THE NAIJA HUSTLE

Prologue

I still can’t believe this is how it all ends.

I sit on the cold, cracked floor of my cell, staring blankly at the peeling walls, wondering where it all went wrong. My life—once perfect—has crumbled into dust.

I had everything.

A sleek car, a massive mansion—no, that house was huge—and more women than I could count. I was the envy of the street, living the kind of life people only dreamed of. Money flowed like water. Parties every night. Friends who laughed at my jokes. Family that believed in me. And my wife… my beautiful wife.

She didn’t deserve what I did to her. She was gold—pure and constant—and I, the fool who only realized her worth when it was far too late.

Lost in the whirlwind of memory and regret, I barely heard the voice behind me.

“Oga, your time don reach.”

My heart dropped. It was time. Time to meet my fate. I swallowed hard, pushed myself up from the floor, and turned to face the officer. I forced my trembling hands to steady, suppressing the goosebumps crawling across my skin. Fear? Yes. But I wouldn't let them see it.

They blindfolded me with a ragged, sweat-soaked cloth that reeked of hopelessness. "Move," one barked. I didn’t argue—I knew better than to resist. I walked, shackled hand and foot, each step ringing with the cold clank of chains. The sound echoed louder than my thoughts, but I tried to drown it out with memories. Good ones. I needed to smile one last time.

We stopped.

The blindfold was ripped off. The blinding sun lashed at my eyes. I instinctively tried to raise my hands to shield them—only to be reminded that I was bound. After a few seconds, my eyes adjusted.

What I saw would chill any man to the bone.

A firing squad stood before me, rifles raised, their faces unreadable. A priest stepped forward, Bible in hand, his voice calm in the chaos.

"My son, are you ready to ask for the forgiveness of your sins?"

I nodded. “Yes, Father.”

He whispered his prayer: “May God forgive you all your sins and accept you into His Kingdom. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

He stepped away.

Now it was just me.

My final moments.

Three…
Two…
One…

BANG! BANG!

Silence.

And just like that, the Naija Hustle won.