Episode 1


Stop! Stop here!” One of the soldiers shouted. Idriga stepped hard on the break and the car screeched to a sudden stop. Everyone in the car lunged forward momentarily, under the spell of the abrupt break application. The doors swung open and the soldiers jumped out. The two soldiers at the back dragged Linda out of the backseat. The soldier on the front seat followed them as they marched briskly intothe thick forest. “Remain here, and keep the car engine running,” one of the soldiers, the most senior of them instructedIdriga. They disappeared into the forest. Linda wanted to shout but her mouth was firmly sealed with a gag. She fought hard, but they were too powerful for her. Idriga’s heart was beating fast. This was the secondtime he was witnessing such incident. The first one was two years ago.His stomach churned violently; he knew what was coming. His hands shook as they sat on the steering, as the car engine hummed gently. His throat went dry.God, Ihate this, he thought. I need to get out of this job. I can’t stand this anymore, he thought to himself. A pang of guilt swept through him. He wanted to jump into the thick forest and attempt to save Linda, but he knew he did not stand a chance against the well drilled, trigger-happy soldiers. Then, he heard the gunshots.Kpo! Kpo!! kpo!!!The gunshots were followed by unnerving quiet. The night was pitch dark, except for the stars that dotted the sky, andthey were in the middle of nowhere.Soon, the soldiers jumped out of the bush and into the waiting vehicle. Idriga marched on the accelerator and the vehicle zoomed into speed, heading back to the presidential villa in Ilude. A short while later, they settled back into the hustle and bustle of the presidential villa. He watched as Sale, the leader of the threemilitary assassins walked into the president’s quarter to deliver the news – his young, pregnant mistress and the daughter of his best friend and vice president, Chief Uloke Adingo had been killed; carefully tossed into a deep ditch in Agriga forest.9:00AM - Press Conference, Presidential Villa, Ilude“My wife and I will give everything we havefor our dear daughter, Linda,” the vice president, Chief Adingo announced to a room packed with news reporters from across the federal capital city. “We are deeply troubled by her sudden disappearance. She went out last night without security escort. She does that a lot….and…and this time, she has not come back,” he broke into tears. His wife, Mildred was crying her eyes shot beside him. The president, Dr. Michael Assimoke walked over to the vice president and placed a hand on his shoulder for a moment. Then, he walked to the microphone and began to address the room. “This is a sad day in the federal republic of Jinga. I have known the Adingos all my life. Linda, their daughter is like a daughter to me. That is the reason I have deployed all our resources to make sure that she is located and returned to the safety of the villa. I cannot describe my pains.” He paused, pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped what looked like tears off his eyes.“This is intolerable. If she has been kidnapped, we will work night and day to find her. If you know anything about Linda’s whereabouts, please contact the detectives investigating this matter at the number on your screen now. I will personally offer seventeen million shillings to anyone who provides information that will lead to the finding of our dear Linda. Furthermore, the federal government will offer anyone with information on Linda’s whereabouts the sum of twenty million shillings. Fellow citizens, please do not hesitate to cooperate with us as we make far reaching efforts to find Linda. Thank you!”The whole nation was agog with fear and concern. “If the vice president’s daughter can be kidnapped from under the noses of the presidential villa with all the security they have there, then common people like you and I are finished,” a man said on the bus in Legon after commuters had listened to the president and vice president’s press conference on the radio. “But ordinary people like you and I do not have millions, so we are relatively safe,” another man teased. Similar discussions erupted across the country. “I don’t care! I wish they’d kidnap them all; all the politicians, their wives, children, grandchildren and friends. They are all thieves, so I am happy these stupid kidnappers – our jobless youth have learned to target the right people,” some other angry individuals said. “Yes, indeed, I agree with you,” others concurred. “How can you say that? It could be you and I next, when they have run out of rich politicians to kidnap,” some other people argued. “By then, I’d be dead. There is an awful lot of corrupt politicians to be kidnapped in this country. By the time they are through with all of then, I should be in my grave,” one man teased, albeit with a tone of sincere seriousness.Idriga watched the press conference with revulsion. He could not believe his eyes…and ears. The president who had ordered the killing of Linda because she was pregnant for him and had refused to abort the child was playing the role of friend to the vice president. Idriga tried to brush the matter off his mind, but he could not. Each time he walked past the vice president at the villa, a part of him wanted to tell the vice president where Linda’s lifeless body was lying. He restrained himself, but he had come to the end of the road. His conscience would no longer take the torture of silence. Right out of Police College where he excelled tremendously indriving, the president had handpicked Idriga to work for him. He had sworn an oath with the president never to divulge sensitive information. He was handsomely paid, but his conscience was eating him up.Two days after Linda’s murder, he began toplot an escape from the villa. His conscience was battering him relentlessly. First, he sent his wife and two daughters to their village in the northeast of the country.“When you reach home, I want you to crossthe border to Camuran,” he explained to his wife. “Take the girls, your parents and mine with you.” “Why? You have been troubled of late, Idriga. What is the problem? Why do I have to run to another country with our whole family?” “I wish I could tell you now, but anything I tell you will put you in danger. Just do as I have directed you. Please my love, trust me. We are in grave danger here. Just go, I will meet you there in a week. You remember my friend, Izunga? I took you to his village the last time we were in Camuran.” “Yes, I do.” “Good. Go to him. I have spoken with him already. He will hide you and the children including your parents and mine until I get across the border.” “Have you committed a serious offence, Idriga? I am your wife, please tell me.” “I have done nothing, my love. I will explain everything to you later. No matter what you hear, please don’t believe any of it until you hearfrom me okay?” “If you say so…I don’t like the idea but I will obey you, my husband.” “You are a good wife.”By morning, Idriga’s wife, Ramuna left for their home state, Euche. Within two days, they all crossed the border and headed for Bamenda in Camuran. As soon as Idriga got word of their safe arrival from his friend, Izunga, he took his backpack and left the villa. He drove through the night passing Zanrie and then Kabunga. By morning, he stopped in a small hotel in Zenge to get some sleep. When he woke up, he turned on the television to find out what was going on in the country. His heartalmost jumped out of his mouth;“The picture on the screen is that of Idriga Amusa, one of the president’s most trusted drivers. Mr. Idriga is a highly trained police officer who has worked for the president for the past three days. He is highly dangerous and likely armed. If you have information on Idriga’s whereabouts, please contact the number on your screen now. Mr. Idriga is the chief suspect in the suspected kidnapping of the missing vice president’s daughter, Linda. Please do not….DO NOT confront Idriga if you come across him. There are hefty financial rewards for anyone who may have information on Idriga’s whereabout

RAIDERS OF THE INNOCENT..

Episode 2

Hurriedly, Idriga grabbed his backpack and hung it onto his back and made a mad dash for the door. As soon as he opened the door, he sighted the helicopter hovering above. It was coming in fast. He knew the drill; snipers were positioned on either side of the helicopter, ready to gun him down. It was a short distance between him and his car, but that was enough to send him to an early grave. He slammed the door shut and made a run for the window. He pulled the curtain aside and peered outside. The place was swarming with soldiers; heavily armed soldiers whose guns were ready to shoot at the drop of a hat. No, I am not going to die like this, he thought to himself. He heard Tekno’s Pana blasting away in the room above his. Obviously, the guests above did not know what was going on outside. This was not time for Tekno or Pana, his life wason the line. Adrenaline was rushing through his blood.His training instincts kicked in. He stared at the air vent above his room. Quickly, he began to pry it open with a blunt knife on his table. Frantically, he cracked it open. Hepulled the lid off, tossed it onto the bed andbegan to climb through the vent. He crawled through a narrow, dust-covered vent to the first floor. Tekno’s Pana was stillblasting away on the first floor. He reachedthe end of the vent and began to work on the lid with the blunt knife. The helicopter hovered above, slowly cruising over the carpark with snipers on either side looking through the binoculars of a gun. “Where is he?” a soldier asked the receptionist who had made the call. “He is in room 014,” he replied. The soldiers headed towards the room. Some of them ushered guests away from the area as they got ready to blow theroom open. “Don’t try to take him alive. Shoot him…make sure you shoot him,” Sale, the president’s chief security officer, the leaderof the group that shot Linda informed the leader of the team hunting Idriga. “I thought we were supposed to arrest him, at least at first,” the leader of the squad protested. “Do as I say. This is an order from the president’s officer. Idriga is a very dangerous man…highly trained. Do not put the lives of your men at risk by trying to arrest him. Shot him on sight!” Sale barked at him. “Okay sir, I will do as you said.”Idriga cut through the lid and jumped out ofthe air vent and into the hallway on the first floor. People were rushing in all directions out of fear. He joined the streamof humanity, looking for an exit. His heart was pounding. He found an open room. He darted in and a cleaner was just leaving the room. “Won’t you run with the rest?” she asked him. She was clad in long overalls – a white hotel uniform and a blue head cover. Instinctively, he kicked the door shut, dragged her onto the bed and placed a hand over her mouth. “I won’t hurt you. Please just do as I say. Someone is trying to kill me even though I have donenothing wrong. Please help me. I need youruniform,” Idriga explained to her.Her eyes were filled with fear as she nodded. “I won’t harm you, I promise. I am not a bad person, okay?” She nodded again. Her eyes were fixed on the blunt knife in his hand. He noticed the direction of her eyes. He stretched and placed the knife on the table next to the bed. Slowly, he removed his hand from her mouth. “Justgo in the bathroom, remove your clothes and cover yourself with the bedsheet,” he instructed her, handing her the bedsheet he had yanked off the bed. When you are through, just stay here. You are safe here. If you run, you might be hit by bullets. Be fast and I want your bra too.” She walked into the bathroom, shaking.When she was done, she wrapped herself in the bedsheet and handed him her hotel uniform and other paraphernalia. He took a rope from his bag and tied her to the bedand then gagged her. “I don’t want you to talk to them until I am out of here. I am very sorry; I won’t tie you too tightly, okay?”She nodded; again fear was scribbled all over her face. He ran into the bathroom and reappeared in the hotel uniform. With the bra on, under which he stuffed towels, the head cover and slippers, he looked like a woman in the chaos. He tossed his backpack in the cleaner’s trolley covered it with towels and headed out of the room, carefully locking the door behind him. He moved as fast as he could.Gbim!!! He heard an explosion downstairs. The madness in the hotel intensified. Soldiers looked into the faces of people rushing out of the building, and comparing each face against Idriga’s picture. “Do you want to get killed woman?” A soldier asked Idriga as he headed out of the elevator. Hesaid nothing, looking fear stricken. He ran past the soldier with his heart pounding. The soldiers threw tear gas into room 014 to flush him out. People were tearing up and crying while the soldiers covered their air ways with mask. Idriga meandered into the running crowd and headed for the road. He hardly looked back. Soon, he was on the other side of the street. Another explosion sounded at the hotel as soldiers tried to flush him out.“Who did that to you?” A soldier asked the tied cleaner. He was running through the first floor checking all the rooms. He yanked the gags off and the cleaner explained what happened in panic. The soldier rushed downstairs shouting “He is gone. Fan out! He is not in there!” He explained to his boss what the cleaner had told him. The helicopter was radioed to head across the street. Idriga jumped into a barbers shop and exited through the back. He scaled the wall at the back and ran into the next street. He heard the sound of the approaching helicopter. He ducked under a tree. A dog began to bark at him. It was a massive Doberman. He remained quiet. “Circle around that tree,” one of the snipers told the pilot. “I saw a dog barking at a figure there.” More soldiers began to swarm into the surrounding streets.Idriga looked up and saw the helicopter coming back. He got up and ran into the house. Gunshots rang out. He was narrowlymissed by the snipers. The house he had run into was a massive building, with numerous apartments. The helicopter radioed soldiers on ground to circle the building. While they described the building to the soldiers on ground, Idriga jumped out of the cumbersome cleaner’s uniform. He wore his clothes underneath. He ran into an apartment, found a shirt on a clothes line on the balcony. He took the shirt, removed his long sleeve shirt and putthe T-shirt on. He looked through the window and saw soldiers rushing into the building. He quickly raced downstairs and ducked into another apartment. His heart was beating fast and his hands shook violently.“Who are you?” asked the tenant of the apartment. It was a small, shoddy apartment. The tenant, a plump lady sprung to her feet and threw an impulsive punch at Idriga. “Where is he?” a soldier yelled outside, questioning a young man. “Idon’t know,” he replied. Idriga threw his right hand over the plump lady’s mouth and tackled her onto the bed. “Oh, you want to rape me?” she asked in a muffle tone. “Shh!!! I am not going to hurt you. I am being pursued by some killers dressed like soldiers,” he lied to her. Her eyes got bigger. “Why?” “It is a long story. Please don’t say a word. If you talk, they will comein here and kill you and I.” “I think I have seen your face somewhere,” the lady said keeping her voice low. “No, we have never met,” Idriga answer, afraid that she may have seen the TV announcement with his picture. “Keep quiet, they are all over the compound,” Idriga cautioned her.A soldier released shots into the air outsideto inform the tenant that he and his men meant business. The plump lady nearly peed in her pants. “So, you are serious?” she asked him. “Of course, I am.” The soldiers began to search the building, one apartment after another. Idriga peered through a crack in the window; the front of the house was swarming with gun-wielding soldiers. Inside, they were all over the place. He heard the soldiers slap tenants around. “Where is he?” they shouted in frustration. Sale had been calling to put more pressure on them to find and kill Idriga.“I…I saw

episode 3...

Idriga unbolted the door carefully and peeked outside. The door led into an empty room. He could see a cupboard blocking the door slightly, to his left and right were windows that were firmly locked. He could see light pouring in through cracks in the windows – it was not dark yet. He pressed his ear into the room, attempting to calm the pounding of his heart so he could hear anything else that was not the violent pounding of his poor heart. He heard a humming noise outside. The helicopter was still hovering outside. He closed the narrow door, bolted it gently and sat quietly, waiting for darkness that did not seem willing to arrive.“You cannot tell me that he is not in that building. He was seen running downstairs, so he has to be in that building. Find him!!!” Sale ordered the leader of the military search team. His voice was filled with rage…rude rage. “We are doing our best, sir,” answered the leader. “And your best isnot enough, sergeant. Consider yourself fired if this dangerous man is not found and shot tonight!” Sale barked at him. “By the way, your name is Sergeant Kpafu, right?” “Yes, sir.” “Kpafu, if you find Idriga and eliminate him, you will be promoted tothe rank of colonel. I can assure you that. Ifyou fail, you should be packing your things from the barracks for a sad trip to your village.” “We will find him, sir.” “Good. Get back to work.“Kamunja!!! I want you to refuel the helicopter before it is dark. Go…go now and refuel and come back. Also, radio another helicopter to the area. I want two or three helicopters with snipers above us. Go now.” It was Kpafu’s turn to bark out orders. Find this man, and I am a colonel, he thought to himself. Colonel of the federal republic of Jinga! He contemplated the idea. He had lobbied severally to be promoted without luck, but right now, he has an opportunity to climb…to the rank of a colonel. I must find this man! He assured himself. A trip back to his village was not going to happen. The helicopter turned andheaded back to barracks while radioing another one to head back to the area. Soldiers searched every apartment, bush, corner and angle of the area. More men had been brought in to find Idriga. People peeped through their door holes in fear.“This is to inform people in Zenge, that Idriga Amusa, the former aide to the president who is thought to have murderedthe daughter of the vice president, Linda is in Zenge. Military reports have confirmed that he is being chased by military men in aneighborhood in Zenge. Please do not hesitate to contact the military search teamby calling the number on your screen now, if you have information that could lead to the arrest of this dangerous man. Remember, you stand to receive a handsome reward worth millions of shillings if you provide information that leads to the arrest of Idriga,” the newscaster announced. The plump lady who had helped Idriga through the tunnel could not believe her eyes. The image on her old TV screen was that of the same man who was in her apartment earlier in the day. The military men had kicked her door open without finding anything. They had assumed that she was not at home after they found no one in her apartment.She had closed her door upon return and held it shut with a chair. How many millions? She asked herself, counting with her fingers. She began to imagine a trip to Paris or London. But, he didn’t look like a killer to me, she thought. He could have killed me if he wanted. Should I call the number? She pondered the idea holding her iPhone in hand with the number already punched in.“Sale, they must find Idriga. He knows too much. Far too much! I want you to fly out on a private jet tonight to Zenge. Take yourfinest men with you. Hunt him down and kill him. The soldiers up there do not understand what is at stake. If Idriga says one word, we are all finished,” the president, Dr. Michael Assimoke ordered Sale. “Okay sir. I will do as you said.” “Good. The jet should be at the presidentialvilla’s air field in less than half an hour. Getgoing!” “Yes, sir.”“Hello,” the plump lady spoke into her phone. “Hello, please tell me your name,” a husky male voice answered. “My name isMiss Amarul Chikwele.” “Do you have information concerning Idriga Amusa?” “Yes, I do.” “What is your information, Miss Amarul?” “I know where he is.” “Where is he?” Amarul could not get the millions off her mind, so she dialed the number after a prolonged thought. She had first run down the tunnel with a plate of rice to see if Idriga had left. He was still there. “Have something to eat. It will soon be dark. Wait until it is dark enough before you leave,” she urged Idriga. “Thank you so much. You are far too kind,” he replied. “Don’t mention it.” “Are the soldiers still out there?” “Yes, a lot of them. Just stay here until they are gone, okay?” “That is my plan.” “Good. I have to run now. I wanted to offer you something to eat.” “Thank you so much.” Idriga began to devour the rice with a ravenous appetite.“He is here in Zenge.” “We already know that. Where in Zenge, woman? If you don’t have information for us, then hang up!!!” “I just saw him. I know exactly where he is hiding.” ‘And where is that?” “I want guarantee that you will give me the money when I tell you where he is hiding.” “This is an order from the president, young lady. You will get your money. We have your name and your number. Just give us the location.” “May I talk to someone more senior than you? I really want to make surethat my information does not go in vain. I really want that money.” ‘And you will haveit!!!”Amarul’s door burst open. She was alarmed as armed soldiers poured into herroom. “What is this?” She asked in utter confusion. They had traced her call but she did not know. A gun was pointed at her, menacingly. She began to shake. “Woman, please tell the men where he is or you could be shot for misleading a military investigation!” Her hands shook violently. “Where is he?” Sergeant Kpafu yelled at her. “But…but I was told that I would get money.” “That will come later, just tell me where he is or you are a dead person now.” Kpafu raised his Bazooka to her throat.“He…he is…he is over there,” Amarul said, pointing. “Where?” “There is a tunnel there,behind the cupboard.” A soldier dragged the cupboard out of the way, and there stood a narrow door. “There is a door here,sir,” he shouted to Kpafu. “Go go go!!!” Kpafu ordered them. “Shoot him! Don’t bother trying to capture him. Just shoot him!” he shouted. His men poured into the tunnel while he stayed back, still pointing his gun at Amarul. “I hope this is not a joke?” he asked her. “No, it is not, sir. But, I thought you were meant to capture him. Why did you ask your men to shoot him?” “Shut up woman! He is far too dangerous tobe captured. We can’t take chances.”Idriga opened the door one more time. Some light was still coming through the cracks in the windows, but there were dimmer. He figured they might be electric lights and not daylight. He entered the empty room, opened a window gently and peeked into the open. It was almost dark. Perhaps, dark enough for him to get going. He looked outside; there was no one there.The street was empty, except for soldiers walking all over the place. Then, he heard noise in the tunnel. It was a distinctive noise – military boots pounding on the concrete floor. Without thinking, he pushed the window open and jumped outside. He darted to his right and ran through a garden of vegetables. Rolling on the ground, he pushed past a few soldiers on the street. Then, he looked right and then left. Convinced that the soldiers would not see him, he rolled across the street onto the other side. There, he got on his knees and crawled as far from the street as he could.That was when he heard the noise. Soldierswere yelling at one another. “He is not here!” said one. “But the window was open.He must have just left,” said another. “Did you see anyone jump out of this window?” they asked the military patrols. “No…no sir.” “What do you mean no? The window was open. You ought to have seen something.” “Nothing sir. We have been vigilant.” “He is gone!”

Nice Work My Guy I Hope U Will Kwantinue.I Dey Follow