For twelve years, Chinenye had lived with the pain of widowhood, the burden of raising three daughters alone and the relentless struggle to cater for her family. She knew what it meant to go to bed worrying about tomorrow and waking up with no guarantee that things would be better. But she persevered. Chinenye was a fighter.

For years, she struggled to keep her textile business afloat, buying fabrics in small quantities from Oshodi and Balogun market. Every little profit went towards feeding her children, paying bills and keeping the family going. Slowly, things began to look up. Her business grew, her customer base expanded and she could finally afford to travel to Aba to buy fabrics directly from importers.

The future looked promising. She was beginning to see the rewards of her sacrifices. After all the years of struggling, she was finally approaching the life she had always wanted for herself and her daughters.
Then came the night that threatened to destroy everything she had worked for.

Tragedy struck.

On one of her business trips to Aba, armed robbers attacked the night bus she was travelling in. In the chaos, Chinenye was shot in the head. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors battled desperately to save her life. For eight hours, they fought to stabilise her and remove the bullets lodged dangerously close to her brain. By the time the operation was over, they had managed to remove three of the four bullets. The fourth remained and its position made further attempts at removal extremely dangerous. Chinenye survived but survival did not mean a return to normal life.

After the operation, she continued to suffer persistent headaches and dizzy spells.

For nearly two years, she lived with the fear and uncertainty of having a bullet lodged so close to her brain. Every headache and every dizzy spell left her wondering what might happen next.

Now, her condition has deteriorated and she is back in the hospital. After examining her, her doctors have recommended another surgery to remove the remaining bullet. The cost is approximately ₦40 million and they have also been brutally honest about the risks involved. The operation is possible but because of the bullet’s position, she could survive the surgery only to emerge paralysed.

Even if she could raise the money, there is no assurance that she would walk out of the hospital and return to the life she knew.

Paralysis could mean the end of her business, the loss of her independence and a future in which her daughters must shoulder the burden of caring for their mother. After spending twelve years struggling to give them a better future, the thought of becoming dependent on them is almost unbearable. She wants to live but she is afraid of what survival might look like.

This is where her story takes a complicated turn.
Chinenye has an uncle, a powerful dibia whose abilities she has witnessed firsthand. His reputation is not based on rumours or stories told by strangers. Her belief in his powers is rooted in events that happened within her own family.

Many years ago, Chinenye’s mother sold okpa at a local market. It was a modest business through which she contributed to the family’s upkeep. Unknown to her, a neighbour at the market had dropped a charm in front of her stall and Chinenye’s mother had stepped on it.
Not long afterwards, she became terribly ill. One of her legs began to swell, decay and produce a foul smell. Her condition became frightening and the family watched helplessly as her health deteriorated.

It was Chinenye’s uncle who intervened. Through a ritual he called “Back to Sender”, he reversed the spiritual attack and her mother’s condition eventually improved.

That was not the only incident. Years later, during the iwa ji festival, Chinenye’s brother drank palm wine that was believed to have been poisoned. His condition became alarming and once again, their uncle intervened and her brother survived.

These experiences left a deep impression on Chinenye. To her, these were not distant stories.

Her uncle had urged her to return to the village. He believed he could remove the bullet through the same Back to Sender ritual. According to him, the bullet would be spiritually returned to the person responsible for shooting her, bringing that person to a terrible end while Chinenye recovered. But Chinenye was a born-again Christian.

Her faith was not something she had picked up when life became difficult. It was the foundation on which she had chosen to build her life. She believed in God, in the power of prayer and in trusting Him through difficult circumstances. Her uncle’s practices stood in direct opposition to the convictions she had held for years.

Yet, for the first time in a long while, her faith was being tested in a way she had never imagined.

She had not been sitting idle or waiting for a miracle without seeking help. She had taken her fears to her spiritual father, hoping he would provide the direction she desperately needed. His counsel was that she should continue praying and fasting.

Chinenye had taken his advice seriously. She had been praying relentlessly, asking God to preserve her life and make a way where there seemed to be none. But fasting was another matter, she was on strong antibiotics so fasting wasn’t an option but she continued to pray.

She prayed for healing, for provision and for the wisdom to make the right decision. She prayed for her daughters, who had already experienced the pain of losing their father and could hardly bear the thought of losing their mother too. She prayed for the ₦40 million she could not afford and for the courage to face the risks the doctors had explained.

She prayed…
But the medical bills remained.
The surgical risks remained.
The bullet remained in her head.
And her uncle’s offer remained on the table.

To Chinenye, the spiritual option was not simply a tempting shortcut offered by someone she barely knew. It came from a man whose interventions she had witnessed.

On the other hand, pursuing medical treatment meant confronting a financial burden far beyond her means, alongside the possibility of surviving the surgery with permanent paralysis. In fact, she did not even know how she would raise the money.

Time was no longer on her side and every passing day brought more uncertainty.

For twelve years, Chinenye had been both mother and father to her girls. She had sacrificed, struggled and rebuilt her life so they could have a future. Now, just when her efforts were beginning to yield fruit, she was confronted with the terrifying possibility that she might not live to enjoy it with them.

She wanted to remain independent, continue working and give her children the opportunities she had never enjoyed.
She wanted to watch her daughters grow, succeed and build their own homes. She wanted to see the business she had fought so hard to establish become more secure.
Most of all, she wanted to live.

But what was she supposed to do when the option that seemed most accessible challenged the faith she had spent years holding on to?
And what did it mean to trust God when the answer she desperately needed had not yet come?

She had prayed through widowhood, financial hardship and years of uncertainty. She had trusted God through seasons when she had nothing and continued to believe even when life seemed unfair. She had prayed all those times and she got her miracles. But not this time.

Her uncle insisted he could help. Her spiritual father had told her to continue praying and fasting. Her doctors had explained the medical risks and the cost of surgery. Each option carried its own weight, yet she had to make a decision.

Chinenye stood at a crossroad between her Christian convictions and the evidence of her uncle’s past interventions.
She was wrestling with her understanding of God’s power and her desperate desire to remain alive for her children.

What would you advise Chinenye?

* Would you tell her to hold firmly to her Christian convictions?

* Would you tell her to pursue the medical treatment despite the enormous financial burden and the risk of paralysis?

* Would you encourage her to consider her uncle’s offer?