It was a time
for mourning. Yet it was no time to mourn, else more people would die and
Nigeria could be in trouble. According to Kiki, Aro has demanded his charms
from the British government and Kiki’s father several times since he came back
to life. Their refusal made him kidnap two British nationals who work as
expatriates in one of the new oil companies in Lagos. They did not even know
why they were kidnapped, but their government knew the ransom was the gold box.
The sect must
have bombed the Lagos state government house in Abuja because Aro found out
Kiki’s team was in contact with the Lagos state government. He might have done
that to cause fear. Aro was too invincible even for the government to know who
he is or how he looks like. Both the federal and state intelligence units tried
but they failed to get any clue about him. Nobody knows him, but the most
powerful political sect in Nigeria reveres him. Worse still, in everybody’s
mind, the Boko Mallams were northerners, where as though Aro works with
northerners he was from the south-western part of the country. The militants’
cry to fight western education must have been born out of Aro’s hatred for the
Britons and other western countries. Intelligence report showed that he chose
to use the northerners as his militant team because they were the only ones who
followed his lead, especially because of their sentiment against the leadership
of President Jude Dibia; an easterner whom they believed should have no
business in Aso rock.
“Now that Boko
Mallams have bombed the Lagos state government house, they have thrown all
their weight behind my team.” Kiki had said while they were leaving the
restaurant. “But it’s going to be a highly secretive mission, involving the
Lagos state government, the federal government, and the British government. But
much more it involves the Christian Body of Nigeria; their own intelligence report
supersedes the governments’.”
Yinka’s mission
was to deliver the gold box to Aro in a location written on a paper, so the
British captives could be released. Yet he was also to put him down, being the
only person who can recognize him. He didn’t know how he would kill the charm
man who was fast becoming a god, but he took the mission. He was not worried
that the few things at his disposal for the mission were a brand new Bible, a
gun to protect himself, and a soldier for escort. Initially, he wondered why
they should include Bible, but later he remembered this mission also has the
backing of Christian Body of Nigeria (CBN).
The only means
of transportation he could use was road. Aro had initially warned them that
they must not fly the box on a plane, else the plane would crash. Kiki also
remembered her father took the box to Uk on a ship. And they could use only one
escort because Aro also warned in his message that he could see them, they were
the only ones who could not see him.
When Yinka got
home that day, before leaving Lagos the following day, he went to Cyprian’s
bedroom. He was still sober but they had to talk.
“Is it that
bad?” Cyprian exclaimed.
“Yes. I have
accepted to go on the mission. But I am not sure if I will make it back alive.
Please take care of the business and refuse any attempt by Kiki to involve you
in this.”
“But don’t you
think it’s better if I go with you?”
“No, it’s not.
It will not make sense if we all die. But you can at least continue the
business and use the money Elechi and I helped you to make to help the less
privileged people in our society.”
With tears
rolling down Cyprian’s eyes, Yinka walked away from him. Before closing the
door to Cyprian’s room, he peeped inside to look at him and say one last statement,
“Now I see the meaning of what the Pastor preached in Church last Sunday.
‘Vanity upon vanity’, our entire quest to make money at all odds is just
vanity. We can suffer for a hundred years before making our millions; but what
if we die just after we made the millions?”
Olumide, i love this
ReplyDeleteThank you Ifetayo.
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