“NYSC is such a waste, service to the country indeed” Tola muttered to herself on Friday afternoon as she sat at her desk in her Primary Place of Assignment, (PPA) a radio station. She would be going off duty soon, but had no plans for the weekend. As a full-fledged Lagosian, she found the town she was serving quite boring. Lively Lagos with its several exciting spots: the many malls, bars and hang out spots, and this ridiculous little state capital with its single one storey “mall” and the tiny cinema in it seemed two worlds apart.
Tola had been eagerly looking forward to NYSC while in the university. She’d expected it to be a time where she would actually have friends to hang out and have fun with. She had hardly had friends in the university and virtually did not attend school parties and dinners. She had been posted to the far North and had attended the mandatory 3 weeks camp which marked the start of NYSC there.
Camp had been so much fun and she had made many friends. Her mother was however adamant; she would not let her stay in the North, what with new of several bombs going off in that vicinity almost every day. So she had her relocated to this sleepy town. She however refused to allow herself think that it would have been much better if she hadn’t relocated, because it probably wouldn’t have. Almost all the many friends she made on camp also relocated, and she realized it would have probably been worse being stuck alone in a Northern village, than this semi tepid state capital.
So NYSC didn’t turn out how Tola had expected. She had almost no friends in her local government, so her CDS and PV signing days were routine, with no one to hang with during and after. Her neighbors were students in the university and she had quite friendly but casual relationships with them. They were busy with schoolwork and had their own interesting university lives into which she, as a corps member did not fit. So NYSC was ending in less than 3 months and she had hardly had any experiences she could categorize as fun.
These were the thoughts that ran through Tola’s mind as she clocked out of her PPA and strolled down the road to get a cab. She resolved there and then that she would not allow the entire weekend go to waste. She was on duty on Saturday so she knew she would be too tired to go out then. Then it hit her, she would go to the mall on Sunday! It might not seem like much but it was something. Most weekends, even when she wasn’t on duty, were usually spent indoors, in her self-contain apartment. All she did was cook & eat, sleep, read novels on her tablet and see movies on her laptop. Tola wondered if having a boyfriend would have made things different, made life more interesting. But she was not one to settle for less out of loneliness, desperation or boredom, so it was either the ‘right man’ or nothing.
It wasn’t like she didn’t have viable prospects. Pemisire, one of her good friends was all she wanted in a man, the most viable of them all. But he was busy with work and gave her mixed signals; sometimes he seemed interested and other times he treated her as just a friend. She knew that sooner or later though, he would speak up if he wanted her, and if not, she would meet the right man for her. But she really wished it happened sooner because she was so lonely. And people around here weren’t even making it any easier for her. From her father, to her boss at her PPA, to annoying friends, everyone was always hounding Tola to get a man. As if there was a market where husband materials were sold and she was too lazy to go there and buy hers. She chuckled unconsciously as this last thought came to her mind.
When she got home, she ate noodles and napped till 7pm. Then she went out to the balcony where she sat chatting with neighbors and reading a novel for about 2 hours. Then she went in to her room and read a little more of the novel while she ate a snack. She then slept till Saturday morning and repeated her usual routine: sleep, eat, read novels, gist and text on her phone till it was time to get ready for work. She was on night duty so she went to work Saturday evening and returned home Sunday morning. She then slept till about 2pm Sunday afternoon.
She woke up excited; she had her entire evening planned out. She would go to the cinema at the mall to see Fast & Furious 7 and Pitch Perfect 2, then go to Shoprite and get her favorite yoghurt which it seemed only Shoprite sold, some seafood and Shoprite bread. As she was going in the shower, she caught herself humming Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World and smiled when she realized how corny she was being. She left the house around 4pm and met some of her neighbors outside. They teased her about the fact that she was finally going out and she laughed and hurried off to get a cab. She didn’t want to be late and the movie was starting 4:15pm.
After seeing the movies and getting what she wanted at Shoprite, Tolu walked into the mall parking lot at few minutes past 10pm. Time had gotten away from her inside as she hadn’t known it was this late. She could see it was a very dark, moonless night, though the mall’s security lights adequately lighted the parking lot area. She desperately prayed she would be able to find a cab in this town where the major roads were usually deserted by 8:30pm. As she walked down the parking lot, she heard “hey, hello, do you need a ride?” she looked back and saw a parked car with two men sitting in it. A third man, who looked to be at least 50 years old, with his big round belly clearly outlined in the round necked T-shirt he was wearing was stepping out of the driver’s side of the car. She figured he had been the one calling out to her, offering a ride. She smiled and said “no, thank you” and hurried off.
Tola had been waiting outside the mall gate for almost 30 minutes and hadn’t seen a single cab. The two commercial motorcyclists that had stopped when she waved them weren’t willing to go as far as her street. She was considering walking further down the road in the hopes of getting a cab when a jeep stopped in front of her. The front passenger’s side glass rolled down slowly and she could see in the lighted interior of the car the three men that had offered her a ride in the mall parking lot. The man who had called out to her was driving and said “Hello again, I’m Tunde. Come on, let’s give you a ride, a vulnerable young lady like you shouldn’t be out here alone by this time of the night”. The man sitting next to him acquiesced “Yeah, we promise, we won’t bite” and grinned.
Tola smiled “Thanks” and against her better judgment got in the backseat, next to the third guy. She felt she really didn’t have a choice, and told herself since she wouldn’t follow them anywhere but the junction that led to her street, she would be fine. As they drove on, she noticed the streets were deserted. The men, especially the one who had called himself Tunde kept trying to make conversation with Tola who only made polite ‘yes’ and ‘no’ responses to the basic inquiries. “Tola, do you like clubbing? There’s this sweet club just up ahead that we’re heading to, you should come with us” Tunde asked abruptly. She replied “No, thank you sir, I don’t club and I really should be getting home. If you’ll please drop me at the next junction sir, it’s a short walk to my house from there”.
Tunde parked at the totally deserted junction, and turned around in the driver’s seat. Looking Tola directly in the eyes and grinning in a menacing manner said “Why should I let a sweet girl like you just come into my life and leave the same way? You have to give me something to remember you by”. Tola’s sense of unease which had been steadily rising since she had gotten into the car reached its peak. She started babbling “thank you very much sir..but..erhm…I have to be getting home now…if you’ll please unlock the car door so I can go..”
Tola’s words were drowned in the laughter of the men, and in what seemed like mere seconds, she was been dragged down from the car, to an empty stall near where the car was parked. A handkerchief was stuffed down her throat to muffle her screams. The other two men held down her legs and arms, and Tunde got on top of her and started raping her. While he thrust in and out of her, she screamed with all the strength she could muster, but the screams were no more than whimpers. Tears cascaded down her cheek as she thought bitterly of how she had imagined her first time having sex would feel like; she would have finally given herself to her husband whom she loved so much, and she cried harder.
Tunde got off her and another of the men got on top of her and began raping her too. She could smell the alcohol on his breath just like she had on Tunde’s, but she could hardly see his face through her incessant tears. When the third man got on top of her and pushed his way into her, she finally lost consciousness and was plunged into merciful oblivion where there were no more tears.
Tola had been eagerly looking forward to NYSC while in the university. She’d expected it to be a time where she would actually have friends to hang out and have fun with. She had hardly had friends in the university and virtually did not attend school parties and dinners. She had been posted to the far North and had attended the mandatory 3 weeks camp which marked the start of NYSC there.
Camp had been so much fun and she had made many friends. Her mother was however adamant; she would not let her stay in the North, what with new of several bombs going off in that vicinity almost every day. So she had her relocated to this sleepy town. She however refused to allow herself think that it would have been much better if she hadn’t relocated, because it probably wouldn’t have. Almost all the many friends she made on camp also relocated, and she realized it would have probably been worse being stuck alone in a Northern village, than this semi tepid state capital.
So NYSC didn’t turn out how Tola had expected. She had almost no friends in her local government, so her CDS and PV signing days were routine, with no one to hang with during and after. Her neighbors were students in the university and she had quite friendly but casual relationships with them. They were busy with schoolwork and had their own interesting university lives into which she, as a corps member did not fit. So NYSC was ending in less than 3 months and she had hardly had any experiences she could categorize as fun.
These were the thoughts that ran through Tola’s mind as she clocked out of her PPA and strolled down the road to get a cab. She resolved there and then that she would not allow the entire weekend go to waste. She was on duty on Saturday so she knew she would be too tired to go out then. Then it hit her, she would go to the mall on Sunday! It might not seem like much but it was something. Most weekends, even when she wasn’t on duty, were usually spent indoors, in her self-contain apartment. All she did was cook & eat, sleep, read novels on her tablet and see movies on her laptop. Tola wondered if having a boyfriend would have made things different, made life more interesting. But she was not one to settle for less out of loneliness, desperation or boredom, so it was either the ‘right man’ or nothing.
It wasn’t like she didn’t have viable prospects. Pemisire, one of her good friends was all she wanted in a man, the most viable of them all. But he was busy with work and gave her mixed signals; sometimes he seemed interested and other times he treated her as just a friend. She knew that sooner or later though, he would speak up if he wanted her, and if not, she would meet the right man for her. But she really wished it happened sooner because she was so lonely. And people around here weren’t even making it any easier for her. From her father, to her boss at her PPA, to annoying friends, everyone was always hounding Tola to get a man. As if there was a market where husband materials were sold and she was too lazy to go there and buy hers. She chuckled unconsciously as this last thought came to her mind.
When she got home, she ate noodles and napped till 7pm. Then she went out to the balcony where she sat chatting with neighbors and reading a novel for about 2 hours. Then she went in to her room and read a little more of the novel while she ate a snack. She then slept till Saturday morning and repeated her usual routine: sleep, eat, read novels, gist and text on her phone till it was time to get ready for work. She was on night duty so she went to work Saturday evening and returned home Sunday morning. She then slept till about 2pm Sunday afternoon.
She woke up excited; she had her entire evening planned out. She would go to the cinema at the mall to see Fast & Furious 7 and Pitch Perfect 2, then go to Shoprite and get her favorite yoghurt which it seemed only Shoprite sold, some seafood and Shoprite bread. As she was going in the shower, she caught herself humming Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World and smiled when she realized how corny she was being. She left the house around 4pm and met some of her neighbors outside. They teased her about the fact that she was finally going out and she laughed and hurried off to get a cab. She didn’t want to be late and the movie was starting 4:15pm.
After seeing the movies and getting what she wanted at Shoprite, Tolu walked into the mall parking lot at few minutes past 10pm. Time had gotten away from her inside as she hadn’t known it was this late. She could see it was a very dark, moonless night, though the mall’s security lights adequately lighted the parking lot area. She desperately prayed she would be able to find a cab in this town where the major roads were usually deserted by 8:30pm. As she walked down the parking lot, she heard “hey, hello, do you need a ride?” she looked back and saw a parked car with two men sitting in it. A third man, who looked to be at least 50 years old, with his big round belly clearly outlined in the round necked T-shirt he was wearing was stepping out of the driver’s side of the car. She figured he had been the one calling out to her, offering a ride. She smiled and said “no, thank you” and hurried off.
Tola had been waiting outside the mall gate for almost 30 minutes and hadn’t seen a single cab. The two commercial motorcyclists that had stopped when she waved them weren’t willing to go as far as her street. She was considering walking further down the road in the hopes of getting a cab when a jeep stopped in front of her. The front passenger’s side glass rolled down slowly and she could see in the lighted interior of the car the three men that had offered her a ride in the mall parking lot. The man who had called out to her was driving and said “Hello again, I’m Tunde. Come on, let’s give you a ride, a vulnerable young lady like you shouldn’t be out here alone by this time of the night”. The man sitting next to him acquiesced “Yeah, we promise, we won’t bite” and grinned.
Tola smiled “Thanks” and against her better judgment got in the backseat, next to the third guy. She felt she really didn’t have a choice, and told herself since she wouldn’t follow them anywhere but the junction that led to her street, she would be fine. As they drove on, she noticed the streets were deserted. The men, especially the one who had called himself Tunde kept trying to make conversation with Tola who only made polite ‘yes’ and ‘no’ responses to the basic inquiries. “Tola, do you like clubbing? There’s this sweet club just up ahead that we’re heading to, you should come with us” Tunde asked abruptly. She replied “No, thank you sir, I don’t club and I really should be getting home. If you’ll please drop me at the next junction sir, it’s a short walk to my house from there”.
Tunde parked at the totally deserted junction, and turned around in the driver’s seat. Looking Tola directly in the eyes and grinning in a menacing manner said “Why should I let a sweet girl like you just come into my life and leave the same way? You have to give me something to remember you by”. Tola’s sense of unease which had been steadily rising since she had gotten into the car reached its peak. She started babbling “thank you very much sir..but..erhm…I have to be getting home now…if you’ll please unlock the car door so I can go..”
Tola’s words were drowned in the laughter of the men, and in what seemed like mere seconds, she was been dragged down from the car, to an empty stall near where the car was parked. A handkerchief was stuffed down her throat to muffle her screams. The other two men held down her legs and arms, and Tunde got on top of her and started raping her. While he thrust in and out of her, she screamed with all the strength she could muster, but the screams were no more than whimpers. Tears cascaded down her cheek as she thought bitterly of how she had imagined her first time having sex would feel like; she would have finally given herself to her husband whom she loved so much, and she cried harder.
Tunde got off her and another of the men got on top of her and began raping her too. She could smell the alcohol on his breath just like she had on Tunde’s, but she could hardly see his face through her incessant tears. When the third man got on top of her and pushed his way into her, she finally lost consciousness and was plunged into merciful oblivion where there were no more tears.
“Female Corps member found dead in Ilorin” read the newspaper headlines on Monday morning.
NOTE: This was both the easiest & most difficult story I’ve ever written. Easy to write because I myself am a serving corps member and I easily used personal experiences as the back story (as those who know me personally can tell) without thinking too hard. It was however difficult to write and quite emotional because it dawned on me as the story progressed that it could have been me just as easily as it was her.
Rest In Peace Yetunde Shukurat Idowu.
NOTE: This was both the easiest & most difficult story I’ve ever written. Easy to write because I myself am a serving corps member and I easily used personal experiences as the back story (as those who know me personally can tell) without thinking too hard. It was however difficult to write and quite emotional because it dawned on me as the story progressed that it could have been me just as easily as it was her.
Rest In Peace Yetunde Shukurat Idowu.
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