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Salma is the daughter of Malam Hadi, a welder and metal fabricator. They live in Kaduna, in a neighborhood called Hayin Rigasa.

Malam Hadi is a God-fearing man who is always grateful to Allah despite his poverty. Some days, they struggle to even find food to eat.

He has one wife and two children. His wife's name is Rakiya, whom their children call "Umma." Their first child is Sahabi, and their last child is Salma, who became the youngest because, after her birth, Allah did not bless them with more children.

Salma is about 16 years old and has just completed secondary school with great difficulty because her parents were not financially stable. However, they were determined to educate their children despite their struggles.

From childhood, Salma developed a habit of lying. She is restless, stubborn, and disrespectful. She has only one dream—to be admitted into a university and eventually serve in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

With great difficulty, she managed to register for JAMB, and by Allah’s grace, she passed and gained admission into Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. If you saw how excited she was, you would think she had already graduated.

Her parents sold everything they had to pay for her registration fees. Salma was overjoyed beyond words.

After getting into university, her eyes were opened to a new reality—she realized how difficult life was for the poor. She met wealthy friends and saw a clear difference in status.

Salma was extremely beautiful, the type of beauty that could be featured in a magazine. However, despite her beauty, she had no suitors. She believed that poverty was the reason why no young man showed interest in her. This made her hate poverty even more.

She wanted to dress like rich girls but couldn't afford their clothes. This became her biggest challenge.

Eventually, she started stealing.

If you left your clothes unattended, she would take them, re-dye them, and continue wearing them as if they were hers. If it was fabric material, she would alter the design so that even the owner wouldn’t recognize it.

She had also been stealing shoes and handbags for a long time. If she liked something and found an opportunity, she would take it.

Her appearance fooled her fellow students into believing she was from a wealthy background.

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Salma continued living like this throughout her university years until she finally graduated and was posted for NYSC service.

She was more eager than anyone for the posting list to be released. She even prayed for her name to appear in Verge A. By Allah’s grace, she was posted to Keffi, Nasarawa State.

However, Salma was disappointed. She had hoped to be sent to Abuja, where she believed she would be exposed to more opportunities.

She was sitting with her best friend, Firdausi—commonly called "Fee-Fee". Firdausi was their neighbor, a calm and well-mannered girl, the complete opposite of Salma. However, they had been best friends since childhood.

They attended the same school, traveled home together during holidays, and remained inseparable despite their differences. Firdausi studied Business Administration, while Salma studied Medicine.

They were discussing their NYSC posting, as they had both been posted to Keffi, Nassarawa State.

"Tsk, Fee-Fee, honestly, I don’t like this Keffi place. I’ve never even heard of it until now!" Salma complained in frustration.

Firdausi laughed and said:

“Salma, what’s the big deal? We’re not stuck there forever. Once we complete our service, we can always return to our campus or anywhere we like. Personally, I love the idea of going to a new place I’ve never been before!”

Salma hissed and replied:

“I wanted Abuja! That’s where real exposure happens.”

Firdausi chuckled and said:

“Come on, Keffi is very close to Abuja. The transport fare is just ₦500. Besides, I heard Keffi is a well-developed town, full of educated people. Many of the workers in Keffi actually live in Abuja. There are even rich and influential people there, including a gubernatorial candidate named Wadada. If Keffi were a small village, it wouldn’t have such important figures.”

Salma smiled and asked:

“Fee-Fee, where did you get all this information? I thought you said you didn't know anything about Keffi?”