Help! Nigerians Are Getting Beheaded For Likes
Literally losing our heads so people can be entertained.
The man, in his 50’s, looked terrified. He should be. Before this tale is over- he would be beheaded.
And you just thought Black Was Ugly?
The five men, in their 30s, who were crowding him, have already taken over $20,000 from his relatives when they called them to say he had been kidnapped. His relatives were waiting for his safe return now that the kidnapper’s demands have been met.
In the inner corner of the captive’s mind was hope…
“He would be released immediately we get the money” The kidnappers had promised his family during negotiations for his release.
What neither the man nor his family was thinking- “what is the worst way to die?”
The kidnappers have received the money. The captive knew because they were talking about it- high-fiving each other. One of them also had a knack for being on his phone always and for reading out everything their captor’s family was sharing on social media about his abduction.
Twenty minutes ago, his daughter had written on Facebook,
“Money paid. Oh Lord, we await our father’s safe return”
The man had shared it with the group. The men had looked him over, cynically as they whispered among themselves.
The captive’s daughter, like many other families including the famous Nigerian novelist- Chimamanda Adichie, has experienced what is now daily news in Nigeria- kidnap.
Kidnap- no more shocking. Rarely makes the news these days.
What makes the news- gruesomeness.
This man, held by these five kidnappers had some hope though- his family had raised the money the kidnappers requested. They must have sold off lands, borrowed, and emptied their accounts because their father, husband, son, uncle, government employee, they wanted him home.
When he was kidnapped over a week ago, he was bound hands and foot, his mouth was gagged, put in a car booth, and brought to this location- he knew not where. He shat in a bucket in the corner of the room, slept in a corner of the room, had no baths, and was given only water to drink and a snack a day.
Used to seeing through his glasses, the kidnappers had crushed them while throwing him into their booth. He could barely see much. Whatever information he had was from his captors and all they fed him was fear and punches otherwise he could move his hands but remained stationary as his feet gag was never removed.
Now that the money was paid, there was hope for the captive.
There was hope when his captors bound his arms behind his back now- they must be about to upload him into the booth of their car again and speed off to offload him on the side of a deserted road as many released captives were.
All Nigerians have heard about all this. He was no different.
Then the five men forced him to his knees. To his shock, he felt a knife to his throat.
Only a chicken was killed this way…
Surely…
It…it really couldn’t be…
He…he was no chicken.
He was a father. He was a husband. He was loved. Yes, he had wronged people in his life. Yes, he hadn’t always lived his best life but surely-
he couldn’t be so hated that a human being- no, multiple human beings, none of whom he had met before, would just this easily, put a knife to his throat and begin to slash him to death-
Like a chicken?
No… couldn’t be…
It was.
He tried to fight but there were four able-bodied men holding him down forcefully while one of them slashed through his throat.
Then that very man who was always on his phone gleefully stepped aside and began to film.
The men talked among themselves-
“Hold him tighter!”
He gagged painfully as the blood spluttered
“Shut up this man!”
“Hold up his face so I get his neck very well,” The man with the filming camera said repeatedly.
There was no kindness to anything here.
You can’t even think of kindness here.
The filming man ran around as his mates held him down while one slashed- he had to get all the angles. It had to be perfectly gruesome so EVERYONE can click and talk about it for years.
This was definitely better than sex. Better than the latest Hollywood blockbuster. This had everything- the men did not cover their faces- there was no consequence and who will track them? This was pure entertainment.
Their video had suspense, intrigue, cruelty, and shock, and will be talked about forever. After all, people are still talking about the man who was beheaded 2 years ago where the young adults who beheaded him played football with his severed head- filming everything.
Last year's end was the man who was beheaded and his head was hung out for all to see in the middle of the market. That one had many views too.
This captive, like a growing number of kidnapped victims in my country- this man will never get home. His family will find out with millions of other viewers, just how gruesomely their father, son, uncle, husband, neighbour, colleague, enemy, and casual acquaintance- died. There will be no dignity for his family either. People will talk, gawk at them, point at them- remind them. They will have this video forever to remember.
There is now a growing market for beheading videos and Africa is the biggest feeder and producer. Kids, adults, and the old are no more running in disgust. People watch these videos from the beginning to the end and feel comfortable enough to share and reshare.
And Not This Type Of Shareable Content Either.
What is being shared? Cruelty. A man’s worst nightmare coming alive. People dying in the worst way possible. The last thing they see, is glee and joy on faces that have nothing but contempt and indifference towards them.
What is being shared? A family's pain shared to laughter, amusement, shock factor, and “oh wow- next”
What is being shared? Our society at its worst. Our society hopeless, cruel, and undignified, man at his worst.
We are losing our heads and so far, no one has lost their mind enough to do anything about it.
I wonder whose head falls next? It is only a matter of time.
Thank you for reading. Buy me coffee?
