COFFIN CURFEW

She hugged her mother's leg so tightly, her little hands clung so tightly, they throng with the crowd, passing through houses burnt, Where's our house? Her little mind tried to comprehend, too scared to ask her crying mother Yesterday night was fire on the mountain, it was run! run! run! Their haven was no longer safe, the wild mindless inferno gutted the houses in their family compound, beyond recognition making them homeless. All she could remember was her father fleeing, he carry her all through, her little chubby brother strapped to his mother's back ahead, gunshot heard continuously, bullet discharged sporadically by bandit or herdsmen or whoever they are called especially enemies. They went deeper into the bushes, to look for refuge among the rocks towering the village stream. She overhead her father telling the other escapee that their houses were destroyed, everyone had a remark, curse word for their assailant, they were unforgiving, their ability to hold a grudge for many decades passing the hate for generations was remarkable. They all waited for daybreak, but her five year old weary eyes were forced shut, she fell asleep. In the morning, they all walked back to the town, the shooters had retired back to their camp, around the farm site, multiple people have 'fallen', mostly in farms guided in between high ridges, it looks like they were sleeping, she wanted to ask "Why are those people sleeping there" ? There was no crop because it was after the mid week of March, no rain has fallen yet, the weather hot accompanied by the flames set by the bandit. In the village some corpses lay there, they were burnt in their house which served as hideout, most of them were trying to escape the escape the flame were gunned down by the terrorist; shrill of screams dirge the scene, women in tears, falling, praying, weeping, her mother joined in. "Zugwode, Stay with your mom", her father adviced, leaving to assist the men to remove the corpses for mass burial. Someone patted her hair, it was a big cousin Chechet, she looked up, his eyes was sad, his dad was killed by those wicked men, he smiled at her then walk away. She was hungry, thirsty and tired, she wanted to tap her mother and tell her, "Mom, Let go home" her thoughts audible to only herself Her mother prayed "Oh God, we have no home, my tailoring shop is gone, how do you want us to survive" Many lost their means of livelihood, their farms also were unsafe since these killers prowl there when crops bloom and bear fruit. Then the sound of sirens interrupted, the security operatives arrived punctually, the Governor of the state declared a 24 hours curfew in Kaura and Jema'a local Government Area while the criminal walked freely. They have no home, it was burnt by those killers sir, this is definitely a coffin curfew. Pray for Southern Kaduna 😭😭😭😭😭 © Nyeri's Pen ✍️...