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OUR EMIRATE!Book 3
By Sumayyah Abdulkadir
Dedication
To Bilkisu Askira (Billie Askira), Maiduguri, for your immense support during the writing of this book.
Acknowledgments
As always, my deepest appreciation goes to all members of the TAKORI'S ONLINE FORUM WhatsApp group. This book, MASARAUTAR MU, is a tribute to you. Thank you for the love and encouragement; our bond is truly ordained by Allah. May He preserve our friendship until we meet in Paradise. You are my constant source of inspiration.
CHAPTER 1: The Forbidden Choice
Gathering the last remnants of his courage, Prince Sageer spoke in a calm, soothing voice—though his voice was, by nature, always mild and composed.
"She is an Asian expatriate, a Jew. She has agreed to accept Islam on the sole condition that I marry her."
Both the King and Ya Gumsu stared at him in absolute horror. His Royal Highness sat completely paralyzed, as if his lips had been stitched shut. He went entirely rigid in his royal chair. Ya Gumsu sprang to her feet, pointing an accusing finger directly at him.
"...You have crossed the line, Prince! You lie if you think you will humiliate me before the world and in front of my co-wives, who are just waiting to witness my downfall! Even if women were extinct on this earth, I would never permit this marriage. With my own lips, I will never, ever grant you my blessing!!!"
King Yusufu intervened calmly, "You may leave for now, Prince. We shall deliberate on this matter, and once a decision is reached, the Grand Vizier (Waziri) will summon you."
Ya Gumsu’s eyes widened as she glared at the Emir of Askira, looking as though her eyeballs might drop out of their sockets. The moment she realized the King was willing to discuss the matter with the Grand Vizier, she knew her stance was on shaky ground. In this palace, the King never referred a matter to the Waziri unless he personally favored it. Overwhelmed by bitterness, she burst into tears and stormed out of the parlor. The Prince stood up to follow her, but the King stopped him, telling him to leave her alone until her anger cooled, as she would not listen to reason right now.
The Prince sat back down, his spirits thoroughly dampened. King Yusufu seized this quiet opportunity to question him extensively about Rose—how they had met and who she was. Sageer revealed everything his father needed to know, carefully withholding any details that were inappropriate. He concluded his explanation by emphasizing his spiritual ambition: "Father, I deeply desire to bring her into Islam through my own hands as a form of Jihad. She possesses excellent character, and she genuinely admires Islam on her own merit. She has chosen to forsake her entire family, provided she is permitted to marry me."
Alanguburo (the King) understood his son's perspective due to his own gentle nature. At that very moment, the King quietly suppressed his own long-held personal ambitions for Prince Sageer. He told his heart to let the boy pursue this spiritual Jihad, reminding himself of the prophetic tradition: To guide a single soul to the right path is better than being gifted a herd of precious red camels. Allah has not forbidden such a union. Not every personal dream we harbor is destined to manifest in reality; some dreams are meant to remain within the realm of sleep, while others are simply delayed by Allah until the most perfect time.
With that, the King dismissed him, instructing him to await the Waziri's call after their meeting the following day.
The Conditions of Succession
King Yusufu and his Grand Vizier, Ibrahim, met privately in their inner sanctuary to discuss the Prince's dilemma. The Waziri advised, "Your Highness, let the Prince proceed with the marriage so that we may earn the divine blessings of bringing a soul into Islam. However, it must be under strict conditions: she must return to Nigeria with him, and they must reside together within the MASARAUTA (Emirate Palace). As the Crown Prince and heir apparent, he must permanently relocate back home to live among his people."
When the Waziri summoned Prince Sageer and delivered the verdict, the Prince paused in deep hesitation. He was not prepared to relocate back home anytime soon. The idea of living in a small, conservative town like Askira felt suffocating; he wouldn't be able to enjoy the absolute freedom he was accustomed to. Furthermore, he worried Rose would suffer from culture shock, compounded by the blistering heat of Maiduguri. She had never stepped foot in Africa; she was a South Korean by birth whose parents' engineering work had relocated the family to Amsterdam.
More than anything, Sageer detested the title of 'Heir Apparent.' He wasn't the only male child in the royal family, and traditional leadership held no appeal for him. Prince Sageer was essentially a Westernized black man who had fully embraced an affluent Western lifestyle, entirely losing touch with his cultural roots over the years. This was largely the fault of his parents, who had believed that sending him far away from home was the only way to tame his wild nature. He had matured, yes, but through the natural passage of time, not in the traditional way his parents assumed.
To make matters worse, he was a seasoned master in the art of chasing women, including those outside his faith. Yet, looking at his poised countenance in front of his parents, one would easily mistake him for a flawless saint because of how perfectly he masked his true lifestyle. The one vice Allah had entirely delivered him from was alcohol; he had never harbored the slightest desire to drink and held it in utter contempt. His philosophy was simple: One needs a sober mind to perform prayers correctly and on time. Even cigarettes had been abandoned since the height of his youth.
Yet, as he evaluated the massive concession his parents had just granted him—a compromise he never expected to receive so easily—he felt a wave of profound obligation. They were allowing him to marry the woman of his choice and closing their ears to the inevitable palace gossip regarding a union unprecedented in the history of their emirate. In return, he realized he had to honor their request by returning to Askira with his bride. He resolved to ask for a two-year grace period to complete his PhD, transition his automobile business to Nigeria, and secure a professional corporate job so he wouldn't have to depend on his father’s royal wealth like typical spoiled princes.
The Waziri granted his request immediately, giving him two years to finalize his affairs. He was to return with his bride, formally introduce her to Islam, and solemnize the marriage.
His brother, Awaisu, was utterly shocked when he received the news. He had never imagined their parents would validate the situation, nor did he think Prince Sageer was serious about Rose; he had assumed it was just one of Sageer's usual casual flirts. As for Awaisu himself, their stepmother Ba'ana had already selected a bride for him—her own niece, Asiya. The moment the brothers returned permanently, a double wedding would be held, even though Asiya hadn't even finished her high school education yet.
After a seven-day stay, the brothers returned to Amsterdam filled with a surprising sense of home-sickness and nostalgia. They realized the Askira Emirate was developing at a much faster, more modern pace than they had left it. They began brainstorming ways to elevate their kingdom into a shining beacon of modernization among the contemporary emirates of Borno State. The Prince immediately drafted architectural designs for new palace expansions and structural renovations, partnering with COSIMCO, a prestigious architectural and real estate firm based in the Netherlands.
Upon his return to Amsterdam, this project became his primary focus. COSIMCO dispatch teams traveled directly to Nigeria to execute the master plan in the Askira Emirate. Soaring, high-quality contemporary structures began to rise, instantly magnifying the dignity and majesty of the palace.
"Indeed, the lion cub has grown into a formidable force," the King remarked to the Waziri with a proud smile as they toured the palace grounds, admiring the stunning renovations Prince Sageer had single-handedly financed and designed through the COSIMCO construction company. The Waziri and the other traditional king-makers showered the Prince with blessings, praying that he would soon return to inherit his father’s throne while the King was still alive. What they did not know was that traditional kingship held absolutely no place in Prince Sageer’s grand design; he preferred to remain a highly sophisticated intellectual. Only Awaisu knew the truth.
CHAPTER 2: The Vanishing Anchor
The moment their school holidays concluded, Sa'adatu and her peers returned to El-Kanemi College. However, a profound heartbreak was quietly waiting for her. Two weeks passed in agonizing silence as she kept a desperate lookout for Raheema’s return, but her friend never appeared.
Sa'adatu lost her inner peace. Her bright smile vanished, and she found herself entirely unable to focus on her studies without Raheema by her side. She had no one to ask about her friend's whereabouts, as the entire student body was coming to her for answers instead. To make matters worse, she realized she had made a terrible mistake: she had never collected Raheema’s home address. She had always assumed that even if she possessed it, no one would ever take her there, as Fulani Bilkisu would never permit such a visit.
When the emotional weight became too heavy to bear, Sa'adatu walked into the Principal's office. She offered her respectful greetings, but the moment she opened her mouth, tears began to stream down her face.
The Principal looked up in concern. "What is wrong, Sa'adatu Hashim?"
Sa'adatu burst into deep, unrestrained sobs and managed to explain that Raheema Kyari had failed to return to school for three consecutive weeks.
The Principal immediately ordered an investigation into Raheema’s prolonged absence. The student registrar soon brought forward an official notice sent directly by Raheema’s father, stating that their family had permanently relocated out of Nigeria. Raheema had been withdrawn from the college entirely.
Sa'adatu’s grief doubled. Why would Raheema leave the country without saying goodbye to me? What did I do wrong? Surely, the sacred bond of friendship they shared was deeper than a sudden, silent disappearance. She had never realized just how deeply attached she was to Raheema until she woke up to an empty, lonely reality within the walls of El-Kanemi College. Her entire personality underwent a drastic shift; she became profoundly quiet and withdrawn. Night and day, she threw herself into fervent prayers, begging Allah to protect Raheema wherever she was and to orchestrate a swift, miraculous reunion.
In the classroom, Sa'adatu channeled all her grief into her books; studying became her sole escape from the biting loneliness. While she frequently thought of her little sister Zarah and her mother Fulani, she constantly reminded herself that Fulani harbored nothing but hatred for her. Thinking about her is a waste of precious emotional energy, she reasoned. She even began making a heartbreaking supplication during each of her five daily obligatory prayers, begging Allah to diminish the intense, unrequited love she carried in her heart for her mother, Fulani Bilkisu.
CHAPTER 3: Two Years Later & The Arrival of Aisha-Sultana
Two years passed in a flash.
Those two years brought dramatic shifts within the royal household, mostly dominated by fierce co-wife rivalries between Ya Gumsu and Fulani Bilkisu. The two queens refused to maintain a peaceful coexistence. Yet, an objective look at eighty percent of their conflicts revealed that the fault lay squarely with Ya Gumsu. She harbored a toxic, consuming jealousy toward Fulani Bilkisu, fueled by one undeniable truth: King Askirama’s love for Fulani Bilkisu far exceeded his affection for any of his other wives, and he was entirely incapable of hiding it. In Ya Gumsu’s eyes, as the mother of the Crown Prince and the eldest children, she alone deserved that supreme devotion.
Thus, life moved forward in the Askira Palace—a delicate balance of joy and bitter tension, a reality inherited by almost every royal household. As the queens aged, the fires of their rivalries only burned brighter.
On a bustling Monday, the Askira Palace erupted into chaotic preparations to welcome Prince Sageer, who was scheduled to land that very afternoon with his bride-to-be, Rose Hathaway. News of the Prince's controversial marital choice had thoroughly saturated every corner of the estate. Spiteful gossip echoed across every queen's residential wing—except for the quarters of Fulani Bilkisu. She stood entirely alone in supporting the Prince's choice, refusing to condemn his decision. As always, her perspective aligned flawlessly with that of His Royal Highness.
Late in the afternoon, Prince Sageer, his brother Awaisu, and Rose arrived at the Askira Palace. Rose was dressed in a sweeping, floor-length gown with a matching veil draped elegantly over her head, looking every bit like an aristocratic Arab lady. They arrived under a heavy escort of royal palace guards, who had transported them from the Maiduguri airport in a sleek civilian vehicle belonging to the Askira Emirate.
At this precise time, Sa'adatu was away at school, sitting for her promotional examinations into Senior Secondary School 2 (SS 2).
Back at the palace, Ya Gumsu threw a massive tantrum, vehemently declaring that the Prince's white woman would never set foot in her residential sector—vowing to resist it even if a knife were held to her throat. Seeing the absolute impasse, the Emir ordered that Rose be housed in Fulani Bilkisu's wing under her direct supervision.
Fulani instructed Fanna to meticulously clean and prepare Sa'adatu’s old room for the Prince's bride, equipping it with every luxury she might need. However, companionship between the two women was impossible due to a stark language barrier; Fulani spoke no English. Whenever Rose needed to communicate, she would call the Prince on her phone, who would then translate her requests to Fulani.
Two days after their arrival, Rose formally accepted Islam within the grand halls of the Askira Emirate. She was given the Muslim name Aisha-Sultana, and her marriage to Prince Sageer was immediately solemnized. The King kept the ceremony small and dignified, invited only local community elders and traditional king-makers to witness the vows. He deliberately refrained from inviting his fellow ruling Emirs from neighboring kingdoms. Deep in the hidden recesses of his soul, the King felt a strange, nagging lack of joy regarding the union, despite having willingly granted his permission. He had expected Rose to arrive accompanied by at least some members of her family, but she had shown up completely alone, bearing nothing but a single suitcase. He found himself asking a troubling question: The day the Prince's future children ask about their maternal lineage, what on earth will he tell them?
Could it be that the Prince's mother, Ya Gumsu, was right all along?
The Golden Cage of Abuja
There was no grand, lavish wedding reception typical of a prominent Prince's marriage. The bride was quietly escorted to a magnificent, sprawling mansion the Emir had constructed for the Prince on the outskirts of the palace grounds. It was a masterpiece of royal and contemporary architecture, costing millions of Naira. Thanks to the creative genius of the COSIMCO firm, its layout and design easily surpassed the main palace itself. If a physical paradise existed on earth, it was Prince Sageer’s new residence. Meanwhile, Awaisu’s wedding was deferred for two years, as his young bride-to-be had yet to complete her high school education.
The Prince and his new bride, Aisha-Sultana, structured their marital life exactly where they had left off in Amsterdam—a lifestyle of absolute Western luxury. At times, they completely forgot they were living within the conservative boundaries of the Askira Emirate. The Prince adored Sultana intensely. However, Sultana had only embraced Islam out of her consuming love for Sageer, not out of any personal spiritual conviction; he had made it clear that conversion was the only key to unlocking his parents' approval.
Consequently, her faith remained purely superficial. The moment they moved out of the main palace into their private mansion, she completely abandoned the daily prayers she had dutifully performed while staying in Fulani Bilkisu's quarters. She flatly told the Prince that the rigorous five-times-a-day routine was far too exhausting and that she needed time to adjust. The Prince refused to tolerate total abandonment, so she adopted a double life—performing the prayers only when he was physically present and completely ignoring them the moment he turned his back.
A month passed in a blur of marital bliss. Their mansion was fully staffed with domestic servants and royal attendants. It was only now that Sultana fully understood the true stature of the man she had married. In Amsterdam, she had known him merely as her wealthy partner in hedonism and fun. Now, she realized she was among the luckiest women alive. Sageer was one in a thousand—a man whose capacity for romance and devotion to his wife was exceptionally rare in society.
He was a genius in his conduct and character, superb in romance, and splendid in navigating his wife’s emotions. For the sheer privilege of remaining by his side, Sultana was entirely willing to wear the taxing armor of his demanding religion, as long as it kept him happy.
For three months, the Prince secretly applied for high-profile jobs online without his father's knowledge, balancing his job hunt with his domestic bliss. Fulani Bilkisu became Sultana’s ultimate matriarch and guardian, overseeing everything regarding her welfare. Ya Gumsu, on the other hand, refused to acknowledge Sultana's greetings, and Princess Ya Maira never once set foot in her house. Only Humairah and Naja'atu visited. The male siblings, however, frequented the mansion, especially young Ashgar, who transformed the Prince's parlor into his personal hangout spot. The Prince treated Ashgar with immense tenderness, pitying his struggles and actively supporting the mental rehabilitation he had arranged for him back in Amsterdam.
Unsurprisingly, the Prince secured two elite job offers simultaneously. NTNU (Nigerian Turkish Nile University) in Abuja offered him a prestigious lecturing position in the faculty of Pure and Applied Chemistry, which was his preferred field. Almost simultaneously, OAU (Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) rushed to offer him an appointment. Even before his return to Nigeria, Sageer had firmly decided to enter academia—a quiet profession rarely chosen by wealthy royal princes.
As with everything in his life, his mindset was fundamentally unconventional. He refused to tie his identity to traditional royalty, much to his father’s disappointment, viewing the palace lifestyle as an absolute trap that stripped away personal freedom. He was a man who fiercely guarded his autonomy and detested restriction.
Sageer was highly intuitive, meticulous in his relationships, fiercely self-reliant, exceptionally driven, and highly successful in any venture he pursued. His only real shortcoming was his weakness for women—a trait almost considered genetic among men of royal descent. However, since his marriage, a profound sense of maturity and contentment had settled over him. Women had completely lost their allure, with his heart now occupied solely by Aisha-Sultana. He spent hours deleting various phone numbers of women of different nationalities from his contacts, firmly telling himself: Just as I left Amsterdam behind, I leave behind every single woman who belonged to that past life.
He systematically relocated his luxury automobile dealership to Nigeria, placing Awaisu in full control of operations. Upon his return, he integrated two of his younger half-brothers into the business—Suhail (Ya Kirjinoma’s son) and Ahmad (his full brother from Ya Gumsu's wing), both of whom were on the verge of graduating with business degrees.
A massive diplomatic battle ensued before the Emir finally permitted the Prince to relocate to Abuja with his family. Initially, the King had assumed Sageer was back for good and had already begun preparations to turban him with the royal title of Chiroma (Crown Prince). When Sageer countered with his academic job offer at NTNU, begging for permission to leave, it took the powerful intervention of Fulani Bilkisu to make the King relent. The Emir could never deny her any favor she asked, and since he had entrusted Sultana to her care, Sageer had essentially become like a son to her. The King granted his permission on one strict condition: the Prince must return to the Askira Palace every three months during university semester breaks.
On a quiet Sunday, Prince Sageer and Aisha-Sultana packed their belongings and relocated to the Federal Capital Territory. Humairah, Naja'atu, and several of his younger brothers accompanied them to Abuja, staying until they had completely organized their new home, which had been allocated to Dr. Sagir Yusuf Askira by NTNU within the university's elite staff quarters.
NTNU, a private international institution owned by Turkish investors, paid its academic staff exceptionally well. It operated on a standard completely superior to the public universities of Northern Nigeria.
The staff housing estate was breathtaking. Each lecturer was assigned a compact, two-story flat featuring four en-suite bedrooms, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and a massive dining and living area. A private garden bloomed at the back of each house, while the front featured a serene balcony for evening relaxation. Within the gates of each property sat a traditional Turkish gazebo (hut), furnished with comfortable outdoor lounge chairs. The entire architectural blueprint of the campus and the staff quarters was imported directly from Istanbul, featuring one hundred identical luxury flats neatly arranged within the university gates.
Upon their return to Askira, Humairah and her siblings could not stop singing praises of their brother's new residence, vowing to spend all their upcoming holidays in Abuja. Aisha-Sultana was remarkably warm and hospitable to all of the Prince's siblings across the various co-wife households—except for the children of Ya Gumsu. Even with her limited understanding of Hausa and Kanuri, Sultana had quickly realized that Ya Gumsu bitterly rejected her as a daughter-in-law. When they had gone to offer their farewell greetings before leaving for Abuja, Ya Gumsu hadn't even looked at her. Instead, she turned to the Prince and hissed in a blind rage:
"Pack up this raw, uncircumcised meat and get out of my sight before my temper explodes!"
Sultana did not understand the exact words, but the venomous tone made it clear it was a harsh insult. The Prince's handsome face remained entirely unbothered and unreadable. He simply turned to his wife and quietly told her to stand up so they could leave, noting that the hour had grown late.
The Double Life in Abuja
Within a week of settling into Abuja, Sultana utilized her degree in Economics to secure a corporate job with a prominent Insurance Brokerage firm. The Prince hired a professional chef and housekeepers from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Soon, both husband and wife were fully absorbed in their demanding career routines.
During this period, the Prince forged a close friendship with a Turkish expatriate named Dr. Ziyad, a prominent stakeholder at the university who taught in the same faculty. Dr. Ziyad was an untamed, wild bachelor whose residence was just a stone's throw from the Prince's flat. The two became virtually inseparable, spending their free time driving through the city or hosting groups of elite young women at Dr. Ziyad's house.
Thus, Sageer and Sultana lived their lives in Abuja, each pursuing their own independent agendas. While their love for one another remained intact, the profound lack of a mother’s blessing quietly drained the spiritual peace from their marriage, though neither of them could quite pinpoint the source of their underlying discontent.
Now fully liberated by the high-society lifestyle of Abuja, Sultana systematically reverted to her old hedonistic habits, completely discarding any pretense of the Islamic faith she had superficially accepted. She plunged into heavy, reckless drinking. The moment she discovered where to procure premium liquor in Abuja, her old addictions returned with a vengeance. She knew all too well the Prince’s absolute intolerance for alcohol, so she never dared to bring a single bottle inside their home. Every evening, she...
Single Relevant Follow-Up Question
Given that the narrative has just skipped forward two years and shifted focus onto the complex double lives of Prince Sageer and Aisha-Sultana in Abuja, while Sa'adatu is left alone at school dealing with Raheema's sudden departure, would you like the next section to focus on Sa'adatu's structural development during her SS2 year, or should we continue exploring the unfolding marital crisis and secrets in Abuja?
