Chapter 5

Amidst the melodious song of Korede Bello, ‘God Will’ I stared dizzily at the woman and all the eyes on us. I knew I was counting for trouble, but trouble was the main purpose why I was there in the first place and it is either now or never.
Vitamin’s cold eyes blazed into mine with a sudden cold contempt as he finally recognized me. I stared back hard at him and turned back to his mistress. The black designers silky dress on her radiate her slim shape across the room to the envy of most of the women and admiration of the men, including me. I nodded my head and returned her smile with a charmed look. Although, my front teeth were missing, but the message was clear to all onlooker. She smiled back charmingly at me and made her way towards one of the reserved tables. But Vitamin this time refused to tag along. Instead, he frowned up at everyone and then finally swaggered towards my direction. His rich leather shoes cracked after him as he sauntered confidently forward. The DPO, who also seemed to have recognized me, gawked at my face and also frown up.

‘ Well, well, well. And look who is here again…’ Vitamin announced loudly and planted himself arrogantly in front of me.

Almost everyone inside the bar had their attention towards our unfolding drama by now. I just sat there with a wide smile and allowed myself the thrill of the music.

‘ What are you doing in my environment? ‘ I heard him demanded mockingly. ‘ I thought I told you the last time you brought your smile here that we don’t like faces like yours around here?’

I stared thoughtfully at him, I noted that he was all out to humiliate me or if possible destroy me this time. He was having fun speaking arrogantly to me with support from his disciples. I noticed that the masculine barman had braced himself up, ready to knockoff more of my teeth. All he needed was just a nod from his boss and the attack will begin. I equally noticed that some of his thugs were getting ready for another round of pounding at my battered face. It was now or never. I reminded myself and then made the first move in the game I had lined up for him. I made sure everyone with interest on the unfolding drama was listening, and then confidently stared at his arrogant face. I said the words consciously with no doubt that it would unmask the hidden fear inside him.

‘ Hello, Gbomo!, long time, no see,’’ I announced loudly and proudly, my eyes glued to his bloodshot eyes.

If I had punched his face with a sack of sand, I don’t think he would have reacted the way he did. It was as if I had wickedly punched his face with a sack load of stones. I noted and believe everyone else also noted how he had quickly shrunken his frame and stared horribly at me as if he had seen a ghost. He suddenly stepped back from his advancement and stared suspiciously at my face and all the other faces around. I jumped down from my stool confidently and observed that his mistress and everyone else were now staring dumbly at both of us. I stepped casually towards him and paused few inches away from his perplexed face.

‘ Hello, Thomas Gbomo, you suddenly appear scared to see me today, hope no problem?’’ I asked and lit a cigarette, then continued. ‘ True, you told me to carry my smile elsewhere the last time I was here, but the problem is the person that gave me that order goes by the name James Agidinbi, alias Vitamin. But right now, I am sure I am speaking with another person called Thomas Gbomo, am I right?’ I threw the question loudly at him.
He stood rooted to his spot and gaped in awe at me. The masculine barman practically rushed out of his position to confront me, so also was the DPO, who rushed forward, his cat eyes angry and spitting fire. Then, the unexpected unfolded, as things started happening simultaneously to everyone surprise. Four plain clothes detectives with drawn guns suddenly appeared among the crowd and surrounded both of us. I equally noted five other secretly planted DSS operatives, three men and two women as they stepped into the setting, this including three other SARS men with loaded threatening guns. You would have loved to see the shock and sudden fear on the face of the Divisional Police Officer as these undercover agents took over the setting. His thin eyes I noticed had become thinner and his massive shaved head look as if it was about to drop from his neck. It took him sometime to fully comprehend what was going on as he stood transfixed and bewildered.
Vitamin on the other hand quickly recovered and dashed towards the door. But other plain clothes detectives, secretly planted by the exits, blocked the swing doors with their massive frames and flashed out their guns. The crowded bar suddenly became a panic zone as the guests dashed for the exit doors, but again, the bulky frames of the operatives stood firm. I was surprised to notice the beautiful figure of Vitamin’s mistress among the panic faces that made for the exit. I gave myself the pleasure of enjoying the drama. The table had suddenly turned and I was now in charge of the whole script, so I made good use of the opportunity. I smiled and stepped forward as everyone focused their attention on me. The silence was good; someone had thought it wise to turn off the music.

‘ Hello, Mr. DPO. I told you I was going to get justice and here we here,’ I announced to the police officer, aware that all eyes were watching and listening.

He stared back blankly and I continued with a smile. ‘ Thank, God, you’re here to witness how justice always unfold,’ I added and turned to face the panic looking face of Vitamin. He now looks despicable with sweat trickling down his forehead. He must have guessed the game was up and his cookies were about to crumble any moment.

‘ Hello, Gbomo,’ I deliberately addressed him once again with is secret native name. A name he had long discarded for the fictitious ones he was now bearing. ‘ This is still a free country and I believe everyone has the right to a smile as ordained by God, on all humans. ‘I paused, smiled at all the faces around, noted their keen interest and then ride on. ‘Nobody controls anywhere under the sun, apart from God the creator and owner of everything occupying a space on earth and all other planets. Therefore, you don’t control anything, not even yourself.’’

They all stared quietly at me as I made my speech with dignity and honour. I noted as some of them nodded their heads and then continued with a smile. ‘ God created and owns water. He owns the lands, the roads ,including all the cheap materialism and vanity you possessed and being arrogant about,’ I paused once again and stared at the faces of his hanger-on and most of them this time nodded their heads in submission, including his now scared looking thugs who all nodded their panic heads in repentance. I grinned warmly at most of them and ride on.

‘Mr. Vitamin,’ I shouted out his name. ‘ I believe most of the people present here today don’t really know the truth about who you are. Am I right?’

He kept quiet and stared frightfully at everyone like a chicken who has come home to roast. Everyone seems to have abandoned him at that moment and the drama was getting more interesting across their view, though most of his followers were still perplexed with what was going on. So, I continued, ignoring his quietness.

‘Well, I think they all deserve to know and this they are about to know,’ I paused and allowed this information to sink in.

Vitamin gaped at me and then stared miserably at the crowd, especially at his hanger-on who ignored his stares with conspicuous frowns on their faces. They all returned their attention to me eagerly with utmost curiosity.

‘Remember what you told me the last time about the wise dog and its hidden tail?’ I asked with a jeering smile. ‘ I believe it’s now your turn to hide your tail, because this is no longer your territory.’ I concluded proudly and stepped back for the detectives to take over.

The leader of the team, an old school mate, stepped forward with a handcuff as the other detectives suddenly closed over Vitamin and place him under arrest.

‘You are under arrest, Thomas Gbomo, your game is over,’ the team leader announced loudly and handcuffed him. He then returned his attention to the crowd. ‘This is Thomas Gbomo, alias Vitamin, one of the most notorious and wanted armed robbers and kidnappers in our list.’ He added as he tightened the steel handcuffs on his wrist. Then asked, ‘ Who are is friends here? If you know him and work with him, step this way,’ he directed and glanced at the crowd.

None among the crowd stepped out or acknowledged his statement; they all glanced hurriedly away as if he was talking about the devil. He then gestured to some of his men and the arrest began. They sieved and picked out some of his known thugs and followers among the crowd and equally rounded up some of the workers at the Calabash. I personally pinpoint the masculine barman and grinned broadly at him as they put the cuffs on his massive fist that had pounded me with no mercy. And then the women; my interest was on the two ladies who had joined in the battering of my face. I picked out their frightened faces from the crowd and our eyes met. My first thought was to pick them out of the crowd and handed them over, but on second thought, I decided against the move and instead smiled broadly at both of them. An action I noticed shocked them and they both smiled back at me.
These were women, and I came into this vanity world through one of them. I still have a mother I cherish so much and some beautiful sisters and other sympathetic women around me. I thought and then turned my attention to the beautiful woman specie that started the whole thing in the first place. I remember reading somewhere that a woman had actually caused one of the world wars. Again, my memory recollected that our first mother on earth, Eve was the woman that stimulated the epic sin that cast the human race into earth and its present malady , this according to the gospel. Then again, the story of the great and strong Sampson and the treacherous Bal-Sheba also crept into my mind. Yes, a woman will always be the most powerful force that could instigate and stimulate any wrong or right action taken by the most powerful man on earth. I concluded as I stared charmingly at Vitamin’s mistress.
She stared back at me and I noted that she saw and equally noted what had transpired between me and the other two women. I guessed she realized that I could have implicated them if I wanted to, but I had ignored their sins with a smile. We both stared at each other silently and she suddenly gave me that seducing smile that caused my trouble. I stared quietly at her, turned and took on some of the faces. I noticed the tense atmosphere and the cocky face of Vitamin on us. Then finally, feeling justified and happy, I returned my gaze towards her and proudly returned her smile.

Epilogue
Few months later, I sat down alone to reflect on one of the haunting episodes of my life as a journalist. I came to a contented conclusion that all that happened, happen as it should. First of all, if I had not gone to the Calabash that Saturday evening to celebrate my birthday and had accidentally shared a smile with Vitamin’s beautiful seductive mistress, things might likely have remain the same. Secondly, Gbomo, alias Vitamin will still be living among us and still in his secret criminal business of armed robbery and syndicated kidnapping. No one would have known or hear that the man I saw some of his thugs buried inside a shallow grave along the highway was actually one of his multi-millionaire kidnapped victims who died of heart attack due to his excessive maltreatment in the hands of him and his thugs. This, notwithstanding, the heartless criminal and his gang still went ahead and milked the family of millions of naira in ransom money.
All these, they were later to confessed to security agencies in the course of their interrogation. And thirdly, the Vitamin’s saga would have been swept under the carpet by some dubious crooks among the security agencies who were under his payroll, but luckily for the nation and the people they were later exposed by his arrest and his subsequent confession and fingering of some of these unpatriotic men and women Judas in the various security agencies. Many high and low ranking uniformed men and women were arrested during the course of the scandalous trial of Vitamin and his gangs, including the cat-eyes DPO and some of his criminally conscripted boys in uniforms and other top government officials. It was one of the biggest sensational criminal trials in the history of the country.
Here was a notorious and dangerous criminal who lived ostentatiously among the people and used his stolen wealth to enticed, buy and controlled their reputation and dignity. He lived a false life, induced and injected them with his unclean money and arrogantly controlled their lives. He capitalized on their greed and weakness for materialism and became their lord and savour, both the old and the young. They were his pawns in his deadly criminal empire. I realized that many other rich criminals are living among us today, in big mansions, with beautiful women and cruised our dilapidated roads in some of the most exotic and expensive cars around. But how many people care? Our society is all about money and how freely you can dish it out to many sycophants who are willing and ready to lick your feet and butt.
Again, thanks to the innocent but fatal smile that led to meeting Vitamin and thanks to the pounding and battering from him and his thugs, if not, they will not have been in jail at the moment. Yes, he and some of his thugs are currently locked up inside one of the dreaded maximum prisons in the country, waiting for the hangman’s rope. A Federal High Court had thoughtfully sentenced him and some of his gang members to death by hanging as a result of the numerous deaths recorded in their hands during some of their deadly robbery and kidnapping operations across the country. I now consciously believe that the beating I received from him and his thugs was a necessary sacrifice meant to happen so as to unmask their criminal minds and deeds to the world.
Most importantly, thanks to his beautiful mistress who innocently shared a fatal smile with me. I reasoned, and silently wondered where she might be at the moment. Nobody ever saw her again since that memorable day. The momentous day I deliberately allowed her and the other two ladies escaped my trap at the Calabash.

END