26/08/2019
Episode 2
Previously...
The Gambos were robbed, and their daughter, Fauziya, was missing.
“I just thank Allah that those rogues didn’t harm my family” Alhaji Gambo said to the policeman who had come to handle their case.
The policeman informed him that they hadn’t been able to find any clues and it was possible that it was a professional job because of where they had entered from. He revealed that it was possible that the robbers had been there to look around before.
“Is there anyone apart from your family who could have known you had large amounts of money in your safe?” The officer asked.
“No. None I can think of” Alhaji replied.
“In that case, let me show you where I think you need to improve your security around the house” The officer said and led the way.
They passed Fauziya, who to everyone’s relief had only followed the robbers outside to try to identify them. She was recounting the events of the previous night to her neighbour, Niki, who was commending her bravery but cautioned her for taking such a risk to identify the robbers. Fauziya shrugged of her worries and wished she had been able to identify the culprits.
“When I was hiding behind the flowers, I saw a wallet one of them dropped; and the I.D card inside shows it belongs to someone called Andrew. He actually works in a furniture shop in our area!” Fauziya revealed.
Niki was aghast and exclaimed that she must share the information with the policeman immediately but Fauziya pleaded with her not to and promised that she wasn’t going to do anything stupid.
*
Later that afternoon, Abdulmalik asked his mother again when the food was going to be ready. He couldn’t understand why Fauziya who was supposed to be preparing it was outside gisting with her friends.
“Mummy, the food in Rahman’s house is never late. Haba, won’t you tell Fauziya to quickly prepare the food?” He whined.
“Then you better go and eat in Rahman’s house!” His mother retorted abruptly.
‘’ What have you been doing ehn? Why are you not cooking? Is that not a womans job?” He shouted at Fauziya as she walked in.
“A womans job ehn? But when the robbers came, were you not acting like a woman? Abeg you too go and cook. After all other guys cook!” She shouted back at him without missing a beat.
“Ehn! Is it me you’re talking to like that?” Abdulmalik shouted and gave her a slap.
Fauziya, who wasn’t one to sit quiet and take such abuse, started to fight him until their mother intervened.
Hours later and still fuming, Fauziya decided to go and investigate at the furniture shop. When she got there, she told the attendant that she would like to see the beds they had on offer.
“Ok, no problem my colleague over there will show you around” The attendant said and pointed to a guy who Fauziya recognized as Andrew.
“Andrew...” She muttered to herself, but the attendant heard and asked if she knew Andrew.
“No o. Don’t worry, I’ll come back” Fauziya said and tried to leave the store quickly, but before she could, she heard a man call out her name.
Scared to have been discovered, Fauziya turned around only to see that it was Chief Daniels, her father’s friend who had called her.
“Ah Chief Daniels what are you doing here?” She asked uneasily.
He told her that the furniture store was amongst the several others he owned and invited her to his office.
“So how’s school?” He asked when they were inside.
Fauziya told him that she was awaiting her JAMB results and hoped to get into UNITAG.
Chief Daniels assumed that she was there to look at furnitures because she’d be marrying soon and Fauziya agreed, glad for the excuse.
“Don’t worry, I’ll gift anything you want. Your father has been very good to me.” The Chief exclaimed.
While they were still conversing, Andrew walked in and handed Chief a parcel and told him the work was completed. As he was about to leave, he stopped and asked Fauziya if they had met before. Getting uneasy again, Fauziya said they hadn’t and he walked off.
Back home, Alhaji Gambo was on the phone thanking the policeman for checking in on them. When the policeman asked if there was any new information that could help, Alhaji assured him that there was none and they were all doing well. When he hung up, he looked at Fauziya anxiously and asked: “How could you have gone to look around like that?”
“I’m sorry!” Fauziya replied, but he snapped at her.
“I don’t understand why you’ll take such a risk!”
He asked her again to be sure whether the robber worked for Chief Daniels and she swore she was telling the truth.
Alhaji was shocked and wondered what it meant that the man who robbed him was also working for his business associate.
“Daddy, we can’t be sure Chief Daniels knows what’s going on...” Fauziya commented.
“Well, we can’t be sure he doesn’t either!” He father replied.
They heard Hajiya calling out for Fauziya, so she got up to go and attend to her mother, but before she left, Alhaji Gambo told her to keep the information between them.
“You should have never gone there Fauziya” He remarked as she left the room.
Suddenly afraid, Fauziya turned to her father and asked: “What if Andrew recognises me and they come back?”
Coming Soon
Did Andrew recognise Fauziya?
Is Chief Daniels really implicated in the robbery?
