The Fishermen

The story, narrated by nine-year-old Benjamin Agwu from the perspective of his adult self, begins in Akure, Nigeria, in 1996. Two months prior, Benjamin's father, Eme, a strict disciplinarian employed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, was transferred to Yola, a city over a thousand kilometers away. Father has ambitious plans for his four oldest sons, Ikenna, Boja, Obembe, and Benjamin, mapping out their futures as a pilot, lawyer, doctor, and professor, respectively. In his absence, Father's authority diminishes, and the boys, freed from his rigid control, begin to explore the world outside their home.

After being bullied at the local football pitch, the brothers seek a new pastime. Ikenna, the eldest, learns about fishing from a classmate named Solomon. Soon, the four brothers, along with some friends, begin secretly visiting the forbidden Omi-Ala River every day after school. The river has a dark reputation as a site for crime and rituals, and it is officially under a curfew. Despite the danger, the boys find immense joy in their new identity as fishermen.

Their secret life is shattered when they encounter Abulu, a notorious local madman known for his disturbing and accurate prophecies. Abulu singles out Ikenna by name and prophesies that he will die a violent death. As an airplane flies overhead, drowning out his voice for a moment, Abulu continues his prediction. Only Obembe hears the final part, which he later reveals to his brothers, Abulu said Ikenna would be killed by a fisherman. Terrified, Ikenna concludes that one of his own brothers is destined to murder him. About a week later, a neighbor named Iya Iyabo spots the boys returning from the river and reports them to their mother, Adaku.

When Father returns for a weekend visit, he is furious. He delivers a severe whipping, which he calls the "Guerdon," to all four boys, reserving the harshest punishment for Ikenna. The next morning, however, Father reframes their transgression, urging them to become a new kind of "fishermen," who will be "juggernauts" fishing for success and good dreams. He makes them recite an anthem and specifically warns Ikenna not to lead his brothers astray.

The combination of the prophecy and the punishment triggers a profound change in Ikenna. He becomes a paranoid, aggressive figure whom Benjamin describes as a "python." His paranoia escalates, and he leads his brothers in beheading one of Iya Iyabo's roosters as revenge. He begins to isolate himself, first from his younger brothers and then from Boja, to whom he was once inseparable. His aggression culminates in a physical fight with Boja, during which he accidentally pulls off his mother's wrappa, a cultural taboo, and then runs away from home for a night. His behavior grows more erratic, he destroys the family's prized calendar featuring politician M.K.O. Abiola, a symbol of a cherished memory. Fearing his family will poison him, he stops eating with them, and his health declines. The family tension reaches a breaking point when Ikenna instigates another violent fight, pushing Boja, who hits his head on a metal box. During the argument, Ikenna cements his paranoia by reinterpreting a past incident involving his passport, which he had once claimed was an act of brotherly love, as proof of Boja's long-standing hatred.

The following morning, Boja, angry at being locked out of the room he shares with Ikenna, confronts him. Their argument explodes into a brutal fight in the backyard. As Benjamin and Obembe run to a neighbor, Mr. Bode, for help, the fight continues. When they return, the yard is empty. They discover Ikenna's body in the kitchen, stabbed to death with a knife. Boja is nowhere to be found, and a town-wide search begins. Hours after Ikenna's funeral, Boja’s bloated body is discovered floating in the family well. It is determined that he committed suicide after killing his brother. Due to cultural taboos against burying those who commit fratricide or suicide, Boja's body is cremated.

In the wake of the tragedy, the family disintegrates. Mother suffers a severe mental breakdown, haunted by visions of spiders and her dead sons, and is institutionalized for several weeks. Father quits his job in Yola and opens a bookshop in Akure named "Ikeboja" in memory of his sons. Obembe becomes consumed with the idea of avenging his brothers, blaming Abulu's prophecy for their deaths. After witnessing his mother's profound pain upon seeing Abulu in the street, Benjamin agrees to help Obembe kill the madman.

The boys' mission is given a new urgency when Father announces that his friend from Canada, Mr. Bayo, is coming to help them secure visas to move there. Their first attempt to kill Abulu with poisoned bread fails, reinforcing the madman's seemingly supernatural resilience. The family holds a valedictory service for Ikenna and Boja, which Abulu attends, weeping. That night, Father goes out and returns with an injured eye, later confessing to Benjamin that he, too, had tried and failed to kill Abulu. Obembe and Benjamin plan one final attempt, to attack Abulu at the Omi-Ala River with weaponized fishing hooks.

At dusk, they find Abulu at the riverbank and attack him in a frenzy of rage and grief, stabbing him repeatedly until he falls into the water. They are discovered by two drunk soldiers, and Benjamin injures one with his hook while escaping. The next morning, they learn from their mother that Abulu is dead and soldiers are searching for his killers. Terrified of being caught and the shame it would bring upon their parents, Obembe decides they must run away. That night, they sneak out, but on the road, Benjamin, recalling his father’s warning not to cause his mother any more pain, refuses to abandon his parents. After a tearful goodbye, Obembe flees into the darkness alone.

The next morning, soldiers storm the house and arrest Benjamin. He is sentenced to remain in prison until he turns eighteen, and during his six years of incarceration, he learns of the deaths of M.K.O. Abiola and his childhood friend Igbafe. He receives letters from Obembe, who is living in Benin City and promises to return on what he calculated to be Benjamin's release date, but the letters eventually stop. In 2003, Benjamin is released early as part of a gubernatorial pardon. He reunites with his family, who have all aged significantly. He learns that his parents believe Obembe is dead. That same evening, as the family stands together in their compound, a figure climbs over the fence. It is Obembe, who has returned that very day. The novel closes with Benjamin recalling how he began his testimony in court years earlier with the words, "We were fishermen."