Njideka; Baby Oku as many in the street call her. Onu gbajie boys. She fine like no body business. Her beauty and fair skin complemented her stature. When she is in the midst of her siblings, you won’t seize to wonder if they were actually born by the same mother. According to story, she and her siblings were given birth to at the bank of ofiaha river. I heard the river was later cursed which caused it to dry up few years later. Maybe Baby Oku was born when the angels just came out to take their birth. And when it came to the turn of her siblings, the angels cursed the river which made her siblings so ugly.

As a youth corper posted to that village, the first day I came to the community, Baby Oku was on the lips of almost everybody I met. At first I began to wonder if the personality was a chief or a rich fella in the community. I began to wonder who Baby Oku was. Because I had only watched the movie which featured mercy Johnson Okojie. Or has mercy Johnson come to the community to start acting the Baby Oku she played! Not until I was told she was a young lady with 5 children from 5 different men. She had 4 husbands.

Baby Oku means “Hot Girl.” I heard that the Baby Oku is so hot that year in year out, Male corpers can’t get enough of her. And she is a very generous giver.

I woke up this morning, which is the second day of my stay in the community. I woke up to prepare to go to school I was posted to. That would be my first day in that school. I heard a knock on my door. I went and opened it. Standing before me was a very beautiful damsel with some slight spot on her nose.

“Good morning corper, My name na Njideka but many people dey call me Baby Oku,” she said hastily.

“So na dis girl people dey call Baby Oku,” I thought to myself. Indeed she was hot. I didn’t know what to reply her because I don’t even know why she came to my house.

As I was still speechless like a dumb. I couldn’t alter a word. Still staring at her like an idiot. “Corper, I say make I come greet you. Welcome to our community,” she said. She spoke in Nigerian pidgin English. I thanked her for her kind gesture. She also told me that she has five of her children in the community primary school. The way she talked, indeed she is the Baby Oku they call her. Her mouth was running ta-ta-ta-ta like tap water as words come out. She didn’t waste time to tell me she had 4 husbands and she was 27 years of age. “Nah who come ask am all these things she dey tell me,” I thought to myself. Because I didn’t ask her all that. No be me ask her ooo.

I smiled as she talked. She seemed friendly and a bit scary as words falls from her mouth like oranges falling from its tree. I told her “Thank you.” She said I should feel free and incase if I need anything, I should call on her. That she’s very popular in the community. As she was leaving, she turned around to me, “No forget ooo corper, if you want anything, even ukwu nwanyi owerri. I go give you.” “Ukwu nyanyi owerri, what is that,” I thought to myself.

I prepared and left for my school. When I returned from school, I was informed that another corper had also been posted to the community, making us two. Funny enough, it’s a female. I was informed that I had to vacate the house I was staying, that the community had made another accommodation for I and the corper to stay.

When I got to the new house they made. It was a big flat with 3 rooms. I met the female corper. We introduced ourselves. She said her name was Adanna. As we were talking, Baby Oku zoomed out of one of the rooms. “ Yah, corpers. Hope say una like the house,” she asked. Adanna told me that she was staying at the third room. “That means we would stay with Baby Oku in that house,” I thought to myself. In as much as I find her beautiful, attractive, friendly, she has this awkward attitude that I couldn’t explain. She talks anyhow.

“erhhmmm, corper sam, you fit come out for night,” she asked me. I asked what she meant. “Plenty of Ukwu nwanyi Owerri go dey for that palmwine joint. You go come select the one wey you like. If na my own sef, I no mind give you, ” he said. adanna hearing that busted into laughter. They began speaking in Igbo language. I couldn’t understand what they were saying. But my mind was still on the “Ukwu nwanyi owerri” Baby Oku was always referring to.

When baby Oku finally left, I asked Adanna what they were talking about and what the Ukwu Nwanyi Owerri meant. She tried telling me that Owerri woman are the most beautiful and have the best waiste (ukwu) in Nigeria. So what Baby Oku was referring to was that there are plenty of girls I can sleep with. Even though I if I don’t like them, she is available. As Adanna explained, we laughed. Baby Oku no dey dull at all. So she expect say I go come copulate with her. But come to think of it, she was damn beautiful and attractive. At first look at her, one won’t know she has given birth to over 3 kids. Me sef, I just shout God forbid as adanna talk say I go copulate with her. But in my mind, I don’t really mind ooo.

As days go by, all the parties organized in the village, you must surely find baby Oku there. The party is not complete without Baby Oku. She often goes with her 5 children. I refer to them as “football complete squad 5.” 3 boys and 2 girls. Each time you see them coming back from any party, they come with nylon bags full of food.

There was this particular party the king invited us to. Adanna and I sat together. That period, both of us were broke. And Government never pay us allowee. As we dey dia, we wait oooo, food no reach us some people dey chop for plates of rice. But the 2 corpers were yet to eat. I don’t want us to downgrade ourselves, start begging for food. “How corpers wey go school go come start to dey beg for food,” I thought to myself. while we were there filling our ego, food were just being passed around. It looked as if they intentionally snubbed us. And hugger just dey hammer us. I was contemplating on what to do. Na so Baby Oku land. “Corper sam, una don chop,” she said. I smiled like a he goat. I didn’t know what to reply. I don’t want it to look as if we are begging for food. “No,” adanna replied. Na so Baby Oku go inside come bring 6 plates of rice. She also brought palmwine with it. I devoured my own. I couldn’t even finish two plates. She brought out a big nylon bags. Only God knew where she got them. She had to put the left over inside. she went inside and stacked the bag with food. Infact, that food helped us that period because Governement was yet to pay us. We wake up, we warm and chop. Na dat good reason I start to dey like baby oku.

Me and Baby Oku were close. I saw her as a nice and great woman. Not until I travelled to Osun state. I brought back Yam floor, Amala dudun(Black amala).

Immediately I came back, Baby Oku entered my room. She took the Amala dudun. I told her she couldn’t prepare it. She should leave it that when I come back from CDS, I will prepare it with Vegetable soup (Efo riro), and we would enjoy it together. Alagidi, Stubbornness. She no gree. I left her to take it and went to monthly CDS.

I was at the event when I and Adanna got a call that I had wiped away a family. The person who called said I shouldn’t come back to the community, and that the youths are looking for me. If they find me, they would kill. I wondered what I had done that the villagers were looking for me. I wanted to ask what I did when the guy ended the call.

I got another call again that all 5 of Baby Oku’s children were dead. They said the food I gave to them killed them all. “Did I give Baby Oku any food. I never gave her anything.” I began to shiver, I was scared. I reported the matter to the NYSC coordinator for the state. He took his car with some few police men and an a soldier. I and Adanna joined them and we left for the community.

When we got to the community, if not for the police and soldier that was shooting in the air, we would have been lynched by the villagers. I began to wonder what happened. We dropped at the Kings palace. It was there that the king explained to us that the Baby Oku and 3 of her children were dead. And it was the black amala. But how come the Black amala killed them. Was it not from it I ate in Osogbo before coming down to the east. One of the youths explained that they couldn’t prepare it and it was ignorance. They prepared it and ate it like someone drinking garri. But I remembered telling her to leave it for me till I come back. But after I left, she went to pour cold water, inside, added sugar to it. She and her children started drinking it like garri. But I began to wonder again. How could they have died after taking Black amala in cold water. Was it really what killed them? I was pained about what I heard. That baby Oku and 3 of her children were dead. it was unimaginable.

Baby Oku being a popular personality in the village made it worse. Loved my many, me too. Almost everyone in the village wants to kill us. the police that came with us arrested me. They said they would investigate the matter. Maybe I added poison inside the Black amala. The Nysc coordinator had to transfer adanna out of the community immediately for security reasons. I was taking to a nearby police divisional headquarters.

While I was detained, one officer came to meet me, he said I should tell him the whole truth and what happened. I opened up to him. I told him the truth. That I didn’t kill Baby Oku. I only brought amala dudun (Black amala) from Osogbo to eat. It is not an Igbo food but everyone can eat it. it told him I didn’t see any poisonous thing about the food, and it can’t harm. Maybe it was how they prepared it. And it’s most likely that the dead ones have a sensitive stomach. I told the officer that I was ready to do everything to clear myself. I was ready to even prepare the Amala and eat it to prove I never poisoned it. The officer told me never to try that. He said some police officers would be bringing the Amala dudun soon. He said they would want me to prepare and it. He said I should insist on not eating. He said he was suspecting that Baby oku was killed with diabolical powers but I was being used as a scape goat with my own incident and food. So I should insist on not eating the food. He also told me that if I should eat the food, I may die or something bad might happen to me because they(some evil men in the community) must have poisoned the food. I borrowed the officer’s phone and airtime called my family to inform them what is happening. I also told couple of friends.

In the evening, some police officers came. They brought the amala dudun and hot water. They asked me to prepare and it. I prepared it but refused eating it. They tried forcing me but I refused. “you see nah, I said it. Now I know say nah you kill this people,” one of the officers said. Before I knew what was happening, they called some of the chiefs in the community and told them that I had confessed to killing Baby Oku and her children. Barely 1 hour time, the king arrived the station. The officers began to beat me. NYSC coordinator was called. They told him that I had confessed. He told them to treat me according to law as a criminal.

The DPO said they would be taking me to court. But the king said they shouldn’t. They should shoot me to death at night. But DPO refused.

2 days later, my parents arrived. Through my uncle who works for one of the senator in Abuja. I was released but the case was yet to be closed. Na only God go deliver Him people. I so much love Baby Oku and her family. But what I have gone through with her death had made me hate her.

http://www.hovabuzz.com/frontline/950-the-love-and-hatred-for-njideka-baby-oku

It's a touching story and hopefully nt another nollywood script. Anyways... hope u re av bn cleared nw?