they came from exceptional families with prestige.
Omar Bako was a smart man who valued his reputation. And today was their first nakba. Nakba is synonymous to calamity, and the Bako's found pride in their family slang.
Footsteps pounded through Manor, which contained twenty-four bedrooms and furnished bathrooms and closets, as family members raced around the house to make sure that it wasn't one of their immediate loved ones that laid unrecognizable in the pool of blood that surrounded the victim. It wasn't quite an easy task as all the kids, grandkids and great grand kids of Alhaji Bako lived in the manor.
Bako was a name you hardly miss in Nigeria; it was the name of a well-known military man in the 70's, he partook in the peace keeping after the coup took place, a freedom fighter, an activist, a philanthropist, oil ringer. He had properties everywhere. Grandpa of the year-loved by the universe.
