An evening in Lagos - a short story

Pic: Boko Haram soldiers

By Shevlin Sebastian 

It is a pleasant evening. On the pavement, children are walking, holding their mother’s hands. A gentle breeze is blowing. Birds are chirping in the trees. There is a white wall on one side. A Toyota Corolla comes slowly from the opposite direction. Two bearded men are sitting in front. They are in their late twenties. The non-driver is smoking a cigarette. What the pedestrians do not know is they have a bomb in the back seat. The detonator is on the floor in front. 

Behind the wall is the US Consulate in Lagos, Nairobi. The Stars and Stripes flag is proudly flying in front of the building. 

These men belong to the Boko Haram Islamic militant organisation. They are going to stop the car in front of the gate, detonate the bomb, and kill as many security guards and visitors as possible. These men are planning to give up their lives. Of course, they will attempt to ram through the barricade and head as close to the building as possible.

Will it work?

They are not sure. 

They want to do a high impact bomb blast. This will guarantee worldwide press coverage. They also wanted to embarrass the Nigerian Army, which has killed many of their members. 

As the men watched a few mothers go with their children in the opposite direction, one of them thought, ‘This is your lucky day.’ 

Boko Haram had killed over three lakh children in various terrorist incidents. 

Suddenly, there is a sound like a cracker bursting. The car stops. The men get out to check. 

It is a flat tyre.

Now there is no question of ramming the barricade. Both did not know how to change the tyre. They are not car mechanics, but suicide bombers. One of them called their handler and informed him of the situation. The handler shouted, “You fool! Abort the mission. One of you can take the luggage and return to the base. The other can wait while we send a mechanic.”  

Thus, nobody died. 

Up in the heavens, God gives a small smile. 

But He knows the evil forces will not give up. One day, a bomb will burst. But at least, it is not today. 

There is peace in Lagos.