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8th Edition

Naja Nuhu

3rd
Prize

Naja Nuhu is teenage girl who lives with her parents at no. 13, Musa Bawa Lane OffIshakuChetubo Street, New Karo in Abuja. The story has it that one night; some robbers jumped the wall to gain access into the house, with the aim of stealing from one of the cars. Najawas up late that night, as it was her usual practice. That night, she stayed awake studying and suddenly, she heard strange noises and the sound of keys. Naja stood up from her bed and looked towards the direction of the strange noises. Naja noticed two robbers trying to force open one of the cars. She fought back the urge to go and alert her father as she felt any slight noise from inside the house might draw the attention of the thieves who believed that the occupants of the house were all fast asleep. Spurred by God knows what thought, Naja came out of the house and went straight to confront the robbers. The two men trying to force the car door open became frozen, with their mouths wide open, as if they have just seen a real ghost. But they quickly came back to their senses and one of them ordered Naja to go down on her knees and not make any sound or he would smash her skull. The little girl summoned uncommon boldness and told the robbers that her father had shot a thief the previous day and he was about to shoot them. She told them that she came out to inform them that her father was aiming at them, right from the window. Naja added that her father refused all pleas from her mother not to kill any other person and that she didn’t want them to be shot like the dead robber. She urged them drop their weapons and stoop low because her father was at the window aiming his gun at them, that any attempt to scamper in escape would cause his father to shoot them. The robbers were so terrified that they complied with Naja and dropped their weapons (a dagger and a hammer) to the floor and stooped low. At that point, Naja picked up the weapons and ran inside shouting for help. Immediately, her father and her uncle ran outside and apprehended the robbers as they made to escape. The robbers were overpowered and immobilised. Naja’s father then called the police who came to arrest the thieves.