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HUNTED
An Mma Moses Mindset.
10 (final episode, part A)
I was disposed for few hours. Lost in thought, thinking of why Basey would do this to I and Ini. I traveled down memory lane, trying to phantom when he changed. At what point did he deviate from loving us to hunting us? Was he pressured to do this to us? What does he stand to gain from all of this? This and more were my thought. I couldn't relate, it didn't add up at all. I couldn't relate what was happening to us and Basey's involvement. I was still thinking about the whole thing when I heard voices outside. I ran out to see what the commotion was all about.
It was Basey with two uniformed police officers. They were knocking incessantly on Mr. Dele's door.
"Come out. I know you're in there, come out and explain yourself" Basey screamed as he knocked.
I was amazed and somewhat happy. At least, this explains that Basey is no way involved in this madness. I exhaled in relief.
"Na my wife be this officer, na she be the one wey observe all the thing wey I tell una" Basey said, to the Senior officer.
The man called me to a corner and we began to talk. I narrated everything to him, from how we fled Uyo, to how we met Mr. Dele and my recent findings.
"We will charge him on the basis of involvement in the disappearance of Ini and we will surely uncover his identity because I'm sure he is operating under a fake identity. Madam relax your mind, we will do whatever it takes to make sure we find your daughter. This criminal and whoever he's working for will pay for all they've put you and your family through"
My joy knew no bounds. At least we were one step closer to nabbing the traitor.
Just then Mr. Dele came in from the outside.
Immediately my husband saw him, he began afresh to abuse him.
"What sort of madness is this, 404 man? I helped you and your wife escape from your evil past and you have the guts to bring the police to arrest me? Someone called me to tell me what was going on. I didn't even believe it until now"
Mr. Dele turned to face the officers and what we saw next shocked us.
These officers were lying flat on their bellies as they greeted Mr. Dele.
I and my husband exchanged glanses in surprise.
"E dide... Talo rô e sibi bai?" (Get up...Who sent you here?) Mr. Dele asked. they stood up
"DPO wa ni. E ma binu si wa sir. Aamö pe eyii la afe wa arrest. Eni se ewôn la agbara Oloun" (it's our DPO. Don't be angry with us sir. we didn't know it was you we were coming to arrest. You won't go to prison by the power of God) The senior officer said.
"Amin" the other officer and Mr. Dele curioused.
I and my husband were lost as we held our breath. Like who the hell is this man?
"Nkan ti oma sele nisin ni pe, wa pada si station e. Mawa ba nyi nibe, ki emi wa kô statement temi sile in the next one hour lagbara Oloun" (what we happen now is that you will go back to your station. I will come and write my own statement down, in the next one hour, by the power of God) Mr. Dele instructed.
"Okay sir..." The officers said, bowing in respect.
"Ama expect nyi sir" (we will be expecting you sir) one of them said and prayed some more for Mr. Dele who continued shouting "Amin"
When they turned to leave, Basey stoped them
"Officer, what was all these African magic drama all about? Why ain't you dragging him out with you like a criminal that he is?"
The officers provoked and almost slapped Basey.
"Who is a criminal? Do you have proof of your claims? Or do you want me to arrest you right now for defamation of character? Be thankful that I am in a good mood now, if not, you would have been on your way to the station in cuffs"
I signaled my husband to let it be.
But I couldn't wrap my head around what happened. These officers are very corrupt ooo.
One hour later, Mr. Dele called my husband and asked him to go with him to the station. I kicked against it, but Basey insisted, saying that he would love to explain the officers action to their DPO and make sure they do not go unpunished.
About two hours later, Basey came home with a swollen face. According to him, the entire station stood still immediately Mr. Dele walked in. Everyone, including the DPO and DCO were either on their knees or lying face down as they greeted Mr. Dele. He said it was like a home coming of a lost Prince. The officers malhandled him and threatened to lock him up if not for Mr. Dele's intervention. They asked him to go on his knees and apologize to Mr. Dele and also promise him never to try such with him again. He resisted at first but after several slaps, he had to do it for his release.
That was when I knew that whoever or whatever we were up against was bigger than we anticipated. Truly we can neither run nor hide.
Basey, went to a bigger police station where we thought Mr. Dele's leg won't reach. But, we were highly disappointed when the officers who came to arrest him bowed in greeting and addressed him as 'BABA Eko' (father of Lagos)
after much talk, they gave him pen and paper to write his statement in his room and promised to document it when they get to the station. They further told us that Mr. Dele was a man without a questionable character. A lover of peace, a man with the heart of gold, a man famous for his diligence and outstanding social attributes.
Heeyyy! I and my husband exclaimed in frustration and dismay.
That morning Mr. Dele started playing music to mock us. He was playing 'Awa lani eko' (na we get Lago) he was singing and dancing to the song. My husband was so embarrassed. But truly, na him get Lagos!
The next day, I went to Iya Teni, to update her on how far I have been able to solve the puzzle.
"How eager are you to see your daughter Enem?" She asked
"Very eager. I will do everything to set eyes on my daughter again"
"Then do everything" she said winking at me
I and Basey started brainstorming, our sleepless night was very fruitless because it was clear that truly, Mr. Dele owns Lagos.
The following night, Basey told me he will be traveling to Akwaibom state on night bus. I asked him what he was going to do there but he didn't respond. He left and I went to church to pray for him and Ini wherever she may be.
Two nights later, Basey came back in company of 5 men in police uniform. When I observed closer, I found out that those men weren't police officers. They were corn men hired to deal with Mr. Dele.
That same night around 9pm they knocked for Mr. Dele
"Sir, you're under arrest for the disappearance of one miss Iniobong Basey. You're advised to keep silent, for whatever you say or do will be used against you in the court of law. You will be accorded your due right to speak with your lawyer or whoever may stand in his place for you, once we get to the station"
Mr. Dele sized the officer who spoke to him up and bursted into laughter. If only he knew who Basey is and what he is capable of doing, he would never have dared.
He pointed his touch light to their faces, trying to ascertain who they were and where they came from.
"Who is your DPO. Tell me his name, let me call him right away"
"We are under no obligation to answer that question. He will be duly introduced to you once we get to the station" another officer chipped
Mr. Dele spoke Yoruba language to them, they didn't respond, he tried threatening them but, they seemed unmoved, fear gripped him and he began to move backwards.
One of the men brought out his gun and pointed it to his leg
"Mr. Man, we are not here to rehearsed your Yoruba Proverbs with you. One more wrong step and you will be accompanied to the station on wheel chair. For your own sake, I advice you not to resist arrest"
"You are making a grave mistake. All of you men will loose your jobs. Even the inspector general of police knows and respect me. I'm sure that whoever your DPO is, he's my boy and won't spare you for this embarrassment" as Mr. Dele was beginning to raise his voice, one of them pointed a gun to his waist and motioned him to zip his mouth which he did with immediate alacrity.
They led him out quietly. Not a single soul noticed what happened. I and Basey sat a stone throw away and acted as though we were just receiving fresh air.
My husband transfered a huge amount of money to their accounts and asked them to handle him brutally until he confessed.
After one week of fruitless brutal malhandling, Mr. Dele demanded to know which part of the world they had taken him to, when he heard akwaibom. That's when he knew he was far from home and requested to make a phone call. He immediately deactivated his line after the call. Nobody knew who he called. And because of language barrier, they could not guess what he said in the two minutes phone call to the person at the receiving end. Every of his activities seemed well ploted and covered.
Basey was so mad that we've gotten nothing so far from him that he ordered that he be killed after one more week of torture if he doesn't confess.
Oh! For Ini, Basey can do anything.
For his only Child, he can swim any kind of ocean... Even taking a man's life will seem right for the sake of Ini. Now this, is the basey I know.
4days later, we received a visitor.
The visitor I had avoided all my life,
The visitor I will give anything not to stand face to face with.
That visitor, that I wronged the most in my life.
My ugly past came visiting.
I had gone out to buy fresh pap for breakfast. From a distance I heard voices chattering, giggling and laughing in our small cozy room. One of the voices was Basey's the other, sounded familiar. But, I couldn't place it until I hastened my footsteps to find out who was making Basey laugh the way he had never laughed for almost 2years now.
We had never had any visitor before, except for Mr. Dele who was indisposed at the moment. With mixed feelings of Joy and curiosity, I opened the curtain. The curiosity in my heart quickly turned to fear, the smile on my lips died prematurely before it matured into laughter. I was pinned at the spot where I stood.
Oh my past!
The past I ran away from
The past I tried so much not to ever revisit was staring me dead into the eyes.
The evil that men do, nolonger lives after them, but with them.
The evil that I did was sitting right in my room... Starring at me.
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