Lizzy, alias Franca stared thoughtfully at the busy gates of the NPA from a white painted caravan not too far from the imposing structure. The caravan, one of those found in and around most business districts in Abuja, stood secured under a tall imposing tree. Everyone who had any dealings around the district knew the caravan as a business centre where you could easily browse the internet or buy a recharge card, type a document or make a photo copy, and if you have enough cash in your pocket, you could as well sacrifice some few naira for a chill coke, snacks or strictly bottled water. The makeshift shop at this hour looked less busy with few customers dashing in and out of the large air-conditioned caravan.
Presently, four female and a male occupied the place. Three of the female kept themselves busy with their various skills on the office equipment, consisting of two Dell desktop computers, a Canon photocopier and printer. A transparent Coca-Cola fridge stocked with different drinks hummed loudly from one side of the tidy looking caravan. The three young ladies in their early twenties carried on their duties diligently with the tallest among them typing away skillfully on one of the computers, while the plump one busied herself photocopying some set of documents for the male customer and the third one , a slim average looking girl was busy scratching a recharged card for him.

Everyone inside the caravan was engaged and busy, except Lizzy. She sat confidently on her seat, and silently nursed a plastic Sprite, occasionally smiling at the busy girls who all appear to be happy to have her around. Though her big sensual eyes stole frequent glances at the gates of the NPA, her face betrayed no sign of panic or concern about the tight security checks going on at the massive gates. She sipped her drink from a straw, fiddled with her meat pie, and then stared thoughtfully at the bulky figure of Inspector Mutum by the gates as he finally gave the clear to his boys to allow a green Toyota Camry and its occupants through.
She had been watching the drama from her seat right inside the safety of the caravan since she arrived more than twenty minutes ago. It was a routine she was used to once she arrived the district, usually before her normal adventure inside the rich structure. But presently her instinct was telling her something. She had sensed danger immediately she arrived. Something was wrong somewhere she told herself. She became more suspicious when Victor whom she was sure was inside the building refused to pick her calls before his lines suddenly went dead. What is going on? She questioned herself and wondered why his phones should suddenly be switched off and not available at this critical moment.
She pondered, smiled up at the girls, and then pretended to busy herself on her phone as the male customer inside the caravan kept staring admiringly at her. She deduced that the guy was just waiting for the green light from her for the opportunity to unleash his toasting skills. This was the last thing she needed at the moment. She thought as she kept her eyes glued to her expensive mobile phone. The male customer sensed she was not giving him the green light, so he paid for his work and lousily told the girl to keep the change, and then finally stepped out of the caravan with a last admiringly look at his lust who ignored him and pretended to talk on her phone.

“ Ha! Thank God” she finally exclaimed, and then smiled up at the three girls who all giggles back at her.

“You can keep the change!” the tall one among the girls paused in her work and mimicked the customer loudly, and they all busted into laugh.

“Ye-Ye man – na toasting be the next thing wey dey him mind” the plumb girl added, and dropped the twenty naira change disgustingly into her pocket.

“ I no know say una dey watch am… I don kuku carry phone put for ear, who get time for him long grammar this afternoon” Lizzy said mockingly and they all ruptured into another hysterical laugh.

“ I beg wetin una say dey happen for our place today, this one wey oga Inspector and him boys dey search everyone thoroughly like dis?” she interjected in-between their laughter.

“ Na so we too see am today, but I hear say na the new security system, you know all this bombing wey dey go on everywhere. I no blame them sha. But that one no suppose stop you from entering the place Anty, wetin happen you no go enter today?” The tall one among the girls asked her and then smiled at the busy gates.

“ He be like so.” Lizzy glanced at her watch. “In fact, I get another important appointment with one big oga for Central Bank, and na money matter be that. I no sure say I get time for this building today.” She continued, and glanced at her watch again.

“I don dey late self. I beg Rita help me get drop” she told the plump one, brought out a thousand naira note from her pulse, grinned as she noticed the quick interest from the three girls, then slowly handed the note to Rita.

“Make you commot the money for my drink and meat pie, then make una share the change” She said carelessly and stood up.

Rita pocketed the money, hurried out of the caravan, and soon returned and happily informed her that an empty cab was waiting outside. Lizzy smiled, stole a glance at Inspector Mutum and his boys who were still busy at the gates. She picked her designer bag and then casually stepped out of the caravan into the back seat of an empty cab with a young driver at the wheel. He stared admiringly at her, smiled and then engaged gears as he slowly joined the moving traffic.

“Maitama” she announced softly to the driver who nodded and drove way.

She covered her face with her big dark sunglasses and relaxed deep into her seat as the cab went pass the busy gates of the NPA. She smiled as she stared at the busy bulky figure of Inspector Mutum and his boys as they continued with their illusive search in the hot furious sun. She sensed that it would be dangerous to walk up to them as usual and cunningly engaged the inspector and his boys in seductive chats; a trick of distracting their attention while the gang carry out their scam successfully inside the building. She grinned, slipped her earphone on and shut her eyes to enjoy the ride. Something definitely was wrong somewhere, new security system my ass. She reasoned, as the driver cut through the next bend. She grinned, shut her eyes and allowed herself the pleasure of the melodious tune of Asa, ‘Jailer’, playing on her iphone.




******
Detective Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mai-Kudi Baba, a.k.a’ Mai-Coins, glanced at his watch and at the same time secretly studied the petit looking young Nigerian and a middle-aged foreigner as they stepped out from one of the elevators and were heading for the reception. He had earlier noticed them as they stepped out of a black Jeep from the visitor car park and watched as the uniformed chauffeur held the door open for them and both of them made their way into the main building after going through the suspicious scrutiny of Inspector Mutum and his men at the fortified gate.

The ASP was in mufti as usual. In fact, just few people really knew their real mission in the building. They had been posted there specially from the presidency and their boss from headquarter, a no-nonsense fellow had specifically instructed or rather ordered them to stay awake, resist, fight, and arrest corruption in the building. And this he had been trying to do with his subordinate over the past two days since their transfer to the structure. Staying awake every hour to observe, see and catch corruption through their economic fighting agency.

The Nigerian government through its other security apparatus, the DSS, and NIA with international collaboration with the Interpol were currently on a secret look out for one of the most notorious cyber-crime syndicates in Africa who called themselves the Free-Hands, led by a faceless kingpin, known as ‘Smoke’, a shrewd fraudster who flamboyantly command a group of sharp lieutenants known as the Flames. The Nigeria government through systematic intelligence and reports discovered that the Free-Hands using their large network and ability to easily penetrate various government and private agencies had cleverly used the system to defraud hundreds of gullible local and foreign business men and women across the country and internationally. So, the EFCC being the most recognized and most funded anti-fraud government agency saddled with the task of fighting financial crime was therefore mandated to look out and smoke out the Free-hands and its leaders from their hide out by all means.

Mai-Coins, as most people called him had been fortunate to be selected among the first batch of graduates who were recruited into the agency after going through a six months ASP course at one of the police academics in the country. Few weeks later, they proceeded on some local and international courses within and outside the country. They were then posted to various sensitive government and private establishment across the country under the guise of different profession and corporate identity. Although they were trained police officers within the force cycle, but they were seen and known as ordinary business managers and supervisors at most of these sensitive establishments, especially in the eyes of most of the other gullible staff. ASP Mai-Coins and his subordinate Superintendent of police, Etim were supposed to be the manager and assistant manager of a Stockbroker firm in one of the offices in the NPA building.

The firm, hosted in a well furnished office space at the top floor of the building which was not far from the main entrance and reception hall has hidden camera that captures the unsuspecting face of every visitor as he or she steps out of the cozy elevators or that of those who decided to exercise their muscles by coming up through the staircase which was very rare.
The two operatives had secretly installed the cameras few days after their resumption. They carried out the exercise under the deep cover of the night when everyone had left the building, leaving only the few private security guards who usually snore away immediately the last staff of the day stepped out of the building. Mai-Coins and Etim had actually prepared themselves for the job, dutifully sacrificed their night inside their cozy office, smoked a pack of cigarette over a game of Chess and waited patiently for the last guard to closed the swing doors of the main entrance and then stepped into the long corridor where they professionally installed their secret cameras down to the reception hall. Apart from the two of them, the other two people who knew about the cameras were their Chairman and the agency Director of Operations.

Presently, Mai-Coins stared dis-interestingly at the Nigerian youth with his expatriate friend as they moved into the reception, certain that Etim was fully awake and watching their every move from their secluded inner office. He hide a grin, as he visualized how he always loved to watch unsuspecting crooks as they step out of the elevators and moved freely among other unsuspecting members of staff and other genuine visitors. He enjoyed sitting down over a cup of coffee in the morning or a bottle of Coke in the afternoon with a pack of cigarette, watching his unsuspecting criminals showcased themselves on the large screens across his front. The camera he realized always provided him enough time to study them, judge their strength and weakness, before finally bouncing on them like an Alsatian dog.
Right now, he was out of the office. He had gone downstairs to pick up some magazines and had actually sighted the Nigerian and the expatriate as they stepped out from a black Prado Jeep and he quickly made it his duty to trail their movements from that moment into the building.
He swiftly took a secret door that led to one of the elevators and sent it straight to the top floor, then waited obscurely for the two visitors to show up. One of the elevators doors finally opened few minutes later and the two had stepped into the large corridor with the white expatriate staring curiously around with a suspicious look. He had actually paused, stared puzzling at Mai-Coins who sensed his apprehension and stared back expressionless at him and then engaged himself thoughtfully with one of the magazines in his hands.

Yes! There is something out of place here, he concluded silently, his eyes secretly taking on the Nigerian, watching his every move. Then he watched as the Nigerian nodded to one of the two receptionists, a thin man in green uniform he had never seen before. He stared carelessly at him as he led the Nigerian and his white friend into another elevator that lead to the Director General’s office.This move quickly aroused Mai-Coins suspicious the more. Why the DG office? He was aware that the director general and other top member of staff of the agency were presently at a seminar outside the capital in Lagos. What then would the visitors be looking for or doing in the office that cannot be handle downstairs?
All these questions raced through his mind as he made his way casually inside the building and then sauntered casually into their office with all his senses now fully alert on the two visitors on their way to the director general’s office.


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