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English Translation
Quietly, she knocked on the edge of the door. She waited for a long time knocking before she heard a person’s movement. He got up and came to open the door. To her surprise, it was Zynah standing there with her hand holding a tray containing food inside. Judging by the look of it, she had brought him lunch.
With a hardened face, he said, "Come inside, you stand there acting like some stranger."
"Okay," she simply said, then stepped into the room. As soon as she entered, Bakura turned the door and locked it with a key.
He moved right up to her, used his hand to lift her up to her feet, then pulled her tightly against his body. Looking straight into her eyes, he asked, "Are Hjy and the others still not back yet?"
She nodded her head in the affirmative with an "Ehhhh"!!!
"Good," he said, then pulled her closer to his body and embraced her. Zynah stood completely silent, thinking about the kind of situation Bakura was trying to drag her into.
Her silence was not Bakura’s worry. He immediately started touching her and licking her all over just like he always did whenever they were alone together.
Seeing that she remained silent and left him to do all the work without any cooperation from her, Bakura said, "Haba Zynah, please help me out. Why are you doing this to me? If it is a matter of getting used to it, you ought to be used to it by now."
While Bakura was speaking in a certain seductive tone, he went ahead and stripped off her knickers, and then he undressed himself. They began romancing each other. Seeing that her legs could not support her heavy body, whoosh, he swept her up and tossed her onto the bed. Bakura caressed Zynah, covering and licking her all over; there was no part of Zynah's body that Bakura left without licking, sucking, and petting, until he finally reached his release and got off her.
Fearing that Hjy and the others might return and catch them, Bakura quickly stood up, wrapped a towel around his waist, handed another towel to Zynah, and told her to wrap it around herself and go take a bath.
In a rush, she took a bath, wiped the water off her body, and then put her clothes back on, her body still trembling because Hjy and the others were about to return.
~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
WHO IS BAKURA?
Alhaji Aliyu and his wife are natives of Maiduguri, from a village called Mulay under Jeriy Local Government.
Alhaji Aliyu is a well-known educated man who pursued advanced studies up to the doctoral degree level. His wife, Hajia Khursum, was joined to him in an arranged marriage. While both of them studied, she only stopped at the secondary school level, but she was quite good at reading the Qur'an, having mastered it thoroughly.
Alhaji Aliyu, popularly known as Alaee—as they call him in their native Kanuri dialect—has one wife and three children:
- Am'abuwa
- Yah-na
- Bakura
Am'abuwa is the eldest; they call her that because she was named after her father's mother.
Yah-na was named after her mother's elder sister.
Then there is Bakura, who was also named after his grandfather—the father of Alhaji Alaee.
Alhaji Alaee held various public offices, eventually rising to the position of Head of Service. From that point, he left their local government area and moved into the city of Maiduguri, settling in a G.R.A called Famfamari. Famfamari is a neighborhood inside Maiduguri city, but not everyone lives there—it is mostly reserved for government workers.
Upon his relocation to Maiduguri, he enrolled Am'abuwa and her younger siblings in an Islamic school called El'kalamil. Although El'kalamil School is an old institution, it is still very prestigious and thriving today, though its high tuition means not everyone can afford to send their children there.
Alhaji Alaee took his children there because of his strong desire for them to acquire religious education. Alhamdulillah, before they left Maiduguri to settle in Abuja, they had acquired a solid foundation in religious knowledge, though they did not master the Arabic language because they didn't quite grasp it.
Their departure from Maiduguri coincided with the time they completed their secondary school education, except for Bakura, who was in SS2 at the time. The three of them were close in age because they were born in quick succession.
Even though Bakura was the youngest, the age gap between him and Am'abuwa was not more than two years.
As for Am'abuwa and Yah-na, unless you knew they were older sister and younger sister, you would think they were twins. Since then, God did not give Khursum any more pregnancies, but since neither of them was fond of having many children, it didn't bother them.
Right now, they live inside Abuja city in a residential area called Jabi Quarters, opposite the EFCC headquarters on Nnamdi Azikiwe Road.
After their return to Abuja, Alhaji Alaee secured admissions into the University of Abuja for Am'abuwa and Yah-na, while Bakura was taken elsewhere to sit for his WAEC exams.
In their final semester, all three of them secured marriage proposals. Am'abuwa is to be married to the former son of the Governor of Maiduguri, while Yah-na is to be married to the former Deputy Governor of Maiduguri.
Right now, they are just waiting for Mala to return from a course he attended so the weddings can take place. Alhaji Alaee requested that both weddings be held on the same day so everyone can relax, which is why Yah-na's wedding was postponed.
Currently, Alhaji Alaee works in the Ministry of Finance, but his schedule mostly involves traveling to Germany due to a business he operates there.
~~~~ THAT IS THAT ~~~~
WHO IS ZYNAH?
Zynah is a native of Kano, from a village called Kunci. Kunci is under Wudil Local Government.
Her father’s name is Malam Shehu. Malam Shehu is the village Imam. He has two wives and eight children. The senior wife has five children, while the junior wife, Sadiya, has three. The junior wife is Sadiya, and the senior wife is Rakiya.
Malam Shehu loves Sadiya dearly because of her obedience; whenever he sets a boundary, she never crosses it. As for Rakiya, she only does whatever she pleases in the house because she believes he cannot divorce her, since she bore him four male children from the same womb. This made her behave however she wanted in the household.
Seeing her mother's attitude, Rakiya's children copied her behavior, unlike Sadiya’s children. The obedience shown by Sadiya's children and Sadiya herself made Malam Shehu unable to hide his love for her. Rakiya has four sons and one daughter, while Sadiya has only daughters—the eldest being Amina, followed by Fatima in the middle, and Hauwa the youngest.
Amina is older than Zainab. As they began to grow up, Malam Shehu set aside a separate room for them when they were fourteen years old, at which point they even started going out for evening strolls. Malam Shehu had often spotted people engaging in misconduct in the dark alleys, but because there were four of them, he couldn't clearly identify who was who in the corners, though he kept a watchful eye to find out.
One Wednesday night, after performing the Isha prayer, as he was returning from the mosque, he flashed his torchlight and suddenly saw Zainab lying down in a pile of dried cornstalks while someone was moving back and forth on top of her. The thunderous shout he let out made Zainab jump up in fright and run away towards home.
As for the boy, as soon as he stood up, he threw something that hit Malam Shehu right in the eye. Immediately, Malam Shehu started yelling, "Hey! What kind of boy are you? Look at this delinquent boy! Whose house do you even belong to in this town?"
Malam Shehu was shouting while wiping his eyes. As for Zainab, upon entering the house, she went straight to their room, panicking and thinking of how to save herself. Suddenly, an idea came to her: she saw Amina sleeping soundly, and coincidentally, they had worn identical clothes that day. She quickly undressed, put on a different set of clothes, and hurried over to her mother Rakiya's room.
Before Malam Shehu finished wiping the dirt that had gotten into his eyes, the boy had already fled.
Finding himself alone outside, Malam Shehu had no choice but to go into the house. He entered grumbling and complaining, and for the first time, he didn't even offer the usual greeting when entering his home.
He walked straight to Rakiya’s room, talking angrily. When he entered, he found them chatting calmly, with no sign that she had committed such a deed.
Malam Shehu was astonished. Rakiya, sitting at the edge of the bed, asked, "What is wrong, Malam?"
Malam recounted everything he had witnessed to Rakiya.
Even though Rakiya knew it was her own daughter who was capable of such behavior, she put up a bold front, feigned ignorance, and swore that it wasn't Zainab, claiming they had been together since Maghrib prayer.
In a furious rage, Malam Shehu left Rakiya's room and headed straight to Zainab's room. Without waiting to listen to any explanations, he grabbed Amina and started beating her relentlessly. Amina, who was sleeping, woke up in absolute shock and screamed. Sadiya heard Amina’s screams but did not come out because she was shy as a junior wife, and besides, whenever anything happened involving Amina, Rakiya would always claim Amina was being insolent.
Even though Amina's crying troubled Sadiya deeply, she still could not come to her rescue.
Malam Shehu beat her to his satisfaction before storming out of the room.
From that day on, Zainab continued her secret escapades with the village youths, bringing money home to her mother. One day, Zainab woke up feeling nauseous. Seeing that no one was around at the time, Rakiya fetched some concoction and gave it to Zainab, after which Zainab stopped vomiting.
In the middle of the night, when it was Rakiya’s turn for her husband to spend the night, she wove a web of lies and truth, telling Malam Shehu that Amina was pregnant. She told him that if he thought she was lying, he should take her to a clinic for a medical test.
Malam Shehu was deeply devastated, as he had never expected such a thing within his family. Seeing him fall silent, Rakiya seized the moment and said:
"I am not stopping you from taking her to the clinic, but I want you to know that if you let this matter leak out, your own secrets will certainly be exposed. If that happens, you will be stripped of your position as Imam, and worse, you might even be chased out of town, considering how the people here—especially the village head, who is not a good person—behave. The best course of action is simply to banish her from the town; that is the only way to protect your reputation. Because if you try to abort the pregnancy, she might die, and if she dies, what will you tell the townspeople?"
Malam Shehu fell silent, pondering the situation. After a while, he said, "What you are saying is true, because given how much I cherish this Imamship, I wouldn't want to be dethroned. Banishment is indeed the only way out."
At the break of dawn, Malam Shehu went to Sadiya's room. As soon as Malam Shehu started talking, Sadiya burst into tears because she knew Amina could never do such a thing. She cried bitterly. While she was crying, she heard Malam saying, "If you want to go and bid her farewell, do so. If you don't, then look at me leaving, because right before my eyes, I will not allow my dignity to be ruined in this town."
Together, they walked from Sadiya's room to Amina's room. Amina was sleeping as if out of nowhere when she felt someone waking her up. When she opened her eyes, she saw Malam Shehu and her mother standing over her. Seeing her mother crying made Amina sit up quickly, asking anxiously what was wrong.
Without giving Malam Shehu a chance to speak, he grabbed Amina by the hand, trying to pull her out of the room. Seeing this, Sadiya quickly gathered Amina's clothes, tied them up in a headscarf, and ran back to her room to grab some spare clothes. She brought them to Amina and whispered instructions on where she should go from there.
Furious, Malam Shehu yanked Amina away, and they stepped outside. As soon as they went out, Sadiya broke down in heart-wrenching tears of grief and frustration.
As for Rakiya, she stood aside watching them, doing nothing other than laughing.
Before the dawn call to prayer, Malam Shehu had already smuggled Amina across the town boundary. By morning, he spread the news that Amina had run away, and the rumor spread like wildfire through the town, with everyone having their own version of the story.
Some offered sympathy, while others said the opposite.
Upon reaching Wudil town, Amina went straight to her mother's younger sister's house and narrated everything she knew. Her maternal aunt felt deep pity for her and told her to stay until God made things right.
Two days later, Rakiya ran around spreading the news that Zainab was pregnant. As for Sadiya, she fell physically sick from grief and heartbreak and wanted to leave the house, but even if she went out, she had nowhere to go since all her parents had passed away.
After Amina spent three weeks in Wudil, the constant insults and mistreatment she faced from her aunt's husband made her decide to leave the house. Despite her aunt's frantic pleas for her to be patient and stay, Amina insisted. This prompted the aunt to send her to Kano city, to a friend of hers who placed girls as domestic maids.
Upon arriving in Kano at the women's house, it so happened that she was scheduled to travel to Abuja the very next day. Observing Amina's trembling state—she wasn't exceptionally tall, but she couldn't be called short either; let's just say she was of moderate height—Hajia Uwani took Amina along with her to Abuja, to Hajia Khursum's house, with her consent.
Hajia Khursum was very pleased with the arrival of Amina because she had repeatedly taken in housemaids whose lack of energy forced her to chase them away, while others ran away before she could fire them because of her terrifying temper. Hajia Khursum was a woman who didn't value human beings; she always viewed everyone else as immoral and corrupt, believing only her own household was righteous.
That was why she routinely called every housemaid brought to her a prostitute, which caused them to never stay long. As soon as they realized her nature, they would flee.
~~~~ THAT IS THAT ~~~~
By Mmn Uswan 📚✍
ZYNAH!!!
WRITTEN BY MMN USWAN
🅿5-10
As Bakura stepped out of the bathroom, a single glance at Zynah showed him how hard her body was shivering because she was desperately praying for him to emerge so he could unlock the room and let her escape.
He smiled, walked closer to her, and wrapped his arm around her waist. Resting his face on her shoulder, he leaned in right beside her ear and whispered:
"My Zynah!!"
Zynah stood frozen and replied, "Yes."
"Why are you still holding back from me? Or don't you enjoy what we do?"
Zynah remained silent, giving no answer.
"I am talking to you, my Zynah."
In a stuttering voice, she whispered, "I do."
"Then why are you acting like this, as if you aren't enjoying it?"
Stuttering, she replied, "I do. Please, I beg you, let me go before Hjy and the others return and find me missing from the house."
Bakura smiled and said, "If it's Hjy, don't worry, they aren't coming back anytime soon."
"Hmmm," Zynah muttered. While Bakura was speaking, his hands were all over Zynah's body, caressing her and playing with her...
Even though Zynah enjoyed what Bakura was doing to her, her mind was completely elsewhere.
While they were at it, they heard a knock. It was Am'abuwa knocking on the door and calling his name.
Immediately, fear gripped Zynah's eyes as she frantically looked around for a place to hide. Bakura pushed her into the bathroom, then went to open the door, asking, "You guys are back already?"
"Yes, we are back. Do you know where Amina went? We returned, but we couldn't find her in the lounge."
With a stern and convincing expression, Bakura replied, "No, ever since you left, I've been in my room. I haven't gone anywhere. She's probably taking a bath since she didn't go anywhere. Go check her room and see if she's inside."
"Okay," Am'abuwa simply said, then turned back towards the interior of the house.
Bakura peered out, and once he made sure she had walked away, he called Zynah out of the bathroom. Throwing on a jallabiya, he said, "Let's go."
They went straight to the kitchen through the back entrance. Quietly, Bakura pulled the kitchen door leading to the lounge shut and locked it from the inside. He told Zynah to pretend to be working.
"Okay," she said, and immediately started working as if nothing had happened.
Bakura went back to his room to change his clothes, then returned to the living room just as Hjy was taking a seat and dropping her heavy basket.
With a stern face, Bakura greeted Hjy and welcomed her back. Once he sat down, he began speaking with a straight face: "Hjy, look, I don't like what Am'abuwa is doing to me. If not for sheer nonsense, out of all places, why would she come looking for Amina in my side of the house?"
"What would she do in my side? The girl doesn't even come to my side."
Yah-na, who was sitting nearby, burst into laughter and teased Bakura, saying, "Well, I don't know what Amina did to you that you're always complaining about her."
Hearing this, Bakura tightened his face even more.
Hjy, who was seated, didn't say a word to them. Yah-na asked, "So where did Amina go anyway?"
As if reluctant to answer, Bakura finally said, "Who knows? But did you guys check the kitchen?"
At that moment, they all remembered the kitchen. Am'abuwa stood up and headed towards the kitchen. Reaching the door, she tried turning the knob to open it, but found it locked from the inside.
She had no choice but to knock. After knocking for a while, Amina finally came and unlocked the door. Seeing Am'abuwa, Amina greeted, "Anty, welcome back." No matter how angry Am'abuwa had intended to be, Amina's gentle demeanor instantly calmed her temper. Am'abuwa replied, "We've been back for a while. We couldn't find you in the kitchen or anywhere else, so we were searching all over."
"Yes, I was inside working."
"Then why did you lock yourself in the kitchen?"
Amina smiled shyly and said, "I get scared when nobody is around the house and I'm all alone, so I come into the kitchen and lock the door."
Am'abuwa smiled and said, "Hjy is sitting over there, go get her some water."
In a hasty manner, Amina opened the fridge, pulled out a cold bottle of Faro water along with a glass cup, and walked towards Hjy. Just as she was about to hand it to Hjy, she tripped, and the bottle slipped towards Hjy's foot. Everyone present exclaimed "Subhanallah!" while Amina's body started trembling as she pleaded, "Please, Hjy, forgive me, wallahi it wasn't intentional."
Yah-na, speaking in the Kanuri dialect, mocked Amina: "Afno hankali bahhh" (meaning: Hausa/Amina has no sense).
Bakura simply sat in silence watching them. Am'abuwa smiled and said, "Amina, go back and continue your work."
Am'abuwa acted this way not for nothing, but because she knew this was not Amina's character—it was merely an accident.
Hjy hissed loudly. Just as Amina turned to retreat into the kitchen, Hjy barked a sharp command, calling her back. Amina quickly turned around and hurried over to where Hjy was sitting.
As Amina walked, Hjy's eyes were fixed on her. The intense gaze made Amina stumble, and with great difficulty, she managed to reach Hjy's side with her head bowed, saying, "I'm here, Hjy."
Hjy gave Amina a thorough head-to-toe scan, then commanded her to turn around. After scrutinizing Amina completely from front to back, Hjy told her to leave.
As Amina walked away, Hjy declared that she was afraid of Amina. She noted that though Amina had only been in the city for eight months, her entire body had filled out and changed dramatically, with every curve protruding prominently from front to back. Hjy concluded that something fishy was going on, and announced that tomorrow she would take Amina back to Suleja and return her to the woman who brought her.
None of them liked the idea, but they had no choice. As for Bakura, upon hearing this plan, he began plotting his next move.
The following morning, while Amina was working in the kitchen, Hjy called her to drop her work. When Amina approached, Hjy told her to go pack her bags because she was leaving the house today to be returned to where she came from.
Quietly, Amina went to pack her belongings. Meanwhile, Bakura, upon hearing about the trip, colluded with the driver, instructing him to pretend to feel sick later when Hjy asked him to drive her out.
True to the plan, when Hjy requested the driver to take her out, the driver claimed he was unwell, acting out Bakura's script.
This forced Hjy to ask Bakura to drive them instead.
Bakura did this because he wanted to know where Hjy was taking Amina. Even when Amina was originally brought to the house, Bakura hadn't been in Nigeria; he was abroad studying and only returned to find Amina already living there.
With Bakura driving and Hjy directing the way—since he had never visited that particular area in all his outings—they arrived at their destination. Everyone alighted, and Bakura keenly observed the neighborhood. Hjy dropped Amina off with the woman who had originally supplied her as a maid, exchanged farewells, got back into the car, and they drove back to Abuja.
Three days after Hjy's return home, Bakura traveled to Suleja to find Amina. This time, he went right inside the house. When he knocked, Amina peered out. Seeing Bakura, Kande (the woman) welcomed him in with surprise and ushered him into a room. After exchanging pleasantries, Bakura glanced at Amina sitting in the corner and smiled at her.
Kande, sitting in utter bewilderment at Bakura's visit, listened as he spoke: "Hjy, I have come to you to seek a favor, though I don't know how you will take it."
He proceeded to lay bare everything between him and Amina.
Opening her mouth in shock, Kande exclaimed, "Well, well! A puppy really does grow to look like a dog! I noticed a complete transformation in Amina, and I knew she was carrying heavy weight. Young man, it looks like you are fully tapped into the network!"
Bakura replied, "What I want now is for you to marry Amina off to me. But I don't want anyone to find out, not even my parents. Don't worry, as for money, I can spend any amount required because I am determined to possess Amina."
The mention of money made Kande beam with joy. They struck a deal right then and there, without her stopping to think about the consequences.
The day after Bakura's trip to Suleja, Hjy brought up the subject of sending Bakura to England to see his father. At first, he pretended to be reluctant to go, but after a second thought, he grinned broadly and asked when he would be leaving.
Hjy replied, "Next week." This coincided perfectly with the time he had already successfully claimed Amina as his wife.
The next day, Bakura returned to Suleja...
Summary
The narrative revolves around Bakura, the son of the wealthy and educated Alhaji Alaee, and Amina, a humble girl who was brought to Abuja as a housemaid under false pretenses and constant hostility from the matriarch, Hajia Khursum (Hjy).
The story opens with Bakura secretly engaging in an illicit affair with Zynah (another young woman in the household orbit) while dodging the family's watchful eyes. However, the core plot soon shifts to Amina's tragic backstory and her mistreatment in Abuja. Back in her village of Kunci, Amina's wicked stepmother and family dynamics had framed her in a scandal, forcing her father, an Imam, to banish her from town. She ended up as a maid in Hjy's house in Abuja—a household where maids are routinely labeled and mistreated.
Hjy notices that Amina's physical appearance has noticeably matured and filled out, making her suspicious. Fearing hidden motives or trouble, Hjy decides to dismiss Amina and deport her back to her handler, Kande, in Suleja. Bakura, who has developed a secret attraction and obsession with Amina, orchestrates a plot to manipulate the transport arrangements so he can discover where she is being sent. Shortly after Amina is dropped off in Suleja, Bakura tracks her down, bribes Kande with money, and secretly marries Amina behind his family's back, right before Hjy announces that he is being sent away to England.
Description
The text is an excerpt from a contemporary Hausa romance/drama novel (popularly known as Littattafan Hausa or Hausa pulp fiction) written by Mmn Uswan. It combines elements of domestic drama, forbidden romance, family hypocrisy, and rural-to-urban socio-cultural dynamics in northern Nigeria. The narrative style is colloquial, character-driven, and highly dramatic, capturing everyday domestic tensions, clandestine relationships, and the stark socioeconomic divides between elite urban families (living in places like Jabi, Abuja, and G.R.A Maiduguri) and rural villagers.
Analytics
- Character Dynamics & Power Asymmetry: The characters are sharply contrasted. Figures like Alhaji Alaee and Hjy represent wealthy, highly educated, yet morally bankrupt or emotionally detached urban elites who treat subordinates and vulnerable people (like maids) with disdain. Conversely, characters like Amina and Sadiya are victims of patriarchal injustice, gossip, and familial betrayal.
- Themes of Hypocrisy and Secrecy: Hypocrisy is a dominant motif. The religious status of figures like the Imam (Malam Shehu) is weaponized to protect social standing rather than uphold justice, while Bakura operates in stealth, satisfying his desires behind a facade of family respectability.
- Linguistic and Cultural Markers: The text is written in Hausa-infused English/Pidgin storytelling style (or translated directly from a Hausa manuscript), retaining local vernacular such as honorifics (Hjy, Malam), regional geography (Maiduguri, Wudil, Suleja, Abuja), and cultural idioms unique to northern Nigerian domestic literature.
Comments
- Pacing and Plot Progression: The narrative weaves two distinct subplots—Bakura's secret dalliances (with Zynah and later his pursuit of Amina) and Amina's backstory of persecution. While the transitions are abrupt, they effectively build tension and set up a classic forbidden-romance trope.
- Social Commentary: The author offers a biting critique of how vulnerable young women are treated in elite households, where domestic workers are viewed with automatic suspicion, objectified, or discarded without due process.
- Literary Tone: Typical of popular Hausa popular fiction (so soyayya and domestic drama genres), the tone is deeply emotive, focusing heavily on interpersonal conflicts, secret plots, and dramatic plot twists.
Conclusions
The excerpt sets up a high-stakes domestic drama where hidden affairs, systemic injustice, and covert marriages intersect. Bakura’s clandestine marriage to Amina behind his powerful parents' backs—just as he is scheduled to travel to England—guarantees explosive conflict for the remainder of the story. The narrative highlights how the abuse of authority by figures like Malam Shehu and Hjy inadvertently creates the very loops of rebellion and secret alliances that will eventually threaten the family's prestigious reputation.
