30/01/2025
In spite of our predicament, however, we found time for conversations that took our minds away from our woes. That was when the guards were out of earshot. I deliberately told them stories that made us laugh so hard that we temporarily forgot we were captives. One day while recalling with nostalgia the good food we were missing at home, I told them my favorite food was Amala with Ewedu and beans soup (Gbegri), and goat meat. I said I liked the smell of He-goat that came out of the goat meat. That made Major Datong, the soldier abducted from NDA laugh so hard. I hadn't seen him laugh since he came to our camp.
Another story I told them that brought laughter out of them was one I heard about a man who had gone to Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage. While locked in his room at home, he suddenly noticed that the house was on fire. As he was in the midst of Arabs who could not understand Hausa, he was at a loss as to how to alert them the house was on fire, since he couldn't speak Arabic. Then he remembered from some verses he had read in the Holy Qur'an that in Arabic, fire was called Nari. And he knew fin in Arabic meant "in". He was known to his Arab neighbors as Malam Bello. So, he shouted at the top of his voice, "Malam Bello fin Nari", meaning, Malam Bello in fire! When there was no response, he added a few more Arabic words for effect, and said, "Malam Bello fin Nari, khalidina fiha abadan, meaning, Malam Bello is in fire and will remain there forever. We laughed so hard at this joke that some of us were in tears. What made it ironic was the fact that one of us was Bello by name!
How I Was Kidnapped | Link in comment section............................................
Ahmed Abdulkadir
I am a Broadcast Regulator, based in Katsina. I retired as the Zonal Director, National Broadcasting Commission, Maiduguri Zone. I earned a Master's in Development Studies from Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria; a Bachelor of Education in Language Arts from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; a Nigeria Certificate in Education; a Diploma in Journalism; a Certificate in Communication Research and a Certificate in Radio Journalism and Management.