My parents have done nothing for me apart from giving birth to me.
Ok, they sent me to school. That’s it.
I went to government college for secondary school and model school for primary school. But apart from that, nothing more. They have four children; I am the second. They just left all of us to be turninonourown, after secondary school.
I passed my WAEC but couldn’t get into Poly. I tried but the truth is if my parents had tried a little, maybe they could have gone to the Poly to talk to some of the lecturers or something, give them something, maybe I would have even finished Poly by now.
But my father is a stingy man. He will not spend extra kobo on any one. I see other parents sell off their property to train their children, not so for my parents.
He will always complain if we go to ask him for money for even school, he will say he doesn’t have. His usual answer is “we haven’t eaten and you are asking for money for this and that.”
My father was always making mouth. He used to say he will not kill himself for any child and that he struggled to get what he has so he will not kill himself.
What does he even have sef? He managed to build a three-bedroom bungalow that he did not even paint, he is making noise. What of those who built 6 storey buildings? Built mansions? What will those ones say?
And my mother, I know she tried but she was also not helping matters, she could not stand up to my father to tell him to do more for his children!
I didn’t just wake up one morning and say, I will use them for ritual money, na!
At first I got involved in ‘jobbing’ people. I mean, we write letters and they transfer money from abroad. But that one too is hard work. You have to be on the job all night, your back will be paining you from bending over computer and looking at monitor for many hours and many months and when one of it ‘enters’, you are lucky but by then, the money most times is not even something big, you have to keep doing it for a long time. By the time you buy weed for your friends, shaks for everyone, one Tshirt and sneakers or give your babe something, the money is finished.
Then the next step, to really hit it big, is to do money ritual but the thing is, they will not ask you to bring your family, it will start with blood of chicken, white cock; then goat, then they will say you go and fxxk cow.
But if you want plenty money, the type that will last, you use people. Me, I did not want to kill my parents, to be honest but after some time, they were just annoying me. My father was just on my case, always insulting me and saying nothing good will come out from me.
How can a father be saying something like that?
So I was very angry with him. Money he will not give and on top of that, he will insult you, curse you!
And me, I cannot go and be fxxking a cow, so I decided to choose the easy one, use my parents for the money ritual. That’s how one day, I went to their wardrobe and I took their clothes. They said I should bring the clothes that have touched their bodies.
I needed money to travel but I also needed money so that I could start my own business as well, that’s why I agreed to the ritual deal.
The baba we met was not even an old man, maybe he will be in his 50s, so he is really not a baba like an old man. He said when I bring the clothes, we will go to one river at midnight and do some sacrifice. Then he will collect the clothes and take it with him.
He did not tell me my parents will die but even if they die and I have money, I will do big burial for them! That is what I had in mind.
We were supposed to do everything secret, secret. I don’t know how come the police just came and scatter us that midnight. They just came and scatter everything.
Do I have regret? Of course. I told you I would have done big burial for my parents if they had died after the ritual. Ah, it is only my mother that has visited me since my arrest, my father has not shown face.
I don’t care whether he comes or not!
(series written and edited by Peju Akande and based on true stories)
photo credit