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English Translation
Part 1
Ashtar really saw that this marriage was going to be forced on him, and with two wives at that! So where was he going to put them—kids who have no self-control—and they expect him to marry them? "Tab, Abbey, you are going to conduct this marriage yourselves because as for me, I have nothing to do with them, unless you bring me bodyguards," he said aloud while adjusting his lying position.
Today was the day of the laife (bridal gifts presentation), where twelve trunks were brought for each of them. Not even a coin was from the groom; Abbey took care of everything because the groom had practically forgotten he was getting married. Today happened to be Friday, and today was the day Ashtar's marriage to his brides would be solemnized.
"Wai Ashtar, are you not going to get up? Haba mana, for God's sake, you know very well that as soon as the Friday prayers are over, the wedding will be conducted. But out of stubbornness, you are lying there with no intention of getting up, let alone dressing." "Wai for God's sake, Umar, why must you pressure my life? Haba, leave me alone! Is it compulsory that I go?" he replied, filling Umar's ears with shouts and noise. "You've been filled, Malam! Come on, get up, or I swear I will call Abbey!" "You've taken long enough without calling him—go ahead!" Seeing that arguing wouldn't make Ashtar get ready, Umar switched to persuasion. With great difficulty, he finally got him up to dress in a brilliant, sparkling faran shada outfit. One look at him and you would know he was the groom, except his face lacked an ounce of mercy; he kept it locked as if he had never smiled in his life.
After the Friday prayers were finished, the marriage was solemnized between Malik Ashtar Ahmad Modibbo and Nafeesat Yusuf Modibbo, and Ilham Badaru Hamza, for a bride price of one hundred thousand naira each. Relatives and well-wishers prayed for the groom's blessings, though looking at his face, you could never tell if he was happy or the opposite. He didn't even wait for the greetings with the guests to finish; he ran home through the back door because he didn't want anyone to notice his return, as the place was already bursting with noise. Back at the wedding venue, when Umar looked around and didn't see him, he knew he had fled. In his heart, he thought, Ashtar's ways are his alone; they will never change.
Umar is Ashtar's childhood friend. They went to school together through everything, and even joined the military together, where Umar is now a Captain. You could almost call them relatives because of how close their bond is, which even caused their parents to become friends.
Night came, and everyone was getting ready to go to the dinner, since most had already left. The brides were all dressed and just waiting for the groom, but there was still no sign of him. Ashtar and Umar were over there having a fierce battle because Ashtar said he wasn't going anywhere and that nobody asked them to combine a dinner party with the wedding. Umar pleaded with him endlessly, but he refused to get dressed until Umar had to involve Ammee before he finally complied. Even then, his face had zero radiance because his mood was terribly bad. If not for Ammee forcing him, I swear he wouldn't have gone. That was how it went, without a single smile seen from the groom.
Nasra, sitting down, saw her phone ring and picked it up, but she couldn't hear what was being said due to the loud music playing around. She looked at her friend and said, "Zarah, wait for me; let me just take this call outside." "Okay, come back quickly." She stepped outside, put the phone to her ear, and said, "Hello, who is speaking? Hello?" She heard silence, and when she checked her phone, she saw the call had ended. She shrugged before turning back to re-enter, but as she took a step, she saw two young men in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak when something was sprayed over her face from behind. From that moment on, she lost all consciousness.
Zarah, noticing she was taking too long and hadn't returned, went to look for her. She searched everywhere but couldn't find her. Her anxiety began to rise, so she took out her phone and started calling her, only to hear the ringing tone nearby. When she turned around, she saw the phone on the ground, cracked from the fall. "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un," she kept repeating as her heart hammered in her chest. She prayed that what her mind was suspecting wasn't true. She left the venue, got into a car, and headed straight to Ashtar's family house.
When she arrived, she searched everywhere for Nasra, but couldn't find anyone resembling her. She headed to Ammee's room to knock, and just as she reached for the door, Ammee opened hers and came out. "Ah, Zarah, is everything alright? Or have you guys already left the wedding party?" "No, Ammee. Has Nasra come home? I haven't seen Nasra since you guys left the house. I thought she was with you." "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un!" "Is everything okay, Zarah?" "Ammee, there is a problem." "What do you mean there is a problem?" "Ammee, I can't find Nasra!" "What do you mean you can't find her? Explain so I can understand." Zarah recounted everything that had happened with Nasra. "I swear, Ammee, if I had known that going outside meant she wouldn't come back, I wouldn't have let her go anywhere," she said in tears.
Ammee's anxiety also spiked sky-high, with Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un being the only thing she kept repeating. By then, people had started returning from the venue. Anyone asked whether they had seen Nasra answered no. Instantly, the whole house erupted into chaos over her disappearance. Even the brides wore wide, terrified eyes, thinking to themselves: Of all days to kidnap the groom's younger sister, it had to be on our wedding day? We are doomed!
Ashtar, who was already holding a grudge in his heart over the dinner, now found out that his younger sister had been kidnapped—all because of that stupid dinner. His eyes turned extremely red with anger, and the veins on his head bulged. The search for Nasra began immediately. Everywhere she was thought to go was checked, but she was nowhere to be found. Panic gripped everyone. Hajja was crying like a small child, saying, "This marriage is a cursed marriage! Of all times to kidnap my grandchild, it had to be on the wedding day!" Everyone sat in gloomy silence, overwhelmed by the distress, praying that God would bring her back safely.
"Oga, where are we heading with this girl?" "Kai, Jagwal, let's leave the North entirely. Take the route to ENUGO, because if we try to execute our mission here in the North, they can easily catch us—especially since her brother is a soldier. The whole town will be buzzing by now, so let's just hit the road." "Done, Oga."
Part 2
(Page 12)
As for Ashtar's side, he took Nasra's phone from Zarah's hand, extracted the number that had called her, and said, "Yazeed, here is the number. Send it to me right now and investigate who owns it." "Yes, sir." He turned off the phone, looked at Umar, and said, "Let's go."
They went straight to the hotel where the dinner had been held. They met the manager, showed their IDs, and said, "We are here to review the security camera footage because of a kidnapped girl. We hope you will cooperate so we can investigate smoothly without any commotion."
The manager led them to the camera room. They reviewed the footage up to the point where she stepped out to take the call, and where those young men surrounded her. The frustrating part was that both of their faces were completely covered with black caps, the kind robbers wear. Right after that, the camera cut out because one of the youths smashed it. "What the hell! Where were the camera room monitors when all this happened, and why couldn't you report it to the police?" Ashtar shouted in anger.
Everyone fell silent, staring at him. He barked a command that rattled them. With a trembling voice, one of the staff members spoke up: "Sir, I swear, up until that time, none of us were in the room because of a fire outbreak in the hotel kitchen's electrical unit. Even when we returned, we didn't notice it until now."
Despite all their investigations, they found no evidence to identify the men. Reluctantly, they returned home. By then, the news of Nasra's disappearance had spread everywhere. True to elite protocol, every passing vehicle on every exit route was thoroughly searched. During these checks, Jagwal and his gang successfully slipped out of Abuja.
"Sir, that phone number belongs to a man named Dauda, who died about five years ago in a car accident. The SIM card has never been used since then until today when it was used to call Nasra. We've tracked the line, but we found nothing because the SIM may have been discarded or the phone used was switched off."
Ashtar fell silent, not knowing what to say. His head was burning, and everything overwhelmed him; he had no idea what to do. Thus, the night of the wedding passed without a shred of peace.
On Bahba and his crew's side, they didn't arrive in Enugu until around 5:00 AM because of the high speed Jagwal maintained, as he knew the route intimately from frequenting it—especially whenever they pulled off one of their criminal stunts and fled.
"Oga, where are we heading?" "Jagwal, we are not going into town with her. Let's go to the Aburungo wilderness. Even if we kill her, wild animals will have food, meaning there won't be any evidence left behind for her to be found and for us to get caught." "I hail you, Oga! You really know all sorts of evil tricks," they all burst into laughter. Gawska said, "Oga, before this girl is slaughtered, let me taste her a bit because she is fine." "You bastard! You won't eat her bread alone; we're all going to climb! Besides, being a classy city girl, she's going to taste amazing!" They burst into laughter again.
Nasra, who had woken up right as they started talking because the drug they made her inhale had worn off, could do nothing but repeat Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un in her heart upon hearing what they planned to do to her. What had she ever done to them to deserve this? Had she ever wronged anyone? "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un, I am finished! Oh Allah, bring me help!"
Bahba and his crew didn't notice that she had woken up. She didn't make any movement that would let them know she was awake. Her primary goal right now was to find something to untie her hands, as they had bound them tightly with a rope. While deep in thought, she felt her shoes still on her feet. With great difficulty, she managed to reach her foot with her hand. She found a small metal piece decorating her shoe and managed to snap it off with much struggle. Then, she began trying to cut her bindings. As soon as she started scraping with the metal, the rope began to fray slightly because it wasn't very strong.
Throughout all this activity, Bahba didn't notice because he was busy keeping watch. Soon after, Jagwal returned with alcohol. He found a spot by the fire, and they sat around chatting and drinking until Gawska returned with food. They ate, laughed, and cheered as the alcohol began to hit them. Allah granted Nasra the strength to untie the rope completely, though she remained completely still in her spot so they wouldn't suspect she was awake.
Bahba stood up, raised his alcohol bottle, and drank. He threw the bottle away, stretched lazily, and said, "Well, I've eaten and I'm full. Now, let's move on to this city girl!" Gawska and the others laughed heartily. "You're on fire, Oga! We're right behind you; today we're going to harvest big time!"
Bahba approached where Nasra was lying and turned her over. Nasra, who had grabbed a handful of dirt in her hand, threw it straight into his face the moment he flipped her. He screamed in agony as the dirt entered his eyes. Seeing what happened, Jagwal and the others rushed toward her. Before they could reach her, she sprang up and bolted into the wilderness, not knowing where she was heading. They immediately rushed after her. Bahba, managing to wash the dirt out of his eyes, whipped out the gun tucked into his waist and joined the pursuit. She ran with all her might—you could tell from her speed that it was a race for her life.
"Speaker, what is going on in this wilderness today?" Abrish asked her parrot. "My mistress, I didn't go anywhere today, I don't know anything!" She didn't speak to him again, as Abrish was naturally taciturn. She was sitting on a mango tree eating an apple she had picked from their orchard before stepping out.
As if falling from the sky, she began hearing a woman's cries accompanied by men's shouts. She raised her head and peered down from the tree, but saw nothing. She settled back down, but then heard the cries again. She rose up into the air, hovering above the jungle canopy. Looking around, she saw no one until she turned toward the south, where she spotted a girl—around her own age—running desperately, with several grown men chasing closely behind her.
The moment she saw this, she knew nothing good could be driving those men to chase the girl. Consequently, she headed straight toward them. Upon arriving, she hoisted the girl up into the air. The men stopped and stared at each other in bewilderment, having no idea what had just whisked the girl away.
Abrish, holding Nasra, looked at her. Seeing how hard the girl was panting filled her with pity. She touched two fingers of her right hand together, and a bright light emerged and landed on Nasra's forehead. Instantly, Nasra’s body went completely limp as if she had fainted. Abrish held her hand and closed her eyes, instantly viewing everything that had happened from her kidnapping up to the present moment. Her face darkened with rage. “Today, nobody will stop me from beating the hell out of you all in this jungle!”
As for Nasra, she had floated up into the air due to the wind stirred up by her frantic run, unable to see anything around her except a vague sensation of being lifted up.
Abrish gently laid Nasra down on a tree branch, then headed toward Bahba and his crew, who were still stuck in place as if planted into the ground. She stared at them, and they stared back. Even though her face was covered, one look at her filled them with terror, as they thought she was a supernatural being (jinn).
They tried to lift their feet to run, but the moment they attempted it, they were swept up into the air! They began to scream. The moment their screams started, they were spun around like ceiling fans before being slammed hard into the ground. They would be hoisted up and smashed back down with immense force. Before you knew it, they were bleeding from their noses and mouths. Bahba even had diarrhea, while Jagwal and the others leaked urine down their legs! "For God's sake, Anty Aljana (Jinn Auntie), have mercy! I swear, if we knew this place belonged to you, we wouldn't have come. Please, Gwago Aljana, spare our lives! We swear we will turn over a new leaf starting today!"
She didn't utter a single word to them. Instead, she turned around and walked away, leaving them there being bounced around like footballs—up and down—until all their bones felt broken.
She returned to Nasra, placed her gently on a horse, mounted behind her, and they set off for home. Her father, who was in the orchard, spotted her coming on horseback—and unless his eyes were playing tricks on him, someone else was sitting in front of her. Knowing she usually wouldn't return at this hour unless something was wrong, he stepped out of the orchard. "Yar Baba, who is this?" "Abbu, let's go inside first." She carried Nasra inside and explained how she had found her. "Now, where are those young men?" "They are right there in the wilderness." "What did you do to them, Abrish?" Abbu asked. "Punishment fitting the crime they committed." Having said that, she walked off to her room. Her father merely shook his head and said, "May Allah guide you." "Ameen," Umme chimed in, because she too prayed for guidance daily, given how extreme her daughter's antics could be.
As for Bahba and his gang, they were subjected to that same treatment from morning until around 5:00 PM when it finally stopped. They fainted more than twenty times. Just as exhaustion knocked them out, the same exhaustion revived them. They collapsed like corpses, barely distinguishable from dead bodies save for the faint breath in their chests. Some hunters passing by happened to find them. At first, they thought they were dead, but later realized there was still life in them. The hunters hoisted them up and took them away.
Bahba and company really suffered today! 😂 But you guys in the "Yar Daji" group, just watching and nobody went to rescue them? Companionship isn't supposed to be like this! There are too many of you 🤣 As for me, count me out! 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
Part 3
(Page 13)
After one week.
"Mommy, I don't understand what kind of marriage this is! Haba fisabililahi, it's been a full week now, and I haven't even caught his glance. It's like I was the one who arranged for his sister to be kidnapped! But I know he wouldn't treat his own sister's disappearance like this. Maybe it's because he sees I'm not of his blood that he's treating me with such disdain. I am tired of this, I swear, Mommy!" "Ilham?" "Na'am, Mommy." "Let me tell you something you don't know. Right now, neither you nor that rival of yours will win Ashtar's attention—especially since the day of your wedding to him was the exact day his sister was kidnapped. You see, you won't command any respect right now. But calm down, my precious. Let everything settle down first, and I will go see the Malam to get some help for you. That good-for-nothing man is not man enough to humiliate my child. Leave him to me; we will deal with him! All I want you to do right now is make sure you don't show your frustration too early. Ideally, act like you care even more than he does about the missing sister. Do you understand?" "Yes, Mommy, I understand. And Insha Allah, I will do my best to win his attention to myself." "Good girl, that's how I want it." She ended the call. May Yaya Ashtar come to love me just as much as I love him!
"Assalamu'alaikum." "Wa'alaikumus salam. Ah ah, Nafeesat, is that you? Come inside!" She entered and sat on the floor. "Get up and sit on the chair." "No, Ammee, here is fine." "Alright, since you've now made me your mother-in-law by force," she said with a smile. Nafeesat smiled back. "How are you all? I hope everything is fine." "We are doing very well, Ammee, no problems at all." In her heart, however, she was thinking: Problems? We are deep in problems; a trash can has more value than us in Yaya Ashtar's eyes! "That's how it should be. May Allah grant you a lasting, peaceful marriage." "Ameen," she replied.
Greetings echoed as someone entered. They responded, and when Nafeesat turned around and saw it was Ilham, she rolled her eyes and looked away. Ilham approached and sat on the floor as well. She greeted Ammee, who responded warmly and asked her how she was doing, just as she had asked Nafeesat. Ilham also claimed there was no problem, though deep down it was a lie. Ammee already knew there were problems, even if they wouldn't admit it. She knew that even without this tragic kidnapping, it would take a long time before Ashtar gave them his attention and care, seeing as they were forced brides whom he never wanted. And now, this disaster of Nasra's disappearance had happened. She just prayed that wherever her daughter was, she was in good health. As for Ilham and Nafeesat, whenever their eyes met, they exchanged glaring looks.
While they were sitting there and Ammee was engaging them in light conversation, Ahfrah greeted them and walked in. She greeted Ammee and sat on a chair. Looking at Ilham and Nafeesat, she noticed how overly composed they were, sitting submissively on the floor to look like dutiful daughters-in-law. It honestly made her want to laugh. Hmm, go ahead and play nice for a little while, she thought to herself. Because the way I lost Ashtar is the exact way you two are going to lose him, leaving us with nothing. You'll just have to give up on him! She smiled after finishing that wicked thought.
"Hey, brides, how are you doing?" she asked, wearing a malicious smile. "We are doing well, Anty Ahfrah. I haven't seen you around for a few days," Nafeesat replied. "Where would you see me after you've locked yourself away in your husband's house? You forgot your older sister!" "Kai, Anty Ahfrah, it's not like that. My house is yours!" Of course your house is mine—after I get rid of you and marry Yaya Ashtar! she thought. Aloud, she said, "It's not like that. You know you're new brides, so I didn't want to come and stress you. But now that you want me to visit, I will." "Yay, my anty!"
Ammee stood up and said, "Let me go inside since you guys have found someone to chat with," she said with a chuckle. "Yes, Ammee, you better go rest. I'll keep them company." "Alright, that's fine."
They sat around chatting like sisters. Ilham, whose face had remained tightened up ever since Ahfrah walked in, suddenly stood up, hissed loudly, and walked out. They all watched her go. Nafeesat also hissed and muttered, "Useless behavior." Ahfrah remarked, "May Allah guide her." "Ameen," Nafeesat replied.
Slowly, she began to open her eyes until they were fully open. She scanned the room as if trying to piece something together. She tried to sit up, holding her throbbing head, and leaned back against the wall of the room.
The room's curtain was pulled back, and someone stepped inside with a greeting. Nasra responded and raised her head to look at the woman. She looked old enough to be Ammee, or perhaps slightly younger than Ammee. Umme approached with a smile on her face. "Masha Allah, your health has improved! You're finally awake. Greetings, my child." "Good morning. Where am I?" "You are in a house where there is safety." Before she could speak further, Umme interrupted her. "Let me bring you water to take a bath, then you'll eat, and we can talk afterward." "Okay," she replied. "Please, how many days have I been unconscious?" "You've been unconscious for a whole week." Her eyes went wide. "A whole week?!" Umme laughed. "Are you surprised?" "No, it's just that I know my parents' anxiety must be through the roof." "That's true. Insha Allah, now that you're awake, you can head home." Nasra smiled before getting up to follow Umme.
After taking a bath and eating, Umme explained how Abrish had rescued her. Nasra felt deeply grateful to Allah that those villains, Bahba and his crew, hadn't triumphed over her. "Where did Abrish go, Anty?" "Ah, you won't see Abrish right now; she is out in the wilderness until evening." "The wilderness? Doesn't she feel scared?" Umme held her cheek in disbelief. "Scared? Is Abrish ever scared of anything?!"
Summary
This excerpt covers a dramatic sequence of events revolving around Ashtar's forced marriage, the tragic kidnapping of his younger sister Nasra, and her miraculous rescue.
- The Unwilling Groom: Ashtar is forced into a double marriage with Nafeesat and Ilham against his will. Displaying open resentment, he acts cold and uncooperative throughout the wedding day and refuses to attend the reception dinner.
- The Kidnapping: During the wedding events, Nasra steps outside to answer a mysterious phone call and is abducted by thugs led by a criminal named Bahba, acting on orders to flee north toward Enugu.
- Chaos and Investigation: Panic ensues when Nasra's disappearance is discovered. Ashtar channels his fury into investigating security footage and tracking the criminals, but hits a dead end while the kidnappers successfully cross state lines.
- Divine Intervention in the Wild: In the Enugu wilderness, the criminals prepare to assault Nasra, but she manages to break her bonds and flee. She is spotted by a mysterious, powerful girl named Abrish, who effortlessly defeats the kidnappers using supernatural abilities and rescues Nasra.
- Aftermath: A week later, Nasra wakes up in safety under the care of Umme and Abrish, completely unharmed, while tension brews at Ashtar's home among his neglected, scheming new brides.
Description of English Style
- Language & Tone: The narrative is written in a vibrant, colloquial style characteristic of modern Nigerian romance fiction (Hausa popular literature/Littattafan Hausa translated to English). It blends emotional intensity, high drama, suspense, and raw, unfiltered character dialogue.
- Pacing: The pacing is fast and cinematic, cutting quickly between domestic tension (the household dynamics) and high-stakes thriller elements (the kidnapping, pursuit, and supernatural rescue).
- Characterization: Characters are sharply defined by their roles—Ashtar as the brooding, hostile soldier/hero; the scheming brides (Ilham and Nafeesat); the anxious mother (Ammee); and Abrish as the mysterious, formidable protector.
