Ki A To Feyinmi Tagba
Bantale mo wipe omi koni pe tan leyin eja oun. Sibe, ko deyin lori oro to ko si yoyo. O roo wipe, eekan bayi l’omo okunrin nku, ati wipe, ki sango pa bata, ko tun pa janwon jawon oju e. Oun gbodo ja fun ododo ati fun ominira
awon ara ilu.
At’igba ti o ti mo oun ti olusakoso ti won yan oun ti nda labaa, ati gbogbo iwa ibaje ti o nhu lo ti mo pe kannan kannan ti gb’omo ega, ija to lagbara n bo!
Bantale gbe ero agb’ohun sile to fi ka ohun gbogbo awon to wa si ipade sinu apo ero ayelujara to gbe korun, osi jade sita.
O ranse pe awon elegbe ati oludamoran re fun ipade pajawiri. O mu ero ilewo re, o pe Tade to je igbakeji fun: “Tade, wahala wa o! O dabi enipe Jagunlabi ti mo ero ti mo ngba lati je ki gbangba o d’ekun. Mo ngbo firinfirin wipe o ti de awon agbofinro simi. Mo si mo wipe iro nla lo ti pa momi ki won ba le se ti e.”
Tade mi kanle lodikeji ero lohun, oni: “Ore, emi o ba gbayin nimoran wipe ki e si farapamo fun igba die ki ategun fi fe si gbogbo rudurudu yii.”
“Wo ore, imoran gidi leyi ti o muwa yii. Sugbon nko nii se bee. Mo ti mo wipe oro naa yio le, mo ti setan lati ri wipe otito fidi mule. Ta ba ni ka dake, afi fun lagbara lati tesiwaju ninu iwa ibaje ni.”
Inu ipade ni Bantale wa ti awon agbofinro ti wa mu ti won si ko sekeseke si lowo. “Ogbeni Bantale Otitosowon, afi esun kan o wipe o nru awon ara ilu soke lori iro ati asan lati gbogun ti Olusakoso Jagunlabi, ati lati doju gbogbo eto ati mu itura ba ara ilu bole.”
Bantale ko fesi, sugbon oju ohun ati Tade se merin, osi fi oju se ami fun wipe ko ma gbiyanju ati bawonja ko si ma gbagbe adehun awon.
Won ti Bantale gbongbon siwaju, won tii wonu bolekaja oko won, won si wole tele moto si sina bole feregee.
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Won mu Bantale jade si gbangba ibi ti won ti maa gbe doju ibon ko awon enikeni ti won ba se’dajo iku fun. O ti di ojiji ara re. Laarin osu mefa to ti wa ni ahamo, afi bii wipe odun k’efa ni. O ti ru, ori hangogo.
Nigba to de iwaju awon ologun to ma se’dajo gbigbona yii, o bere wipe se ohun le bere iranlowo kekere kan ki won to feyin oun t’agbaa. Botile je wipe nise l’oju won le koko, iyen ko daa duro ati soro. O kuku mo wipe iku ti ya. Eniyan kankan kii ku lemeji. O ni ki won dakun dabo ba oun pe ore oun Tade.
Leyin osu keta ti won ti pa Bantale nitori isododo ati lati fi idii otito mule, Tade fi ero agbohunsile ti Bantale fi pamo si lowo ranse si olori
orile-ede. Ninu ero agbohundile sile naa ti o pe akole re ni “Kato Feyin Mi T’agba” loti tu asiri oludari ati idi ti o fi seku paa.
Olusakoso nfi owo ilu ra ohun ija lorisirisi pamo lati da ogun sile ati
lati doju Ijoba to wa loju opon lowo bole!
Before I am Shot
Bantale knew that his time was almost up. That notwithstanding, he refused to back down from the matter that got him into trouble. Afterall, a man dies but once, moreso when it’s for a good cause. So he promised himself to see it to the end.
Since he got to know what the governor he was appointed to aid had been doing with the funds and how whoever questioned him were either missing or automatically fired, he had been bent on exposing him. He put the tape recorder he had been using into his bag and went out of the hall.
He called for an emergency meeting with his colleagues and comrades then put a call through to Tade, his advisor and good friend; he must tie all loose ends before everything hit the roof.
“Tade, there’s big trouble, fire on the mountain! I’m getting the feeling that the Governor knows I’m up to something. I’ve been informed that he has called the SSS into action and instructed them to arrest me. I know he would tell them lies to get them on his side.”
Tade sighed at the other end of the line and said: “Friend, I will suggest you leave the country for a while till this evil wind blows over.”
“Well my friend, that’s a good suggestion. But I won’t do that. The die is cast, let the game begin. I know what I’m getting into when I started this investigation. And I’m ready and willing to see it to the end. And if we continue to keep quiet, we only promote the evil that man does.”
It was during the meeting that Bantale got arrested. “Mr Bantale, you are under arrest for disturbing public peace and for attempting to turn the state against the Governor, and also for trying to destroy the good amenities he has put in place for the good of the people.”
Bantale said nothing but made eye contact with Tade not to say or do anything and also to remember their discussion and the conclusion they reached.
Bantale was handcuffed like a hardened criminal, shoved and pushed into the waiting truck.
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Bantale was brought out into the open square of execution. He had become a shadow of his old self with sunken eyes and cheekbones. It seemed like he had been imprisoned for six years, when in truth, it had only been six months.
When he he was brought before the executionists, he asked if he could make a request. Even though all the armed soldiers had bloodshot eyes, he knew that he would only be killed once. No one dies twice. His last request was to speak with Tade, his friend.
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Three months later, Tade sent the tape recorder Bantale asked him to keep to the President. In the recording he titled “Before I am shot” was where he revealed the intentions of the governor and reason behind his execution. The governor had been buying secret weapons of different caliber to disrupt the present government and to start a civil war.
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- Adeleke Julianah
- Ki A To Feyinmi Tagba
- Yoruba stories