Tarasha - Season 3 - Episode 153

4 years ago

Tarasha - Season 3 - Episode 153

**Flashback**

January, 2014.
Location: Lagos Nigeria

‘Good morning Gabriel, where are you?’ the caller’s voice sounded through the phone’s speaker.
‘Good morning, I’m on the way to my office. Why do you ask?’ Gabriel answered the caller’s question.
‘How long will it take you to get to your office? I’m coming over there with Jubril,’ the caller replied.

‘I’ll be there in less than fifteen minutes, someone is waiting there for me.’ Gabriel replied. ‘But I hope there’s no problem? It’s strange that you and Jubril are coming over this early morning.’
‘There’s no problem, we just want to discuss something brief with you, it’s concerning our hanging deal.’
‘Okay, I’ll be expecting you.’ Gabriel said and cut the call. He took off the earpiece from his ears and increased the speed of his moving car.
Gabriel got to his place of work ten minutes later. He hurried into his office and met the young lady waiting for him at the secretary’s stand. He signalled for her to follow him in after replying to the secretary’s greeting. He settled down quickly in his office and offered his guest a drink after apologizing for keeping her waiting for long. They had begun to discuss the reason for their meeting for only three minutes when the door of Gabriel’s office opened slightly and someone poked his head in.

‘Gabriel,’ Elvis Richards smiled as he entered and closed the door, not minding the look on his friend’s guest’s face. ‘Sorry, I didn’t know you had a visitor,’ he apologized on seeing the embarrassed look on his friend’s face. It was one of those very rare days Elvis wore his police uniform to his friend’s place. He was always in casuals whenever they met and sometimes disguised like a criminal instead of dressing like the police official he was.
‘That girl is not always doing her job,’ Gabriel complained about the secretary, even though he knew his friend could have ignored or refused to stop at her warning. That was how Elvis behaved, he always walked straight into his office, except for days that he didn’t call to inform him of his coming.
Gabriel and Elvis’ gazes locked for a moment. Gabriel expected Elvis to excuse him and his guest but it was certain with Elvis’ body language that that wasn’t going to happen.

‘Please excuse us,’ Gabriel finally said in a pleading tone to the young lady seated in front of him. She courteously picked her bag from the floor where she kept it and got up, she greeted officer Elvis briefly before proceeding to the door.

Elvis’ eyes followed her backside as she went and he whistled lustfully after she closed the door. ‘All these girls will not kill somebody with their mini skirts,’ he commented, shaking his head as he sat on the second visitor’s seat. ‘Is she one of those who needs help?’ he asked, staring back at the door with his eyes still filled with lust.

‘Do you have help to give her?’ Gabriel asked sardonically without expecting a reply. ‘She is a graduate who wants me to approve a letter for her,’ Gabriel added as he folded his arms and rested back in his chair. He gave his friend a thin and serious look. ‘And how come you’re the one still asking about girls here? I thought I’ve told you not to talk about girls anymore when you come into my office. The rubbish you did the last time is still making people curse me till today.’
Elvis hissed and blinked, ‘Curse?’ What effect has their curses have on you? Did it affect your job? Didn’t you get promoted after that and now you’re even in a better place.’ he added a brief laughter. ‘Besides, I’m not planning to do it in your office, it’s only for her to say she needs my help and I’ll take her to somewhere I can help her well.’
Gabriel shook his head at him. ‘I wonder how you became a policeman and I wonder how your excess lust for women does not affect your ability to catch criminals.’ Gabriel paused and sat up. ‘By the way, where’s the Jubril you said you were coming with?’
‘Jubril couldn’t come again, he received a call and had to leave immediately.’
‘Okay, so what brings you here?’ Gabriel asked and placed his elbows on the table.
Elvis adjusted his seating position, ‘Chief has given both of us a special assignment.’
‘His Excellency?’ Gabriel cut in.
‘No, the Special Adviser.’ Elvis Richards answered. ‘We’ve found the location of the Danjumas,’ he paused to adjust his seating position again. ‘And Chief has asked both of us to take care of them.’
‘Where exactly were they found?’ Gabriel asked, a frown had formed in his face and the uneasiness he was feeling could be heard in his voice.

‘Somewhere in Borno, Maiduguri.’ Elvis Richards answered.

‘Ah! How can they go somewhere like that?’ Gabriel opened his mouth in shock. ‘That place is dangerous right now with the Insurgency.’

Elvis hissed. ‘I think Danjuma’s father has a house somewhere there but what’s our problem with that anyway?’

‘Well, what are we supposed to do about them?’ Gabriel asked in a tensed tone.
‘What else? Send them to heaven of course,’ Elvis Richards replied in a cold tone.

The frown on Gabriel’s face thickened. ‘Has the Chief asked us to do that?’

‘Yes, that’s exactly what he wants us to do and I’ve even found a way to do it so easily,’ Elvis said.

Gabriel’s eyes widened as he pulled back a little from the table.

‘What’s the matter?’ Elvis asked with a raised eyebrow as he noticed Gabriel’s countenance.

‘No, it’s nothing.’ he shook his head. ‘Just continue,’ he made a hand gesture to his friend to keep on speaking and then folded his arms.

‘I recently met this boy whom I knew during his training in the police force some years back, he is now a member of the Boko Haram group…’

‘What?’ Gabriel cut in, spreading his hands out in fear. ‘What do we have to do with Boko Haram?’

‘Are you crazy Gabriel? What’s the matter with you?’ Elvis Richards flared up. ‘I would have loved to do this with Jubril or Nasiru if not for the Chief that insisted we involved someone from the other political party not to make it look partial. I don’t even know who acts more like a woman between you and Onwuli.’

‘It’s okay Elvis, don’t insult me.’ Gabriel cautioned.

‘Then stop acting like a woman. I don’t know if you’re not tired of this whole hanging deal but I am, we need to finish it up quickly. I’ve not been able to enjoy the honour of my chieftaincy since we all received our titles because we’ve been running up and down all through.’ Elvis blared on.
‘Alright Elvis, speak on.’ Gabriel said and folded his arms again.

‘Are you sure you’re ready to listen?’
‘Yea, speak on.’
‘We are all aware that the Chief also works with some of these terrorist guys, so it means there’ll be no problem if we use them too.’
‘But…’ Gabriel’s voice faded out as he tried to cut in. He stared at Elvis’ face for a moment to see if the latter wasn’t angry about the interruption. ‘Don’t you think working with this deadly group is a bad idea? I mean, these guys are killing people in their hundreds and we want to join them.’
Elvis shook his head and hissed. ‘What’s your concern with how many people they’re killing?’ he asked, giving Gabriel a side look. ‘Even Chief that is from the region is not concerned about his people that are dying daily as you are.’

‘Hmm… But you know that Chief is using it for political reasons and we don’t have to become as cruel as he is just because we want to be successful politicians.’
‘Gabriel, open a church if you want to preach , don’t preach to me as if you are a saint.’

‘I’m not a saint but…’

‘What about the bag drugs we bring it?’ Elvis cut in. ‘Does that not kill hundreds of people everyday?’

Gabriel let out a deep breath and shook his head.

‘We’re doing the same thing Gabriel, killing less privileged people to make our money.’ Elvis stated.
Gabriel was silent.

‘Look here, like I said; this young Boko Haram guy is one of their commanders who I know very well. All we need to do is give him the address of their house and he’s going to lead his troops to the area. We will tell him to pay special attention to that particular house and even give him the couple’s pictures. He will have to make sure that they are dead and bring picture proofs to us.’

Gabriel closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. ‘I…’