Unusual attention

 “It is stated here that there will not be monetary dividend for ehareholders this year, what is due to them shalt be converted as shares to them at N5.00 per share. It also stated that there will be general meeting of shareholder on 15th of june 1994”. Mazi jim said. “How many shares did I have now?” Nazi Ilo enquired. “they added 30 shares to the existing one”. Mazi jim told him. 

For the past three years now, mazi jim had turned himself into mazi ilo’s self appointed lawyer. Not that he is lawyer by profession, far from it. He is into education. He is a teacher in secondary school and hustling as yam seller to supplement his salary for naira has depreciated a lot. When the Lorry transporting his goods from utokpo farm to his base at Onitsha failed to cover the yam with tanpauline, rain damaged 50 percent of theyyams, it was mazi ilo that he ran to for assistance. It is sensible that he should be rendering his service educationally since Mazi Ilo could not write anything properly, except money. At times, it baffles him how the man understood most of the business related maths that even him found difficult to grasp. Beside all these, he is interested in the man youngest sister. She seems to be the type of woman he needs. “A man must have a dependable escape hatch against this tumuttuous economy of our” he quipped. 

It came to pass two years later that mazi jim and Ebere the youngest sister of Mazi Ilo became husband and wife. That was in july 1976. And heaven bless them with six children. 

Three boys and three girls. The kids were beautiful. As he was building his family, he was furthering his education. He later became lecturer at the Federal polytechnic in his state. The wife also became a teacher in Government own privory school. The kids were growing up too. The second born named after the mother Ebere was particularly beautiful and intelligent. 

The family was religious too. The kids were brought up in catholic faith. The boys were members of mass servants. The girls member of mary league. The family is structured in prayer way. So, some centams things are not thought of, not to talk of carrying it out. 

It was around 1991 when ebere entered secondary school that her parents began to pay attention to her closely. She was maturing faster than her age and attracting men that are by age far enough to be her paper. The attention and gifts were over whelming. The family began to have excess visitors, some indirectly looking for Ebere. 

Suitors even started coming. From excuses of being underage to thee “she will finish school first” from her parents did not deter the suitors that were swamping like locust around the family. The father maintained his ground that none of his daughters will leave his house without finishing her university education. Some suitors offered to treem her even in her father’s house. Mazi jim refused out rightly, telling them that he is still capable of taking care of his duties not minding the state of the nation’s economy.

They kept coming annoyanly, disrupting the peace of the family. The father devised the means of sending Ebere to her aunty in Enugu. Each holiday. Story remained the same over there. all manners of creatures were asking for her hand in marriage like the saying always frames it: “her hands in main age, not her waist or her chest; but her hands”. Educated, uneducated, rich and not all that rich. As far as the girl is still in secondary school, she has no right of her own to decide. So, her opinion was never for once sought. 

Third year in secondary school, the parents sent her to live in dormitory, hoping that out of sight will be out mind. The story remains the same. During inter house sports, uninvited guest will come to the completion in her name, some she seemed for the first term in her life. All of them will be there, launching books and doing dominations. They seem to know all the events limed up by the school each year.

   What is wrong with these people?, There are millions of beautiful girls every were in this state, why are they pestering the family and the little girl. Queried the angry father one evening when he received seven different suitors in a day. Some came for their sons in western and eastern word. some for their sons in prison. Mazi just knew without pin pointing it, that all is not well. Some invincible forces are after this family. He mulled. Almost six years now, he has been dodging this bullet the forces had been firing at his family through his daughter. He cursed himself for not realizing on time all

 these years that some thing must be wrong. Even miss world doesn’t attract attention of this type. He was calculating in his head the resources whoever or whichever group that is penetrating his family has spent in pursuing their course, he decided that whatever it is they were after, must be very important to them. 

   He spent a week racking his head to know who might be after him.he could not place anything in his past and present that he has done to anyone to warrant psychological warfare being wedged against his family. He has asked his wife to do the same and her answer is nile. “what will I do and where will I start to investigate?” He asked himself. “ do I go to police, and tell them what?” “that some rich people were interested in my daughter for marriage?” won’t they want to know if am normal in the head?” He asked. 

“what do the law of necessity stipulates?” he asked. 'That which is otherwise unlawful is made lawful by necessity': maybe, law of rudeness will do the work He enthused. 

“Be extremely rude to your visitors, whoever is normal will take offense and avoid you, any who kept coming to you must be under contract”. He scratched his head and concluded that action on rudeness will have to do for now. He told his wife his plan and they agreed to give it a trial for fourteen days.  

For fourteen days, it was fire!, sourcy mouth all the way. Rudeness at its raw form, and recording of the day events, records of what was said and who it was said to. At end of fourteen days, when both opened their record book, they were surprised to realize that all in all, it was 33 persons they confronted and marveled at what they said to those people. “You mean on 7th, I said words like what I saw in this book to that young man?” the wife asked. “it worth it”. The husband assured. They both agreed to monitor reactions of their victims for another fourteen days.

Meanwhile, their daughter Ebere is now in university studying law. Like every other year one student’s, she felt like a bird out of cage out of parental monitoring. Not actually like pastor’s daughter, “saint in front yard and lioness at back yard; she for the first time was interested on opposite sex. The attention she was getting in school is similar to the one at home only that no one has cars and flaunting cash around like those seeking for marriage at home. She was interested in one guy that has been particulary good to her. He is in marketing department, year two. He has helped her in registration processes. He is intelligent and funny too. Eventhough she has not let her intention or anything known to him, she believed he is not stupid. She guess that he has decoded everything. 

Meanwhile, Mazi jim and his wife has narrowed their record to three persons. “Among this three people, we may have both answers. Positive and negative”. The husband said. “so what is the next step now?” wife asked. “P.I,” The husband said. “What is P.I?” wife asked. “Private investigator” the man answered. They need to follow them and digout everything they can about the three. How much will it cost?” the wife wants to know. “Your family is under siege, whatever it cost, give them?" The man replied. Two days later, mazi jim informed his wife that he has contacted them and they promised to have something for them before seven days. 

On the fifth day, mazi jim was called to look at the pictures they took from the apartment of the one of the Their quarry. Mazi was surprise to see ebere his daughter posing with a man they never saw before. "How did these picture ended up here? And who is this man?" Mazi jim blurted out. We followed our quarry one rainy night and he led us to a hostel where he met the guy in the picture, whatever it was they discussed there, we did not hear , but I think it concerns your daughter. We have planted people to monitor both your daughter and the guy at the university. The P.I man said. "wont it be sensible to involve police for them to know what is happening?". Mazi said. "Not yet, we have not establish that something bad is going on". The P.I man said. "what of warning my daughter to stay away from that guy". Mazi asked . "no, it will alert them that they are being watched". The P.I said. " what of my family, do we need protection?". Mazi asked. "No it will alert them too, just go about your normal business". All these will end within three day the P.I said.

    Two days later, the P.I man called again around 1.am in the morning to tell Mazi that there had been fire outbreak in the women dormitory that the police and fire fighters has been battling the fire and crowd there. that ebere is unconscious in Teaching hospital from inhaling smoke.that she is stablising as they speak. Mazi Jim shouted and his wife woked up asking what the problem was. Her husband told her he will let her know in the car.

They got to the hospital, but was not allowed by the officers controlling things there. It was around six in the morning that the P.I came to clear them with the officers and told them too that both their quarry and his contact were picked up at the hospital around twelve midnight.

       Three days later, police told the press that the fire incident at the female dormitory was an arson. That the master minds has been picked up and that the investigations were still going on. It was later revealed to Mazi jim and his wife that the arsonist were members of outlawed 'axe members' that were revenging on behalf of their member that was expelled from school nine years ago for getting admission with fake result since Mazi was one of the verification members that worked in exams and records that period, the group had been going through all the members one after another since them and death of the lecturer that led the verification committee people thought was natural was master minded by the group. He further told them that the group initial plan on his family was for one of their group member to marry his daughter and stop her from getting university education since their father don’t want others to get tertiary education, "why should his kids get". When ebere got admission and parents Turned Abusive, so, they changed their plan to maiming. The officer told them that other members of the cult have been picked up.