Must Read: The Cartel (18+)

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: The Cartel (18+)

JADE

Having listened to what Ima told her about forgiveness, she decided she wasn’t going to kill Vibangs anymore. A very hard and painful decision it was for her to make. But having promised to avenge Vicky, the least she could do was to torment the girl physically, emotionally, and mentally. She decided she would get Vibangs into a much larger mess than initially planned. Then sit back and watch Vibangs wriggle herself out if she could. If she survived (which she knew would be highly unlikely), good for her. But if she doesn’t, her bitter pill.
The evening of the day Ima left for Lagos, she received an Intel that Vibangs attackers weren’t Kodo’s boys as speculated. They were sent by a youth member of the Greenhorns from the university of Uyo called Lefty. He was so named because he was left handed and very skilful with a machete, his weapon of choice.
Lefty although renowned, was a very lousy cultist lacking finesse and tact at the university of Uyo. He had also vied for Vibangs current position with her and Kodo. His poor conflict resolution skills had cost him the post, as he would rather fight than talk his way out of bad situations. He came a distant third in the election, far behind Kodo. So he believed with Kodo dead, he would automatically take over from her if he successfully put her away. Kodo’s death provided the perfect opportunity to do away with Vibangs. Since it is widely believed she killed Kodo, it would only be natural to assume his boys carried out the hit.




So the first thing she did while Vibangs cooled off in Abuja was to spread the word that Kodo’s boys attempted to hit her. She was certain it would get to her, and if at all Kodo’s boys were planning an actual revenge, they would now be on defensive mode. Then she began to plan an attack on Lefty who she was told was certain it wouldn’t be traced to him. Although he lost a member of his group, he wouldn’t dare an attack anytime soon and wouldn’t see any coming his way.



If Vibangs as Milady wanted to be in the drug business, then she should be ready to pay the cost of doing the business. Because she was going to make the business scene very hot for her from now on.

*******

One of the things she admired about the Greenhorns was their decentralized structure. Members down the chain never have any direct dealings with the top hierarchy. And at each level, everyone was expected to know what to do and his responsibilities. You deal directly with the person above you, who in turn reports to the next person above him/her. Hence, conflicts and issues arising from doing business were dealt with by the head of that particular level.
In Vibangs’ own case, as head of the southern youth wing, she oversaw the activities of the group in all the campuses in Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and Cross River states. She was particularly successful because her frat also existed and had territory in the other two states beside her Calabar base and were renowned for their thirst for blood when pushed.


Being female also, she was feared because of the known fact that females in crime were always deadlier than their male counterparts. Kodo, a revered and dreaded lunatic in the world of campus confraternity, who coincidentally was the only person who could really stand up to her (by virtue of familiarity) is believed to have been put in a body bag by her.


Also having personally known Vibangs from childhood, she had always realized the girl had less compassion than an average female should ordinarily. So all these contributed to her revered street rep which preceded her and kept everyone under her control in check.

With this position, Vibangs was like a tax collector, and besides Kodo’s death, (and her recent attack) her reign had been peaceful and devoid of clashes or bloodbath. All she did was to ensure each consignment got to those directly under her, and in turn received and remitted the proceeds from their sales. She basically did nothing else, as it was not her duty on how it got to the end users.


All Vibangs knew was that sales must be made and cash remitted else she comes for you.
Everything from packaging to selling was handled by the boys under her and those working under them. This is one if the major reason the position is highly competitive, since you no longer have to sweat like the distribution members to meet your sales target. Everyone knew what was expected of them because if they didn’t perform, they automatically stopped working for the Greenhorns, losing all the pecks that came with it.
So while Vibangs and other students prepared and took their examinations seriously, she began her indirect attack on Vibangs. Calling on the police 2i/c for a “little favour” (as she described it), she ensured all known bunks in which Greenhorns products were sold and their sellers in and around the two campuses in Calabar were raided and arrested.
While she had provided the Intel needed by the police to locate them, the move was a win-win situation for both the police and herself. From the over 50 arrest made by the cops, the sum of N20,000 each was set as the amount for their bail condition.



On her part, the scarcity of the quite affordable Greenhorns products made hers to sell for higher prices. And because of the ongoing examinations and the scarcity of cheap weed and pills, addicts and user of hard substances had no other option than to patronize her products. She did all these with just phone calls, spending more time on her exams like Vibangs.
The second aim of the police raid was also achieved as it sent Vibangs sales to an all time low. Their foot soldiers refused to push her products for fear of arrest. With this, she knew she had gotten Vibangs attention. But despite all her naughtiness and wayward lifestyle, she also knew Vibangs wouldn’t leave any examination for business. She was still an intelligent girl who had always found balance for everything in life, especially her studies.



She knew Vibangs would only pay attention to the business after the examinations. So she carried out her next plan on a Saturday evening, with just a week to the end of the semester exams having finished hers already.
That morning, she sent a notification to Vibangs seven major distributors in Calabar, summoning them for a meeting at a particular spot in the city later in the evening. None of the boys knew who called the meeting, but they all attended believing it was one of them. The agenda was for them to discuss the issues at hand and how they would face Vibangs when she came calling for remittance. Also why the sudden police raids even though they paid their “taxes” to the cops.


The meeting wasn’t supposed to be loud in order not to draw attention, so they were asked to come alone or with a guard or two. With the venue all well known restaurants, it was easy for them to believe nothing would happen to them in such open places.


But unknown to the boys, each one of them was sent a different address and had been contacted with different phone numbers. It took her boys less than two hours to kidnap at gun point all seven guys. By 10pm, they were all assembled together in her safe house, venue of Kodo’s torture and death.

******

The guys were all seated having been disarmed off their weapons. They had been told this was the venue of the meeting. Five of her boys who she now referred to as “knights” made sure the were comfortably seated. A few minutes after 10pm, she stepped into the room with her two favorite “knights”. Same guys who had witnessed Kodo’s murder.
“Good evening gentlemen, I’m sorry I kept you waiting. But don’t worry, before 30 minutes you should be back home fvcking your girlfriends in celebration or this deal. So while I do not intend to keep you any longer, it would be improper of me not to ask how your trip here was. I do guess you trip here was fun right?” She began talking as soon as she stepped in while taking a look at them. Boys she had come to know after serious spy work. Two Unical students, two from the state university and the other three from the streets of southern Calabar.



The boys on their part all remained silent staring at her in the poorly lit room.
“Well. I think it was for my knights. Anyways I called you here for a meeting or rather a business talk.” She continued after the initial pause.
“I know you’re probably wondering who I am and why I’ll go through all these stress to make these meeting a possibility, well my boss ordered me to because we have a message for you. And I was given two messages for you actually. A good message and a bad one” She paused and smiled at the guys who remained quiet.
“You know, you’re being awful quiet for my liking. But anyways, the good news is that I’ll be running you’re trade from now on. You now work for my organization, the Cartel. Perhaps you must have heard about the new kids in the block with new products and services. I’ll like to welcome you to our family as we seek to expand our base”
“Describing this as a hostile takeover wouldn’t be far off the mark. But you get to keep 25 percent of your profit, better than what Milady gives y’all. Ain’t that good new guys?” She said looking round. Only her masked men answered.
“After this meeting, you’ll be contacted and assigned a new manager who you’ll report to for further instructions. No more dealing of cheap and adulterated weed and pills right boy?” She said, asking her knights
“Yes boss” They replied in unison. Vibangs boys looked on, some confused, some forming hard.
“And the bad news” She announced, snapping her fingers towards one of her knights.
From a darker corner of the room, two of the guys lifted and brought forward a guy who’s head was covered in a mask and hands tied behind him. He was forced into a kneeling position before the mask was lifted off his head revealing his identity. Lefty. His mouth was still ties and obviously stuffed. His face swollen, evidence he had been tortured
Touching his head, she said “This right here is the infamous University of Uyo’s Lefty. I believe you all know him because his lousiness precedes him. Well, the bad news is that Lefty crossed our path and unfortunately I was directed to use him as an example of what we do to delinquent fellows like those of you still forming tough”
“He loves machetes, so it wouldn’t be out of place to honor him with his best weapon”. Saying these, she nodded her head at someone and then stepped back just as one of her knights picked up a machete.



Less than 30 seconds later, Lefty’s head was lying next to his body.
“Gentlemen, this would be the last time you’ll be seeing me, as my knights would give you further instructions. If for any reason I’m forced to pay you a visit, it’ll be either to encourage you or separate your head from your body” She ended her speech and walked out with the two guys she came in with.
‘If killing the infamous Lefty in their presence gruesomely doesn’t scare them while passing her message, nothing else will.
*****