Mama Tiwalade jumped from her bed in the middle of the night . She was sweating profusely. She had another nightmare again . ” Tiwalade get up let’s pray “. Tiwa yawned turned on the light on her android phone to check what the time was . ” Mama it’s four A.M in the morning? Why do we have to pray so early ? Tiwa complained , she was not happy her mum woke her up so early , when she knew that she had slept very late , staying awake till one A.M to help her mum prepare stew for the next day . Her mum owned a restaurant in Gbagada where she sells to fend for her five children , whom her late husband left behind. ” Tiwa I saw that terrible nightmare again , I saw that you were kiiidnapped and beheaded by ritualist .” Tiwa was scared whenever her mum said something like that . Her mum had been seeing terrible dreams this past few weeks. They prayed and Tiwa went back to bed. As early as six she was up she swept the compound woke her siblings up bath them , helped her mum to fry fish for sales , then prepared for school. Tiwa was in SS3 at nearby town’s secondary school. ” Tiwa come let us pray ” Tiwa assembled her siblings together they prayed , had their morning devotion , Tiwa’s family was a very religious one . She joined a vehicle that took her to the next town . ” Good morning students ” The principal said . ” Well as I told you on Friday that all the JSS 3 and SS3 students who have not registered for WEAC after the assembly I advise you gently go and pick your bags like tortoise and go home to your parents because if I come to your classes and meet you !!! I’ll make you regret the day your mum gave birth to you.” The students refused to go home , they enjoyed the thrill of being chased by Mr Bolaji , the head master . It was around 10 AM that Mr Bolaji stormed the SS3 block . The students scamper for safety , many of the students who had not registered ran away , only a handful had Paid . He flogged the unlucky students and chased them out of the school’s gate . Tiwa walked with five friends and classmates. She and Bisi were best friends, they had been class mates from primary five , Bisi had paid her WEAC fee but she didn’t want to stay back in class while her bestie was going home , she joined the throng home . The class was almost left empty . When they got to the bus stop Chike flag down a Bus with a few passengers in it , Tiwa’s spirit told her not to join the vehicle . Others had entered while she and Bisi were still standing outside . ” Tiwa , Bisi are you guys not going ? We can’t wait here forever.” Bidemi asked .The driver was getting inpatient hunking his horn. ” Tiwa what is it ?why are you not moving? Shouldn’t we join this bus ? Tiwa joined the vehicle and Bisi joined her .the driver picked some people on the way . The bus was full . Bidemi was the first to complain about the foul other in the bus . The driver asked his conductor to fleet the bus with air freshener spray . He sprayed the fleet , and everyone became drowsy and sleepy . Everybody in the bus was fast asleep, Chike was snoring like an old generator. Tiwa was asking the driver why he took a different route suddenly the conductor , produced a pistol from under his hoodie sweater and told Tiwa to be quiet as a grave or he would shoot her there . They drove for hours out of Lagos to a typical village in Oyo state . The occupants of the vehicle were sleeping like dead woods the kidnappers had to off load them like logs . Tiwa was just praying to God to not allow this people to harm them , in the big warehouse , where many people were tied hands and feet and left in the room . They collected all their phones and gadgets. Mama Tiwalade was edgy throughout the day at the shop , her mind was unsettled , she called Tiwa’s number, but the number was switched off , she decided to wait till 3 PM . Tiwa didn’t come she began to panic . She called her sister who was a teacher at Tiwa’s school who confirmed that Tiwa and her class mates were driven from school for WEAC registration since morning . They called Bisi’s number it was also switched off . They called her mum’s number to see if Bisi and Tiwa were there . But her mother was surprised that Bisi wasn’t at Tiwa’s place . Mama Tiwa ran to the school she searched for Tiwa , she was only able to get information that Tiwa left with five of her classmates . She called her pastor and asked him to pray for her missing child . She went to the police station to make a report nothing could be done for her there . Mama Tiwa wept she was terrified Tiwa and her classmates thought they had been kidnaapped by ransom demanding kidnapppers. But to their dismay , In the evening two people were taken to the slauughter room , they could hear the gagging sound from the throat of the slaughtered people as they choke on their bloood , Abidemi began to cry . “Ah please my father has money ! Please call him , he’ll pay you whatever you want. …” One of the mean looking thugs who kidnaapped them slapped Abidemi. “You shut up! If you cry for here again I cut your neck , mumu you think say we dey here the play ? Talk again if I no cut your throat with this knife make Ogun strike me dead .” He retreated from the room . “Wasiu! Wasiu! Bring the animals food ” Tiwa counted the number of people in the dimly light room . She saw about fifteen people . Minus the two who were killed and their parts taken to shrine for rituals . The stump of their body that was not wanted was taken out of the slaughter house to the main compound where they’re burnt . ” Oya animals eat your food !!! The older occupants rushed on the food . But Tiwa and her friends couldn’t eat their stomach was tied by fear . “Una dey mad ? Onya eat the food now ! Or I killl all una now now “. He pointed a gun at them they panicked and began to fidget . Tiwa prayed for the food and encouraged her friends to eat . . Tiwa couldn’t sleep all night . She remembered her mother’s dream. She asked herself who would help her mum of she were to die in this place. Would her mum survive ? Bisi’s head was on her lap , she felt Bisi crying in her sleep she cleaned Bisi’s tears away . Tiwa began to pray silently, she sang songs to build her faith . She just couldn’t help it she wept , she shouldn’t have entered that bus when her spirit stopped her . She dozed off around four A.M , she was awoken by the voice of one of the kidnapppers from afar . ” Alhaji we have the right sacrifice now now , baba said you should come today . … No no Alhaji no baba said it’s five hundred thousand for the hearts , then four hundred thousand for the heads , two hundred thousand naira for the hands . If you don’t want to pay , let me call others on the list … Ok Alhaji send the money into my account, You can come around twelve to select the animal you like for the sacrifice”. It was Alfa that was calling a customer . He came in the afternoon and commanded two of the people they met in the room to walk into the slaughter house . They got up and went there on their own , moving like zombies . “Lie down ” Alfa commanded . The two people lie down Alfa and Wasiu began to cut their throat . Then cut their body into pieces , they removed the head , the private parts , they removed the hands , the hands , the intestines , the heart and burnt the remaining stump of the body in their big fire . More people were brought by other of their drivers . The total number of people was like thirty two . Four people were killed that day . Men come with different exotic cars to buy human parts . The whole school was in a solemn mood , when the news of the missing students reached them . The students prayed for the return of their school mates. There were no classes that day , Iya Tiwa and Iya Bisi came to the school , the principal enquired from some SS3 students who saw the six students . ” Sir we walked in groups to the main road, Bisi , Tiwa Chike, , Bidemi , Greatness and some people entered a Yellow danfo bus going to Ikurodu, .” Mama Bisi was crying , ” Ahh Bisi! You were supposed to remain in school, I have paid your WEAC and NECO fees why did you have to go home? ” The teachers tried to console her but she was inconsolable. Mama Tiwa went to church to see her pastor . They prayed that God should help spare the life of the students . At the police station , a police officer was shouting at the parents . ” Madam please! You people should stop making noise . Are you the first people to have your children missing ? If you continue crying here , I’ll send you out of the station . The police is doing everything to get back your children but don’t make this place noisy like a market .” The police IPO said , the police woman was so mean to them ” Hello honourable yes we have about four virgins here … Baba said you needed two virgins parts for your ritual to be able to win the election. Yes sir … You have to transfer five millon naira , you know getting virgin animals is not easy .. ok transfer the money to my GTB account.” Today the old shriveled ugly Baba came to pick the virgins himself . He looked at the students, he pointed Chike and Tiwa Wasiu came and dragged them into the slaughter house, because of Tiwa’s prayers before they ate any food served made the powers of the charms to make one become an imbecile for sacrifice was spoilt . ” Jesus don’t let me die here ! Jesus I’ve served you with love , I can’t die like a common animal.” Wasiu slapped her . “Shut up your mouth ! You’re going to die now let me see how Jesus will come down and save you .” Two other men wrestled Chike to the ground , they began to slit his throat. Blood was oozing out like a violent river . Tiwa was crying for Chike , they kept cutting until they severed Chike’s head . And they began to separate his body parts cutting and putting it in a bucket. “Chike! Jesus !!! No Chike!!! No!!! Leave me alone !!! Tiwa screamed as they tried to slit her throat . They put the knife on her neck suddenly Wasiu screamed and left Tiwa . Alfa asked what the issue was Wasiu couldn’t say a word Alfa carried the knife and wanted to slice her neck , but then a strange force pushed them all to a corner of the room , Alfa asked them to return her back to the common room . “Baba!! Baba!! This girl is not normal , we couldn’t sacrifice her , a force is fighting for her .” Baba listened patiently , he crackled his throat . He pointed at Bidemi. She began to cry the men came and grabbed Bidemi . “Tiwa !!! Tiwa !!! Tiwa !!! Please don’t let me die !! Tiwa help me talk to Jesus !! Tiwa I don’t want to die !! Please leave me alone I want to go and meet my mummy !! I am the only child of my parents please sir don’t kill me I beg you in the name of Jesus!!! My daddy can pay you ten million don’t kill me! One of the adoptors hit her hard on the head with a stone , she went limp and they dragged her unconscious body to the slaughter room , where they slaughtered her . They collected her blood in a bucket, the body parts in another and took it to the shrine, tears was still dripping from the eyes of her severed head. Bisi and the others were crying and shaking uncontrollably. Tiwa embraced Tiwa. The honourable came and followed baba to the shrine were Wasiu was pounding the remains of Chike and Bidemi . He came with his driver and body guard in a big Lexus SUV. Baba was making incantations and he was saying “Amen Amen” And then he was given a concoction made from the blood of the virgins to birth and a soup was made for him to eat . Other clients came from far and wide to do different kinds of rituals . Five more people were killed on that day . The six parents became their own investigators , they moved from police station to station looking for information, but nothing was forthcoming. Most of the police were so unconcerned and lackadaisical about the situation , shouting at the parents and chasing them out of the station when they became violent. The students of Ikurodu grammar School protested to the divisional police headquarters , the police attacked their procession . One student was shut dead and several sustained bullet wounds . The issue became a national story when news blogs took up the story of students killed while protesting the lack of police seriousness in the search for the missing students. ” Hello are you a student of Ikurodu grammar School? The reporter asked one of the SS3 students.
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