Home. - Eniyan

Illegitimate prince

The great continent of Kwara, the state of Ilọrin, one of the most prosperous states in the world of Nigeria, is blessed with the richest land that God can offer. The green grasslands spread as far as the eye can see, the shrubs were filled with life and beautiful blooming flowers, sweet fruits and a perfect scenery. Once one sees the beauty of Ilọrin, that person would never wish to leave, the small trees sprong forth-sweet apples, each fruit blossomed with the beauty of the evening. The only thing that ruined the beautiful landscape was the trees stained with blood, dripping down to the earth staining the gift of God.

Then there was an explosion, several soldiers were sent flying, and one specific soldier was unfortunate enough to be decapitated by the blast. The soldiers that fought on the side of the Yoruba used battle tanks of an advanced kind; an Agbara ’n crystal powers each tank. The energy source that ended the technological age and abolished the use of electricity, each crystal was self-sustaining and had a 3-year warranty. The best thing about the crystal is that it can be recharged once the power within has been depleted.

The Fulani invaders attacked with so much ferocity that the Yoruba and their Igbo allies were forced back; the Jamas of Ilọrin were ferocious fighters, fearless and unrelenting; for every Jama or Fulani slain on the battlefield, 10 Yoruba were used as payment. The most surprising aspect of this war was that the foolish generals in charge of the Yoruba/Igbo alliance refused to give the order for a retreat, they were hell-bent on reclaiming the territory of Ilọrin as an independent country under the Yoruba colony. Each soldier bore crystal-powered weapons, which fired small bullets of compressed energy, able to melt any human being it is exposed to, and the tank canons fired volatile liquid explosives, able to level a 4-story building. The Fulanis, on the other hand, rode large cows the size of wild bulls, and they held crude weapons like swords and shields. At first, the Yoruba laughed at the foolishness of the Fulanis, but now they were choking down their defeat.

“Balogun o”, one of the soldiers said, addressing the one in charge. “I've discovered how the Fulanis are winning the battle”,

“Report,” The Balogun barked

“They are using some kind of shield tech; our laser bullets cannot penetrate it easily”, the soldier reported. “I suggest we retreat and regroup” The Balogun suddenly snapped. He drew out his own lazar and shot the soldier dead.

“I am the son of an Ẹṣọ, I will not flee the battlefield”, he growled,

“I told you that we needed to spy out the enemy’s secret weapon”, his companion complained, “that shield tech is definitely going to lower the rate of casualties on their side of the battlefield”,

“Ọtun, be patient”, the Balogun scolded, in a harsh voice, “The shields can still be destroyed, use the big guns (he shouted)”,

“But we might hit our own”, the Osi protested,

“Casualties of war”, the Balogun replied,

Suddenly, the battleground exploded in a continuous succession of fatal blows as the great cannons of the Yoruba/Igbo alliance laid waste to the entire area; the explosion killed both friends and foes exposing the brutish nature of the Balogun.

“The Akọgun is still down there,” the Osi voiced again,

“Good”, the Balogun acknowledged, “Now there is no one to challenge my authority”

The chaos on the battleground could not be described with mere words; thousands had died a meaningless death, all because the Balogun had a large ego. The Ọtun moved his head from side to side in sorrow, ‘so, this is what it means to have a divided army’, he thought. The Akọgun and his men were caught in the crossfire and many of them perished along with the enemy, but to the Balogun’s horror, the Fulanis also had a weapon of equal destructive capabilities. The entire region was soon turned into a large mountain of blazing yellow flames, and only a few of the troops survived. Thankfully, the Fulani had had enough of the battle to cause them to suspend all acts of war until further notice. The surviving Yoruba soldiers marched sadly back towards their camp and started to gather up their possessions. There was no use staying; the Fulani had won.

The Osi-Balogun marched sadly towards the centre of the camp with a heavy heart; if only the generals had allowed the prince to take command of the troops, the result would have been far more favourable. The prince indeed lacked experience when it comes to warfare, but he knew that the boy would come up with a strategy that would have given this battle a far more favourable result. The Osi-Balogun finally reached the royal tent, which housed the prince of Ọyọ, he might not be the one with the title of Arẹmọ, but he is a prince all the same, well respected and well read. Prince Kurumi of Ibadan, the rejected son of Alaafin of the great country of Ọyọ, the boy sent to the battlefield to die.

“My prince”, the Osi-Balogun greeted, “I am sorry for your house…”

“The war?!” the prince growled in response

“It was a total loss”, he responded.

“The Balogun and the Akọgun?” The prince persisted,

“They are both dead”, the Osi responded,

“Fools!” Kurumi shouted in rage, “Two lions cannot rule over the jungle, and two cocks cannot share the same perch. Those fools were only interested in their own ambitions, and in the end, it led to their own destruction”.

“What will we do now my prince?” Osi inquired,

“Gather the men, today is the day I begin my own conquest of Ibadan.” Kurumi growled, “We might have lost today’s battle but the war is far from over”

“Your father will blame you for this loss,” The Osi voiced,

“He will, but that doesn’t mean that he has won this war”, the prince growled, “I will make him rue the day he decided to cast me aside, how many survived the battle”

“Not many”

“Gather the survivors, were going home”, the prince ordered.

“Yes, my prince” The Osi replied,

The Osi ran into the battlefield and helped to gather the wounded; those who had died in service to their country were disposed of via a disintegration capsule. In a matter of moments the Yorubas were all ready to leave the field of war, the prince signalled for the hover crafts using his status to gather as many as he could,50 in all. As soon as the hovercrafts arrived, Kurumi stood upon the foremost craft and looked down upon the great men of Yoruba land, men who had been mentally defeated with their tails between their legs. He could tell from the looks on their downcast faces that they had no desire to be on the battlefield again, how he pitied them, but he needed them; he needed their confidence; he needed them at their best; and he needed them to be willing to die for him. These men must see him not as a prince with a silver spoon shoved up his bottom, he needs them to see him as the saviour of the Yoruba Empire.

“Great warriors of Yoruba land, I greet you. Eyin omo Oduduwa mo ki yin (you the children of Oduduwa, I greet you)” Kurumi greeted as he gazed into the eyes of his defeated soldiers, “I can see defeat in your eyes and sorrow in your actions, I know that this is the day that many good men died because of the arrogant decisions of our leaders”

“The Balogun ordering an airstrike when our men were still out on the field, the Akọgun charging the enemy without a plan of his own, thinking only of valour at the expense of all your lives”, Kurumi spoke measuring the emotional response of the men mentally

“Are you not part of this corrupt leadership?” one of the more bitter men yelled,

“No, I am not!” Kurumi replied, with a smile thankful that the man had asked this question, it is best for him to let these people know his stand in all this political struggle. “I am the rejected prince of Ọyọ. I was sent to the battlefield for the same reason you were, TO DIE.. My father has denied me my birthright and sentenced me to death. We are all equal”.

“The king wanted us to die?” someone exclaimed.

“This corrupt government does not care about any of you, they only care about themselves”, Kurumi cried, “I am a man of the people, and I promise I will defend you with my life, but you must support me. The penalty for failure in war is death”, the men exclaimed in fear, “but if you support me, I swear on my own name we will all live, Swear obedience to me and I promise I will change this damaged political system”

“Do you intend to betray the Alaafin?” another voiced,

“We are all men of war. I am a man of war. I have no intention to claim the crown of a father who has no interest in me. To be the voice of the people, I intend to occupy a position equal to that of the Alaafin, and I promise the new era will be an era where we, the warriors of Yoruba land, will never be treated like cows; it will be an era of freedom. Are you the tool of a tyrant?”

“NO!” They all responded violently.

“Are you nothing but fodder for war?” Kurumi persisted raising his tone,

“No!”

“Are we slaves to an evil self-serving king?”, He shouted,

“No!” They all shouted, in response.

“Are we going to continue to endure this situation?”

“NOOOOOO!”

“Now join me as we fight for. freedom!”

“Freedom!”

“Freedom!”

“Freedom!”

“Freedom!”

Abuja

The unified embassy with the representatives of every country in attendance, Abuja is the super capital of the world, a technologically advanced super city with all the latest technological security gadgets at its disposal. Every single country in the Nigerian world attends, and their diplomats represent every continent and every leader. To maintain a peaceful coexistence between all the superpowers, like Eko and Ọyọ, is the main function of the Abujan unity; one must use tact and skills to negotiate between hot-headed leaders. The reasons for the existence of Abuja, the sole purpose of Abuja is to ensure that the great wars that once devastated Nigeria would never happen again. Every country and sovereign ruler must be represented on the great continent, the only way to sign peace treaties and develop friendly alliances.

The late Obafemi Awolowo was the founder of the unified International Embassy which is the title to Abuja. The president of Abuja, Honourable Olusẹgun, stood gazing out the window of the official presidential office. Things are not as easy as they seem; illiteracy is definitely a major problem that is not easily dealt with. The Fulani refused to accept modern education, and the consequence is that they choose to solve their problems using the primitive method, the side effect of a mundane mindset. Most of the leaders cheated and bribed their way through the educational system, and bribed those whom they could. They are not qualified for the position that they occupy and still brag about the achievements that were given to them on a platter of gold, as though they had struggled to claim them. Almost all the leaders are filled with the desire to fill their greedy needs, vanity, lust, and wealth, which is the foremost thing on their minds.

He, the honourable Olusẹgun, was the one appointed to manage them all, an almost impossible mission, if only he had allies of his own, skilled in the ways of manipulating the minds of men. Then he can force the difficult leaders to vow to his demands as the president of the unified international embassy of Abuja. He will need a private army, in charge of covert operations that will assist him in coercing arrogant leaders into agreeing to the dictates of the unified embassy. The idea seems to make a lot of sense, so it was decided; first, he must recruit the best of the best, and then he must figure out who would be able to help him manage these covert soldiers, to ensure that they were loyal and that they would remain loyal to the end.

This will take a lot of time and cost a lot of money, but it will be done. The president of Abuja pressed the button on his office communicator; the face of his assistant appeared from a small device on his table, projected by several beams of bright light. The face was a female in her late 20s

“You need something sir?” she inquired,

“I need the files of every army general of Nigeria, I'm about to embark on a dangerous project”

“Yes sir” the secretary replied

Honourable Olusegun smiled; once this project is on the way, it is going to revolutionise the Nigerian political economy. Let’s see if I can change the world, he thought out loud as his laptop was loaded with the data he requested.

⏪Chapter 1

Chapter 3⏩