(A Compelling Story!)
Mr Lanre was given a team of police men and two vans to go in search of his daughter. He also laid a complain at the military headquarters and being a former military man, he was given some armed military men to go with the police men into the forest. He insisted on following them to the forest but the security personnel declined.
Police man: “sir, you have to return home and wait for us to return with your daughter. You don’t have to follow us there, these people may be armed and it may get bloody”.
Mr Lanre: “I am not afraid of blood, I am a former military man”.
Policeman: “but now you are retired, there is the need to take precaution”.
Mr Lanre: “Retired but not tired. I need to see the bastards that had the guts to kidnap my daughter right under my nose. Besides, the google map on my phone will be very helpful in tracking the location”. He was able to convince them and they allowed him follow them based on his former military achievements and records.
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The other kidnapper returned to where they were keeping Maya hostage and he saw pieces of the shattered tracking device. He knew that the pieces had not been there when they came in to hide Maya and he began to fidget. He called in the other guard who was still outside smoking to keep his wrecking nerves together.
Kidnapper: “What is this? Who crushed this thing here?”
Man: “I don’t know what it is but I am the one who crushed it”.
Kidnapper: “What are you saying? Where did you get it from?”
Man: “E be like say na bomb o. I catch this girl dey press am na im I collect am break am make she no come bomb us for here. You know as all these children wey school for abroad dey behave”.
Kidnapper: “What! You mean she had this thing in her hand when we brought her here? How comes we didn’t see it even though we dragged her on the floor from the car to this place?”
Man: “No, she been no hold am for hand that time”.
The main kidnapper was getting confused and infuriated. He didn’t know what to make of what the other man was saying. He charged at him and grabbed him on the shirt, pinning him to the wall and choking him. “Are you trying to double cross me? What is this supposed to mean? How did this thing come in here, are you working against me? You had better not because I will not hesitate to cut off your head and feed it to the vultures. The last time I checked, this girls hands and feet were tied to the chair the way she is now, so, how comes she got that?”
Man: “I am not double crossing you, I can never do that. She was having an asthmatic attack and I had to release her to look for her inhaler. Then I caught her pressing this thing and then I had to crush it because I think say na bomb, I never ready to die”.
Kidnapper: “You released what? Oh my God!”
Man: “Let me go, you are choking me”. The man released him and he fell to the ground panting and holding on to his neck.
Kidnapper: “Something is fishy here, I don’t know what this is but whatever it is, I know that it won’t favour us. Why didn’t you tell me about this immediately I came back?”
Man: “I been don break the thing now, na only the things wey I no fit handle na im I go tell you about”.
The kidnapper’s fist clenched and he threw a punch at the man. “I am the leader here, it is your duty to alert me of any development. If you dare attempt to play smart with me, I kick your ass out. We have to think of ways of moving her out of here, I smell something fishy brewing. I will go and get the car from where I parked it some long distance away from here so as to avoid any suspicion. Meanwhile, you stay here with her and keep an eye on her, that is your job”. He cast a sternly gaze at Maya who was listening to their conversation and walked away.
Man: “Wetin him mean by say something fishy dey smell? Shey dem wan catch us ne? Maybe na style him take do run seff, so that they go come catch me here. That no go happen, my mama go just faint if she hear say I join kidnappers. Make I go sit down for on top one tree dey observe as things dey happen around here”. He turned to Maya, “And you, shey you know say na you cause all these wahala for me? Now oga don dey vex say I no do my work well and that fit affect my share if your mugu papa pay. I dey go sit down on top tree for outside, if I hear pim, you don die be that. I dey there dey watch you for 3D so better respect yourself”. He grabbed his packet of cigarette and walked out. Maya couldn’t even say a word or plead for mercy because she had been blindfolded and her mouth sealed by the main kidnapper before he went out. “If only I can see and talk, I would have seduced this chicken hearted kidnapper or even struck a deal with him so that he will get paid some amount if he let me go”, she thought.
Navigating their way around the forest was a difficult task for the security operatives who were not willing to relent in their quest to arrest the kidnappers and free their victim. They were trained to persevere no matter the situation and for them success was a necessity and not an option. Mr Lanre was with them, he had a bullet proof jacket on him and his blood boiled as he reminisced on his younger days when he had led troops to war zones and battles as a gallant military man.
The kidnapper that had gone to pick the car was about starting the car to drive back to where Maya was kept and take her to another location when he saw dust rising some few kilometers ahead of him. He raised his head and stretched his ears, nobody was expected at that forest that day because it was a hide out for kidnappers that was not known to security operatives.
The other kidnapping group were on break and so he had that week to himself, they had mapped out time tables on the usage of that part of the forest so as not to attract unnecessary attention to that hide out as security operatives had taken over their other hide outs. He tried to start the car but a bullet whizzed at him and shattered his side view mirror, causing him to lose balance. The car keys fell off from his hands and he knew that bending down to pick it and driving away in the car was going to give him away. He knew that whoever had shot the gun was an enemy who was clearly after him. He had no time to waste and the first rule in their kidnapping business was to stay alive and escape before thinking of the safety of the victim. He got under the car and crawled out through the other door. He continued to crawl on his chest for some minutes and when he thought the coast was clear, he got up and sprang on his feet. “Stop there!” he heard a voice scream and a gun cork. He ignored and continued to run away.
“I say stop there before I fire, stop now!”
Kidnapper: “ekelebe must not see me catch”, he shouted and continued to run”.
The police man shot the gun on his leg and he fell down in pains. “Na true them talk say one day monkey go go market e no go come back o”, he shouted as the they picked him up and dumped him in their van.
Kidnapper: “My leg o, help me o. The pain is too much”.
Under duress and with the pain from the bullet lodged in his legs, he lead them to the hurt where they were keeping Maya hostage.
“Freeze there!” the man who was on top of the fridge heard. He opened his eyes in fright, he had fallen into a deep slumber while he was keeping watch over the hut from on top the tree. He looked around and saw security operatives with guns pointing at him. He thought of escaping, forgetting that he was up a tree. He lost balance, fell down with a thud and broke his neck and died instantly.
Mr Lanre and other policemen moved into the room and untied Maya who was all sweat and tears. Mr Lanre turned to the kidnapper who was shot on the leg. “I know that you couldn’t have adopted my daughter so easily without an informant from my house. So, tell me who sent you and I will allow you go without pressing charges”.
Kidnapper: “I was sent by your ...”
*Catching your interest?
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