It was 17th October 2013 at around 5:00pm, a storm was approaching, dark cloud, heavy breeze, it was behind 303 housing Estate, Maiduguri, Borno State. Jacob Makama was observing a quiet time at the Popular Water Treatment Plant, headphones to his ears, a smile on his face as he stared into the light blue sky which hastily turned gray, he was listening to his own music. Music to him was life, it was like a drug to his soul, it was his safe haven. Distracted by the weather he decided to head back home to avoid getting wet, but as he stood up to leave, he thought to himself how strange it was for rain to fall in October, because Maiduguri is located in the semi-arid region of the Sahel. The climate in Maiduguri is characterized by hot temperatures and low annual rainfall, which is typical of a desert-like environment, Maiduguri and its surrounding areas exhibit desert-like characteristics, the region is not a true desert but rather part of the broader Sahel region, which is a transitional zone between the Sahara Desert to the north and the more humid savannas to the south, but on this day in a month so dry, Maiduguri was about to witness a heavy rainstorm. He had a good reason to be concerned. He was murdered much later that day at around 9:00pm, his head cut off while listening to a song he just recorded, he didn’t hear his culprits approach him because of the headphones, and because the rainstorm was extremely heavy no one heard when he screamed for help. He loved music, and music was the cause of his death.
This is based on a true-life story, but with a little change. My aim on this platform is to bring to you very short stories on the last moments of murdered and suicide victims in my locality here. I hope you enjoy it.
African and Proud 