December 4, 2009. 5pm On Friday, Ofure and Kevwe arrived at the address in Surulere, a large compound with a block of four flats painted pale blue and yellow. A young man of about nineteen washed a car in the space up front while talking with a younger girl. When he saw Ofure, who had stepped out of the car while Kevwe went to park, the eyes almost rolled out of the young man’s head. A bit more restrained, the girl also sized him up. Ofure noted there was no one else around, but the youngsters still stared when his gaze returned to them. “I should beat you into the ground,” the young man said, in a conversational tone. “Gbubemi, don’t.” The so-called Gbubemi ignored her, menace drawing tight lines on his body. It was then Ofure saw the signs. The girl resembled Efe, their facial features were similar. Realization dawned on him. Efe had been saying the truth. Her family apparently believed he, or Kevwe, had wronged her. She couldn’t possibly have lied to her parents.
