The Boy From Umazi Village

"It's crystal clear he did not know who Fred was" said the Police Inspector.
John was a fair and short boy with curly dark hair. His eyes were bright like the sun. He was the only son of his mother. John's father died when he was a baby. His father was a hunter, and he was regarded as the best hunter in Umazi village.

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On this faithful Monday, John's father, Mazi Ike, went out for hunting and never returned. Some of his co-hunters brought his lifeless body back to his house. His wife, on seeing her husband carried by his co-hunters, knew something was wrong. She screamed, "What happened to my husband?" No one could say a word. Mazi Ike was attacked by some wild dogs in the forest, and they bit him to death. Nneka John's mother cried and wailed all night. She kept shouting, "God, why have you forsaken me?" "Who will take care of my son?"They had been married for 15 years without a child. And when she gave birth to John, the whole village was happy, and there was a huge celebration. Now Nneka is left all alone to take care of her baby by herself. Some of the elders assured her that they would be of assistance to her.
John grew up to be a smart and intelligent boy. He was the most brilliant pupil in his primary school, which made his mother so proud of him. When he was in grade 4, he was selected to represent his school in a quiz competition. He was to compete with students from the big schools in the city. John went to the competition and won it. On his return to the village, he was celebrated like a king. As he walked through the market, the women gave him money, some fruits, and some even gave him their livestock. It was indeed a joyous moment. No one from the community had won any academic competitions. John became a role model for other children.
John graduated from primary school with the best result ever in the school's history, and all his teachers were so happy that they all came together and promised to sponsor him through his secondary school education. His mother was so happy when John broke this news to her. She told John, "Your father would have been so proud of you."John went to one of the best secondary schools in the city, and from the onset, all the students and teachers saw that he was a special kid. They had never met anyone so intelligent and committed to his studies as John. He graduated at the top of his class, and he had the best result ever recorded in the school. John's mother was so proud of him. She prepared a delicious meal for him. Bitter leaf soup with pounded yamAfter the meal, John's mother told him she wanted to talk to her. John was curious; he really wanted to know what his mother wanted to discuss. She asked him to sit down and asked him, "John, now that you have graduated from secondary school, what next?" John smiled and told the mother, "I want to go and learn a trade." His mother shook her head and said, "I want you to go to the university." "I want you to fulfill your dreams of becoming a medical doctor." John smiled and told the mother that it wouldn't be possible due to the high rate of school fees at the university.Nneka looked at her son and smiled. She told John that his father had made plans for his university education. Before Mazi Ike died, he had taken his wife to show her his plots of land, which they will sell in order to use them and sponsor John at the university.
John was surprised by this piece of information. He was just smiling and looking at the sky. He said, "Father, why didn't you stay alive for me?" His mom wrapped her hands around his neck and said to him, "John, you are destined for greatness, and I know you will make me proud."
John got admitted to the university, and it was a thing of joy. His mother was so happy and proud of her son. She said to herself, "Finally, my years of weeping are over." Finally, her son will become a doctor, and she will reap the fruit of her labor.
John arrived at the university, and he could not believe his eyes. He had never seen such a massive building before. He asked himself how many years it took them to build the structure. John was intimidated by what he saw—the beautiful car, the luxurious clothes worn by other students, their expensive phones, and their laptops. He thought this was too much for him.John saw one of his secondary school classmates, and he ran over to where he was sitting with some other boys and hugged him. John asked Fred, "What are you doing here?" Fred smiled and replied, "I go to school here." John was super excited that at least he found someone he knows. and this will help him settle in. Fred introduced John to his other friends. They all welcomed John. Fred told him that they are a big, happy family, united by a desire to succeed. On hearing this, John thought to himself, "I'm definitely in the right circle."
John told his newfound friends how he was intimidated by the kind of lifestyle he saw at the university. They all laughed and teased him, calling him "bush boy." Fred asked him, "John, do you love this kind of life?" John replied, "Yes, who wouldn't want it?" Fred smiled and replied, "Tonight I will show you the secret."It was about 10 p.m., and Fred picked up John from his hotel. When John asked where they were going, Fred replied to make some money. John was excited, and he quickly jumped into the car. Fred picked up his other two friends and zoomed off. They got to a particular house and stopped. John asked what they were doing there, to which Fred replied, "making money." Fred told John to come down from the car. He handed over a gun to him. John screamed and became so afraid. Fred calmed him down. and told him he just had to watch the car. Some minutes later, John heard some guns being fired and was so afraid that he waited for an hour and wondered why it took Fred and the other guys so long to return. Some minutes later, the police arrived. John, with a gun in his hand, went to report about how he had been waiting for his friends for over an hour. The policeman handcuffed John. John started shouting and asked what his offense was. The police informed him that he was involved in a robbery and that Fred and the other guy were shot dead. John pleaded his innocence, but no one believed him. After all, he was caught with a gun in his hand.
The news of John's arrest got to his mother in the village. On hearing the news, the woman cried and screamed, "Oh, my enemies have finally succeeded in ruining my son's life." She had a heart attack and died. John heard that his mother was dead. He screamed and wailed. He regretted not paying attention to his mother's advice. Before John left for the university, she warned him about having bad friends. The words of his mother kept ringing in his ears. John promised to be more careful any day he comes out of prison.