Linto
 

A short story by Habib Abodunrin Zakari
 

In the first month of the second semester, Linto noticed he had one “fail” remark against his name on the released result. Last semester, Mr. Baki had invited him to his office and threatened to fail him in his course for refusing to buy his course materials. Since then Linto had waited. He was unable to buy the course material because he didn’t have money for it. Now that the results were out, in order to get himself out of his predicament, he reported the case to the school authority.

On hearing the case, the Science faculty complaint officer sent a letter to the Dean of the faculty of Science advising that a panel should be set up to look into the matter and luckily for Linto, the Dean acceded to the recommendation and sent the details of the panel to him. Linto was happy, he felt he may win the case. The panel was inaugurated and through a secretary Mr. Baki and Linto were summoned. On the first day of the hearing, Mr. Baki was told that Linto had reported him…

“He didn’t do well in the tests and examination of my course last semester,” was Mr Baki’s defence. This explanation didn’t go down well with the panel.

 
“Mr. Baki, this panel is not satisfied with your response; would you please produce Linto’s scripts?” Professor Obiakor, the panels Chairman ordered.

“I promise to provide the scripts sir”, Mr Baki answered uneasily…

On the new date that the panel had asked Mr. Baki to bring Linto’s scripts, Mr. Baki brought fabricated score sheets.

“Mr. Baki, why did you bring the score sheets instead of his scripts?” the Chairman asked, irritated.

“Sir, I couldn’t find his scripts, so I brought the score sheets instead” he said handing them over to Professor Obiakor.

“No sir, insist that he provide my exam scripts, it is my only hope”, Linto said in protest. He could decipher that Mr. Baki’s claims were concocted to buy his way out. Mr. Baki became agitated with the thought that Linto would produce an evidence to counter his score-sheet claims. Would he bring out his Continuous Assessment script? Mr. Baki thought. His fear increased when the Chairman asked Linto a question.

“Gentleman, could you at least provide your continuous assessment script?” Professor Obiakor asked in a bid to help Linto out. As soon as Linto heard this, he knew he had lost his case because he has misplaced his scripts.

 
“I have lost the scripts sir” he said in a low tone. The panel members were angered by this answer. “Linto, I’m afraid you have lost your case. You have to apologise to your lecturer for all the fuss you have made with your case.” Professor Obiakor said in regret. He had earlier thought he would finally nail the oppressive Mr. Baki, who through his unwholesome and unethical practises had been terrorising Students. But now, he was left with no choice but to suggest that the case should be dismissed. Linto apologised with great pain in his mind. Mr. Baki let out a triumphant smile. The smile annoyed Linto so much.

Linto sulked for days, he knew he would have to spend an extra year which would still not guarantee his graduation. On the day that the panel was dissolved, Mr. Baki had invited Linto into his office and spoke to him. The words kept coming back to his mind.

“…You fool! You obstinately refused to buy my course material and you want to pass my course. You even have the guts to report me. Mark my words, as far as I remain in this school, I would make sure that you never graduate.”
 

For many days those words re-echoed and haunted him. He was an indigent student, he had to do something. The only way through which he gets his school fees was through working in building sites. He racked his brain on how to remedy his problem but could think of nothing. As he saw that there was no way out of his problem, he figured he had to enlist in the cult of the Tacticians, which had been trying to initiate him for sometime now. He believed that they could avenge him.

Two weeks after the day of Linto’s initiation, the Tactitians struck at Mr Baki’s house in the school quarters. During the operation, Sayo, Mr Baki’s only son was shot; their intention was to wipe out the whole family but Mr Baki escaped when he noticed the presence of the cultists. Fortunately, his wife wasn’t at home and his other three daughters were in Universities far away.

In a few minutes, the police rounded up the Tacticians before they could escape. They arrived on the crime scene promptly. They had been hinted by school’s security operatives when Mr Baki ran to notify them.

That night, news got to Linto. He heard from gossips in the common room while waiting for the call of the Capon, that his men had been arrested. He had not gone to the operation with his men because the Tacticians have the tradition of not taking the person they were avenging for, with them.

In the afternoon of the following day, Linto planned how to personally visit Mr. Baki’s quarters. He was eager that night should come; he had decided to strike then. He walked round the school, resting at intervals in order to douse his anxiety. He wanted to go to Mr. Baki’s on time. He wanted to execute his plan before the police got a confession from his men and came for him.

At about 7:30pm he made for Mr. Baki’s residence in the school’s staff quarters. On getting there, he saw two security men standing at the gate. The security men had been assigned to Mr Baki’s house by the school authority after they had heard about the cultists’ attack.

“Good evening sirs,” Linto greeted them.

“What do you want here,” one of them asked brusquely.

“I am Mr. Baki’s brother-in-law. His wife sent me to come and get something from her husband.” He responded.

“So she has returned, why is she afraid of coming?’ One of the security men asked.

“Yes she returned today. She said she would prefer staying at our place for a while until she can be sure this place is safe again,” said Linto.

Without much delay they allowed Linto in. He smiled as he was going inside. He was happy he had surmounted his first obstacle. He had done well in deceiving the security men at the gate. He had gathered data from a boy who lived in the quarters near Mr. Baki’s, disguised as a sympathiser. The boy had overheard many things through Mr. Baki’s discussion with his parents when he was taken along to sympathise with Mr. Baki. The boy freely told Linto that Mrs. Baki’s wife had left their house for their relatives’ in town because she is afraid that the cultists might return. The boy also told Linto that Mr Baki refused to leave his house in the school because he relied on the safety of security men that the school authority had temporarily assigned to his house.

As Linto approached the main entrance, he discovered that the door was closed. He tried the door and luckily it yielded to his push. It wasn’t bolted from inside. He took two steps in. When Mr. Baki appeared; he was temporally immobilised as he recognized Linto. “Hey, you fool, what are you doing in my house?” he barked as he gradually recovered. He quickly kept quiet and hurriedly put up his hands as Linto brought out a gun. Without hesitation Linto moved backwards with the gun brandished at Mr. Baki as he bolted the door. While he was doing this, he saw Mr. Baki advancing towards him and immediately shot him in the head. Mr. Baki dropped dead.

The bang of the shot alerted the security men and they ran towards the house. When they reach the door, they kicked at the door and kept shouting at the top of their voices, “open the door! Open the door!” When they saw that the person inside was not yielding, they started kicking harder at the door. When Linto saw that the door had started giving way, he raised the gun in his hand to his head and shot himself.
 

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