The Pawn

They got married on the second Saturday
of October 2010
It was a glorious day
His mother-in-law was an event planner
and she made sure the occasion was a
smashing success
A month after the wedding, having taken
some weeks for their honeymoon and another
week to settle back home and return to work,
they went round to visit friends and family
members and thank them for their support
during the wedding ceremony
It was the sensible thing to do
His mother-in-law's house was the last
point of call
His mother-in-law was a very industrious
woman
She was a single parent who survived an
abusive marriage and was brave enough
to say enough when others could have
insisted on suffering to death!
She raised her three daughters by herself
and at the same time rose in the civil service
to an enviable position
She was a woman he respected a lot
He was an orphan
His mother died while giving birth to him
and his father died just as he was graduating
from the University
Issues of mistrust and allegations of witchcraft
and so on made him keep his relatives at
arm's length
He knew a time will come when he would have
made it to the point of relevance 
That time had not come and he had to keep
his head down
He took to his mother-in-law from the very
first minute he met her
He knew his wife's happiness depends on it
He was also aware that given the position she
occupied, there will be one or two opportunities
that might come to him through her
His mother-in-law welcomed them
After they had eaten and given his Mother-in-law 
a report of all the relatives and friends they
had visited earlier in the day
His mother-in-law invited him into her room
She said they have a discussion that
must be kept a secret even from her daughter
His mother in law told him about a business
an oil business which some friends of hers
were benefiting from
He told her he was interested
She gave him a business card and warned
him not to tell her daughter that the opportunity
came from her!
He didnt ask any question
He said his "Thank you"
They left
He called the phone number on the
card the next day
A voice directed him to an address
He met the "oil" business people
They discussed and agreed on the
terms of engagement
They shook hands over it
Then The man called some others
and they told him they must all swear
an oath!
That was when he began to wonder
what he missed
There was nothing that warranted
swearing oaths in their discussion
They told him they had PMS (Petrol) 
and AGO (Diesel)
They said their source was directly from
the NNPC
They said they already had customers
to supply the products to
His role was to represent the interest
of his sponsor in the sharing of the
profits
Since the sponsors were all civil servants
and wanted to avoid being labeled as
corrupt, the company was set up as a 
front to protect their business interests!
He has heard stories of how things work
in the "high" places of the country
But why swear an oath?
The question was stuck in his throat
He didn't want to speak out of turn
and throw away an opportunity to get
rich quick
He swore the oath and returned home
Three days later, he was invited to 
the office
He filled out some documents as instructed 
and dropped his account number
The next morning, his mother in law called
him to discuss how she wanted the money
to be shared
She instructed him to register a company and
put her and some other people on the board
She then sent him a sharing formula he must
follow in sharing the money to the board
members
The first deposit came at the end of that 
month
It was the kind of money that makes 
one faint!
He followed the formula
He shared the money as instructed
Everybody made free money
He started a bakery immediately
His wife opened a beauty spar
He bought a new car and changed 
apartments
The goose had laid the golden egg
It went on smoothly for two years
His mother-in-law built an estate
He built a house
He took his family for a holiday abroad
at least once a year
He was a big boy swimming in the 
big leagues
Then the EFCC came calling
They just came to his office one day and
started asking questions
It was the last problem he ever envisaged
His mother-in-law and her partners
were all highly placed and powerful in
the society
Why was he being harassed by 
the dogs?
He spent 24 hours in EFCC custody
He was grilled on every side
THe EFCC already established the fact
that he was a fraudster scamming the
government of billions in fuel subsidy
money
What they wanted to know were his
sponsors and partners
They wanted names!
They had traced funds from his account to
other shell corporations but the 
corporations were set up in a way that
it was difficult to ascertain the identity
of those behind it
This was what he was needed for
The EFCC knew he was the small fish
They needed to catch the bigger fishes
He didn't even think of getting a lawyer
His wife brought one and he got bailed
after 24 hours
He saw his mother-in-law the day after
he got bailed
His mother-in-law told him to run
"Leave the country now, just go"
He told his mother in law the EFCC has
collected his passport
His mother-in-law told him to run by
road
Just wake up early tomorrow morning
and get on a bus going to Ghana or 
Cotonou
The people we were working with are
not sure you wouldn't cave under pressure
They are talking about taking you out
You have become a big liability
You need to leave the country now!
His mother-in-law gave him an envelope
containing fake identity cards (Drivers
License and Voter's card)
She also gave him some money
(His account has been frozen and many
of his assets sealed off)
She told him not to mention a word to
his wife about leaving the country
She would be the next target of the EFCC
and she wouldn't be able to tell them
anything if she didn't know anything
He agreed!
His wife has been on his case from
the moment the issue started
All he ever told her was that he was
working with an oil firm
He never told her about her mother's
involvement or what they were actually
doing
She was really troubled by the whole affair
That night, around 2AM
He told his wife everything 
He didn't have the heart to leave her
and walk away just like that
She was five months pregnant
He wanted to convince her to leave
the country with him
They could start all over in another
country
She could source for the funds, buy
a ticket and travel to Dubai, the UK
or the USA (She had visas to these
countries)
He would find his way to her
His wife was stunned
It was too much and too sudden
She watched as her husband hurriedly
packed some clothes and dressed up
He was really leaving
Sometime around 5 AM
Her husband hugged and kissed her
With tears streaming down her face
She kissed him back
It was still a little dark outside
He picked his bag and walked out
of their flat
Five minutes later she heard a scream
followed by gunshots and the screech
of tyres as a car sped off
She hurried outside
There he was, lying right outside
their main gate
Bullet holes on his chest and head
He had been murdered!
The neighbours also hurried out
She cradled his corpse on her
knees and screamed helplessly
The ambulance arrived two hours
later and took his remains away
She didn't know how she didn't
lose the pregnancy
She was placed on bed rest by for
two weeks
Her relatives came around and 
consoled her
She told nobody anything
She knew her mother planned her
husband's death
Her mother was the one who gave 
him all the documents and also
told him when to leave the house
She knew that opening her mouth 
could cost her her life
They buried him a month later
She had the baby
She sold everything in her house
She moved to another state entirely
She wanted nothing to do with her
mother and family members 
She just wanted to be alone
She wrote to Gbengawemimo on
Twitter 
She shared her story and sought
counsel on how to handle herself
going forward
Especially with her mother
They met and talked
The Holy Spirit is doing his work of
healing and restoration of all!

PS: Micah 2:1 
Woe to those who plan iniquity, 
to those who plot evil on their beds! 
At morning’s light they carry it out 
because it is in their power to do it. 
2 They covet fields and seize them, 
and houses, and take them. 
They defraud people of their homes, 
\they rob them of their inheritance.

GSW's notes: Absalom approached 
Joab, he wanted to return home from 
exile
Joab put in a word for him
David allowed Absalom to return but
didn't give him permission to come to
the palace
Absalom wasn't satisfied, he summoned 
Joab for a meeting
Joab wary of pressuring the King, dodged
Absalom's summons
Absalom burnt down Joab's barley field
Joab went to see Absalom
Absalom had his meeting
Joab spoke with the King
Absalom had his way
Years later, Absalom's hair was caught
in an oak tree
Joab killed him
This is the reality of a Christless heart
Things are of more value to them
than life
The temporal of greater importance
than the eternal
You need Jesus!