SOPHIA and Nkerom were legally married and had a son. Sophia was really beautiful. Light-skinned, tall, gazelle-like and charming. Her teeth were sparkling and as white as snow. She was also gap-toothed, with a disarming smile and starry eyes. Sophia’s beauty was celestial and enchanting.
Her husband, Nkerom was an insurance broker but still hustling to make ends meet. He was dark-skinned, short and stocky, with piercing eyes revealing a man with a wicked mission. It was very difficult to fathom what was on his mind at a particular moment. He hardly smiled and spoke. And when he did, it was with careful disposition. His financial standing was not so encouraging and this often caused petty quarrels between him and his angelic wife.
Most times, misunderstanding normally arose and had to be settled by elders of the family. All the same the relationship continued as they had to make do with managing their meagre resources.
Nkerom was always on the drawing board everyday mapping out plans and strategies that would banish poverty from his life as he realised that time was nobody’s friend and he was fast aging. He knew definitely that mother luck would answer him one day and he would hit it big and that would put an end to the incessant nagging of his delectable wife.
It seemed Nkerom’s expectation was gradually coming to reality the day his wife got a job as an air hostess owith KBM Airways, a thriving multinational company. He was happy and delighted at the development and exuded confidence and hope of breaking the yoke of poverty. He said excitedly: “Sophia, you have got a very good job now! If we play the game skillfully, we’ll soon be in millions I assure you. Hope you got my drift. This is our only opportunity, please don’t let it slip through our fingers.”
“Nkerom darling, I understand every word you’ve spoken. I assure you I’ll deliver whenever the opportunity arises. No kidding. We are on the right path,” she replied.
A couple of months later, fortune smiled on Sophia when during a particular trip a traveller, Ronald Silverworth, met and fell in love with her.
“You really mean you’re a divorcee, Sophia?” the multimillionaire South African mulatto asked her.
“I’m telling you the truth and nothing but the truth,” she replied with a satanic and sly smile radiating over her face.
“Oh, boy! Sophia, just give me your love and I’ll take you to paradise with millions of money!,” Silverworth said gleefully with all sincerity.
“I’m all yours Silverworth!” Sophia answered for the umpteenth time. “My love and heart is yours forever!” she assured him.
And that was it! Sophia had finally ensnared an innocent multi-millionaire South African businessman in her love bait. She was acting on instructions from her husband, Nkerom. This was actually one connivance too many. It was a planned work. Ronald Silverworth fell for the ruse, hook, line and sinker.
Just two months into the ungodly relationship, Sophia and Nkerom had become very rich, courtesy of Silverworth. He spent millions of dollars on Sophia. In one year, he had changed Sophia’s fortune by making her a millionaires. He built two mansions for her, one in her home town and the other in Lagos.
Sophia drove around the town in sophisticated wonder-on-wheels. She had several cars and took Siverworth to her parents in the village. Touched by the level of poverty of his supposed in-laws, he built a beautiful duplex for them and he spent thousands of dollars on them mothly. It was the highest point of deceit as Sophia still met with Nkerom, her real husband. Somehow, the unexpected happened. Sophia became pregnant for Silverworth! At that very time, the tall and handsome Silverworth was in his late 40s. And it gave him so much joy.
He took Sophia on a one-month holiday to Miami in Florida, United States. When they came back from the trip, Silverworth started getting threatening telephone calls from unknown men. He wondered who could be after his life for he couldn’t imagine hurting anybody or stepping on toes.
One day, he flew in from his base in Cape Town, South Africa to finalize some business deals in Nigeria. He was chauffeur-driven to Pearl Avenue in highbrow Victoria Island later in the afternoon in company with Sophia. About 15 minutes, later they were in the comfort of his sprawling mansion in Pearl Avenue. As usual, the lovebirds were enjoying the bliss of life in the beautiful mansion.
At about 11p.m, they started hearing sounds of gunshots in the main compound. The security men on guard were instantly killed by some daredevil robbers who had gained entrance into the living room in a commando fashion. Silverworth was gripped by fear when suddenly broke into his room.
“Where’s the money now! Dollars! Dollars! Bring them out now!,” threatened the masked robbers, numbering about 10 and clutching AK-47 rifles and other submachine guns.
“Please, I’ll give it to you, just don’t hurt me or my darling…” Silverworth begged. He stood up and opened his wardrobe. He gave the robbers a briefcase containing 950,000 dollars.
“Thanks a million!,” the kingpin of the robbers said in a guttural voice and cocked his rifle. “This is your parting shot!”
He fired a volley of shots into Silverworth’s chest. The man collapsed and died. Then the kingpin turned and faced Sophia, who all these while wasn’t perturbed. He took off his mask and stretched his hand towards her. Sophia grabbed the hand of the kingpin and they burst into raucous laughter. Behold, it was Nkerom her husband!
“Come closer dear,” he called softly, “mission is accomplished! We can now go home now and live our dreams…life is sweet!”
After Silverworth’s murder, Sophia aborted the pregnancy she had for him. She started living big with her husband. They kept spending money as if there was no tomorrow. A couple of months later, nemesis caught up with them. Their son, Peterson, suddenly died of a strange illness. They were deeply pained.
The Nigerian Police Force, in collaboration with the Interpol, had been probing Silverworth’s death. Five months later, it was discovered that Sophia and Nkerom masterminded the murder. They were arrested at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos one Saturday as they attempted to jet out of the country to Canada. They were charged with murder and arraigned in court accordingly. They were shocked when the elderly and bespectacled judge pronounced judgement on them.
“That you, Sophia, connived with Nkerom your legal husband and murdered Mr. Silverworth your benefactor and carted away 950,000 dollars on the spot. Under the criminal jurisprudence and legal power bestowed on me, I hereby sentence both of you to death by hanging.
“Sophia, you have committed a most atrocious and inhuman act. Nkerom, you and your evil wife shall rot in the fiercest bottom of hell. Your sentence will run concurrently. You’ll both spend one year with hard labour in the prison, after which you’ll face the hangman and die a gruesome death. So be it.”
At the final pronouncement of judgement, Sophia burst into tears and sobbed like a baby. Nkerom shook his head remorsefully as they were led out of the courtroom by five grim-faced policemen. Sophia continued wail as they led them to a waiting van that would convey them to Kirikiri Maximum Prisons.
After one year in the prison, they were taken out of their cells and brought to the hangman’s chamber. There and then the noose was thrown around their necks one after the other. And they died a most painful and horrible death.
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