A terrorism-related past.

COVID BLUES

Chapter 4: WHAT YOU SOW……

Just as Kango was about to speak, the women came in laughing at some gossip they had initiated while in the kitchen. Dele quickly composed himself, trying not to betray the sombre air that had pervaded the living room for a while.

“I can see you guys have plenty of amebo to do, abi…….”, Kango said, trying to spare his friend the uphill task of going from zero to a hundred miles in five seconds.

“Dele, you didn’t tell me you guys applied to join the military nau”, Kate said smiling. Her husband never ceased to surprise her, the things he had attempted in the past.

Dele looked shocked. “Ada told you that?” He looked at Kango. “You told Ada?” His friend had that look on his face that said ‘guilty as charged’.

“You’re crazy, man”, Dele said laughing. “That was us messing around. We sort of knew our chances were slim anyway. When they didn’t call us after the screening, we forgot about it and faced the real world”.

Ada looked serious. “Imagine you guys in military uniforms. That would have been something”.

“Yeah, wouldn’t that have been something?” Kango said, staring strangely at the ceiling.

Kate jumped up. “Oya Ada, let’s go and check the cooking before it burns”.

“Let’s check the children outside”, Ada offered.

“You can hear them laughing, right?” Kate asked. “They’re fine”.

They disappeared out of the living room.

Kango looked serious as they got out of sight.

“Dele, there’s a problem”.

The grim look on his face made his friend know this was no mean joke.

“What’s going on?” Dele asked, concern written all over his face.

“While we were driving down here from Ilorin, I was lost in thought. Ada knew I was bothered about something, so I told her we tried joining the military just after service, so I would not betray what was bothering me. Of course, I couldn’t tell her the whole truth, just part of it”.

Dele listened patiently. He friend looked agitated. Kango was not the toughest of guys, but he didn’t scare easily. This must be some deathly stuff.

Kango went on.

“Have you been in touch with Danjuma?”

Dele who was waiting for the story to go on seemed taken aback by being asked a question. He hesitated before convincing himself that the question was actually meant for him.

“I don’t understand”, he said. “Which Danjuma?”

“The one we served with nau. Our Danjuma nau…… Tall, dark…………………….”

“Oh, Danjuma Mad!” Dele exclaimed. He was offended with himself for forgetting one of their main guys.

“Ehen nau”, Kango said. “And you were acting like someone with brain damage”.

“You know I can’t remember every single person I’ve met by just hearing a first name. You should have been more specific from the get, bros”.

“Well, no wahala. Ehen……so…….. Danjuma”

“So, what about him?” Dele quizzed. And why would Kango bring to mind someone he had not seen in more than 7 years?

Kango was silent.

This didn’t feel good. Danjuma was another fearless dude they had met on camp. Together with another couple of fellows, Peter and Osas, they had played games of mischief all through the orientation camp, gaining for themselves the nickname, ‘The Nasty Five’. Of course, after camp they were posted to different local governments to separate them, but they still found ways of meeting up and causing problems. After their youth service year however, the search for jobs threw them far apart and their escapades became a faraway memory. Some of the things they had engaged in during their service year were better not said; they experimented with everything adventurous, the kinds of things you don’t want the children to hear because they would challenge your squeaky-clean claims at sainthood from childhood. Embarrassing stuff. And then, Danjuma had been raised by his mother after his deadbeat father had run off with a big-butted woman. He never ceased to emphasize on the ‘big butted’. He hated women with big butts for that, but he hated his father more. The hatred made him an angry boy, and eventually an angry young man, always ready to challenge rules and break as many as he could. The rebellious nature of the other four had resonated well with him, so they formed their relationship of symbiosis, feeding off one another’s fury and spirit of adventure.

“Danjuma was found dead in his apartment last week”. Kango broke his friend’s train of thought.

Dele stared. He felt numb. And guilty. He had not been in touch with his old friends for a long while now. He kept blaming that on his condition, but he knew he was lying to himself. He had become isolated from the world, and things were happening all around him that he wasn’t aware of. At this rate, he knew he would die and very few people would know about it. He felt an emptiness in his stomach. The thought of dying poor and unknown suddenly hit him hard. He had no tears to shed for Danjuma. He knew that was strange. As a crew, they had shared the most memorable moments of their lives together during the youth service year. But crying for a fallen friend didn’t stir his emotions enough to make him shed a tear, even out of respect. He knew he had become less than human.

“How did he die?” he asked. Something told him the answer to that question would dig a hole he knew would be almost impossible to climb out of. Was this about someone they had offended coming back after all these years?

He went silent again. Then after almost a minute Dele asked, “Was it a burglary gone wrong?”

Kango looked confused. He seemed to think about how best to explain.

“It was a bullet to the head, close range” Then after a pause he said, “He was in bed”.

Dele was a softie as far as his wife was concerned, but the Dele Kango had met in camp, the Dele who had spent the youth service year with him was no coward. He was tough as nails. He enjoyed taking risks and dealing with the fallout later. This trait must have been what made him give up his peanut-paying job. He was never afraid of what lay in front. If he decided to do something he would do it and deal with whatever consequences came after.

Kango could see a glint of something he didn’t notice in his friend’s eye when the latter had returned home earlier on. It was a devilish glint, one that had stayed recessive for so long. There is a saying that life can make the greatest of men an idiot, by taking away what gives him pride. What gave Dele pride was usually his spirit of adventure, and his deadly nature. Someone, something seemed unright about Danjuma’s death. That uncertainty in the circumstances was enough to activate the something that had been buried for years now.

“But what if he was killed over something else, something he probably got himself into recently? What if he slept with someone’s wife or girlfriend or daughter? You know how it can be……….” Dele said, trying to make sense of it all.

Kango looked like he was about to witness someone being shot, then said, “Peter and Osas were killed the same way last month”.

At this point, he rested well into the chair. He had no more strength in him. He had let it all out. This was what he had been carrying all alone since finding out the circumstances of the deaths of their guys. The Coronavirus lockdown at work was the perfect excuse to escape Ilorin. It was obvious what was going on: They were being taken out one by one. His leaving Ilorin would throw them off his scent for a while. He knew he couldn’t go back there. He also knew he couldn’t allow his family to go back there. They needed to disappear. Dele too.

Dele spoke up.

“Hope you know what this means. We need to disappear. But why would this happen now that I am broke?” He banged the table in front of them.

Kango was taken aback. Dele had been activated. That was not going to be pretty. How he had become tame over the years was nothing short of a testimony to the power of a good woman at the side of a man. But with what was happening he couldn’t stop his friend from activating this mode. If they would survive they would need to think out of the box. And that was Dele’s superpower.

“Kango! Kango!!” Dele said louldly. Kango was in a trance. He had lost his nerve over the years. Maturity and family life had made him forget how to be tough. He was trying to make ends meet too, a threat to his life wasn’t something he needed right now. His hands were shaking, his breath was labored, his heartbeat was hard and fast. It was he who needed help.

“Kango! Dele called again. He snapped out of his trance and stared blankly at Dele.

Dele went on. “Listen to me, baba. We need to find out who is doing this, and why. We also need to know you were not followed here. How do we know that they don’t know where I live sef?”

Kango was still quiet, his breathing still labored.

Dele felt sorry for him. Kango had been a mischievous guy, but he couldn’t do any real mischief without the others being around. He had had both parents back then, and they were constantly checking after his welfare. He had a rope connecting him home; he couldn’t initiate havoc, or maintain it. But he could fuel it and stay hidden behind the main guys. What was happening was too much for him, being a matter of life and death. He Dele needed to quickly get to the bottom of this, and neutralize the threat. But he was broke, and that was a huge issue for him.

“How much can you spare?”

Kango was still dazed.

“Hey! Guy! How much can you spare?”

Kango’s breathing was more labored now, and he was sweating.

“How much do you need?” Kango said between labored breaths.

“I need enough to get my family taken care of, then enough to settle people for information. Maybe five hundred grand”.

Kango’s mouth fell open. He wanted to say something, but the words didn’t come out. Finally, he said quietly, “Are you mental? How do I get five hundred grand, Dele? I’m a salary earner too”.

“Would you rather die?” Dele asked matter-of-factly. To Dele, this was an opportunity to take care of his family during the lockdown when he had no hope of making money. The irony of the situation was that he would make the money to save his family’s life. Whatever the case, he would make money that could keep his family fine for a while. This was a classic case of killing two birds with a stone: feeding his family during the lockdown, and saving the lives of his loved ones.

“If you’re a salary earner, you can apply for a loan, or ask friends. I need it today or tomorrow so I can get moving. The clock is ticking, and you of all people understand what is at stake”.

Kango knew his friend was right. He also could read Dele’s mind to understand that his family would at least be catered for while he sought for solutions to their common problem. It was like paying a private detective, just that this private detective was a potential target for a potential felony. He knew he had to pay his dues.

“How do you plan to go about it?” he finally asked Dele. “Where do you think you can get information about what’s going on?”

Dele smiled at his friend. “Just leave that to me, I know things and you do too”.

Kango stared at him. “Things like what, Dele?”

“Your memory is messed up, Kango. Did you for once think this would not come back to bite us in the butt?”

Kango still appeared lost.

“You remember what we did in Madagali, Adamawa State during service? What we covered up for the Boko Haram sponsors when the terrorist group started in 2010, you remember?”

Kango’s eyes opened wide; he remembered, and went pale, then whispered, “They’re coming back for us, one by one”.

Story by: ‘Jibola Oladiran

WATCH OUT FOR WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.