Summary

The short story “Cell One” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie follows Nnamabia’s story, as told by the narrator, who is also his sister. Nnamabia is the son of a college professor. One day, while his parents are away, he leaves the narrator at church and steals his mother’s jewelry, faking a robbery. His family realizes that he was the thief, but Nnamabia denies it. He leaves home and returns two weeks later, admitting what he has done. His father makes Nnamabia write a report of his crime and lets the incident go. 

Two years after stealing his mother’s jewelry, Nnamabia is arrested and taken to a police station prison. The authorities believe that he is a member of a cult, and he is arrested along with some other boys after some cult members hijack a...