2002: OCTOBER 14th

 

Piles of books were stacked on the table haphazardly. The table was also playing host to a vase containing a burning turare. The room was lighted by a 4`` fluorescent tube placed slightly above the entrance; it beamed its shiny rays on all corners of the room like the sun at midday. The digital table clock on the table read 2:21 AM.

 

Two men were seated on the bed with full glasses of juice in their hands.

 

“I love your drinks master” Bukar asserted after taking a sip.

 

“My drinks are carefully selected and carefully used” replied the Master.

 

“The right pegs in the right holes.”

 

“I do not understand.”

 

“I never expected you to. Everything was well arranged with military precision. You see, when Djibo unsheathed the sword, thunder rumbled, the building vibrated, there was power outage and emission of smoke. The miraculous suspension of the sword also took place then. Yes, the sword was suspended in the air to the amazement of all. But the young man saved the situation; he seized the sword and placed back in its sheath, immediately the vibration and thunder stopped light came back and the smoke vanished”

 

“It was a miracle,” the Master announced with seriousness, “ha ha ha haaaaa a miracle!”

 

Bukar’s thoughts and emotions were completely with the Master, he was all ears.

 

“Back in 1998 during the re-construction of the inner chambers of the sultan’s palace, underground cylindrical columns were created. Aluminium canisters containing karst dynamite capable of causing a thunderous explosion and vibration without necessarily collapsing the building were kept in the columns for use when the need arises. The canisters were designed to be remotely detonated. So, when Djibo unsheathed his sword, a button was pressed, the explosion and the vibration occurred, it was simple. For the smoke, smoke pipes were connected ton the AC unit of the hall. The pipes can be turned on or off to emit smoke or suck it as the case may be. As for the light that was the simplest, the central power control button did that.”

 

The expression on Bukar’s face was torn between surprise and unbelief.

 

“Have you heard of the law of magnetic suspension?”

 

Bukar answered in the negative.

 

“Well it is a recent discovery that an aqueferian metal containing charged ions suspends when acted upon by two opposite and equal magnetic forces. This magnetic field was created in the hall exactly where Djibo sat. And the Sword of Yunfa is of aqueferian metal. The magnetic emission can be controlled even remotely; this explains the sword suspension miracle.”

 

“So Djibo knew where to sit?” asked Bukar, betraying the surprise in his voice.

 

“Yes. When the young man held the sword, the magnetic field was turned off, so he was able to put the sword back in its sheath. He told the Majalisa that the disturbances where caused by kirikasa, the spirit guardian of the sword. Can’t you see? The young man has performed a miracle, a 21st century miracle, can’t you see?

 

By now Bukar’s legs were shaking and his body was trembling in fear.

 

“The Majalisa was captivated with the young man’s miraculous performance. He was even called a waliyi, a miracle working saint.”

 

“So the young man deceived the Majalisa?”

 

“Yes, Djibo and the Magajin gari were his pawns; he used them with the help of this.”

 

 The master brought out a drug case from his pocket and waved it across Bukar.

 

“This is the Hyacine; it is a mind controlling drug. Once a person is under its influence he does whatever he is told even if it is to his own detriment. It was first used on German soldiers during the Normandy operation.”

 

The Master took the drug case examined it closely and dropped it back on the table.

 

“The Sultan left no wasiyya; the wasiyya was programmed into Magajin gari’s mind when he had dinner with the Sultan seven days ago. And you think the Sultan died naturally?”

 

“Yes, he died in his sleep.”

 

“There you are wrong Bukar, he was poisoned, remember the young man was his personal physician. It is easier to poison him than to place him under the grips of the Hyacine. No one can stand up to the Sultan, not even a drunk, he is a man of greatness, and even in death he was charismatic”

 

By now Bukar was completely lost.

 

“And so the young man was proclaimed the Sultan three hours ago, he will be turbaned ten hours from now and coronated next week. The thirty one year old Muhammadu Kabiru, the Sultan’s personal secretary and physician is the 31st Sultan of Sakkwato.”

 

 

Bukar was now a living ghost, body without spirit.

 

“Let me tell you more about Djibo. He exhibited a dual personality; he was Djibo as well as Bukar. You were Djibo. Are you surprised? It is the Hyacine. The Hyacine did all that. Ha ha ha haaaa.”

 

Suddenly Bukar fell to the ground.

 

“It is intended to end this way, you have been most useful, but you have to go, you survival is detrimental to the reign of Sultan Muhammadu Kabiru. I am sorry Bukar, no one forced you to drink the juice, remember my drinks are carefully selected and carefully used, am I not a genius? Ha ha ha haaaa.”

 

When the light went off, the thin ray of the microscopic camera hidden on the table clock also went off.

 

Six hours later the Waziri summoned an emergency meeting of the Majalisa.  When the Majalisa entered the Fada, they met him there, magnificently balanced on the throne, as dignified, majestic and as charismatic as ever; His eminence Sultan Aliyu Ibrahim, the supposed late Sultan.

 

 

*

 

Muhammadu Kabiru’s activities were monitored, from the placement of the dynamite canisters in the underground tunnels to poisoning Bukar. Everything including the death of the Sultan, the selection process, the proclamation of Muhammadu Kabiru as the Sultan and everything were make believes. It was made to appear so before Muhammadu Kabiru. Every thing was arranged. The Magajin gari and Djibo acted not under the influence of Hyacine, every one played to the games of Kabiru on the instructions of the Sultan who wanted to give him enough rope to hang or save himself.

 

Djibo and Yalli who in reality were officers of the Police intelligence detachment of the Sultanate Council arrested Kabiru. He was later forgiven and banished from Sakkwato.

 

The miraculous sword is not the Sword of Yunfa but of the legendary Barbushe. Barbushe is believed to be the grandson of Kano; founder of the Kano city-state and the chief priest of the Tsumburbura cult. The sword was brought to Sakkwwato as a gift to Waziri Gidado. It was buried in buried in tsohuwar kasuwa before Kabiru’s men exhumed it. The real sword of yunfa was given to Field Marshall Aliyu Jedo, Chief of the caliphate army in recognition of his gallantry. The sword has been in the custody of his descendants until 1968 when it was loaned to the Sakkwato museum.

 

 

***

 

 

Readers are reminded that, though reference is made to some historical events, the preceding story is a fictional account, and is not to be construed as real.