BRO JOHNSON (EPISODE 15)
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Johnson moved forward, much closer to the robe man. ‘Kill me,’ he said. He closed his eyes. He was ready for this. Whatever the outcome, he was ready to face it. No going back. He heard footsteps behind him and from his calculations, he could tell it was Jackie and Rambo coming for him. He imagined Rambo with some sorts of cutlass or axe.
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Chief Aro finally got the road construction contract from the state government. It was the road of the street were he lived and the one after. He wasn’t really a politician but he had many as friends. They told him to not only call for the construction of the road but should also agitate for the actual contract. One Comrade Monbi had specifically led him on, step by step, stating that he was going to get ten percent of the contract if they perchance get it. They had filed—inflating price at many unspeakable areas—that the project would cost one hundred and fifty million naira. However, the government slashed down the cost to one hundred million naira. But then, the government officials in charge explained some technicalities which Aro couldn’t really phantom and made him to sign for one hundred and twenty, though he would only get the former for the project. In his mind, he knew what was happening—proffesional thieves. He would have backed out to vent his anger but not after he had pressed so many buttons and parted with more than ten million naira. He had spent all the money he had personally, he had borrowed from every available money lending outlets he came across with. In fact, he took the risk of collecting thousands of naira from anyone (or representatives of any company) that want to do the actual job. When one Engineer Jamiu eventually gave him two million naira—for a contract he wasn’t even sure was coming—he knew he would award that man the contract. As large as the money looked, Chief Aro was using it to buy his way up. He didn’t really have much to keep or spend at those periods, he believed he was investing. In fact, he felt so bad when he could only give ten thousand naira to a lady—a member of his church when she called him for help that her mother was terminally sick. He had asked her to come back to him in few weeks’ time, that he would have got money by then. He had wondered how the girl would take that as he was seen and respected as a rich and influencial elder in the church.
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Bayo checked his wristwatch. 10.15 am. He headed for Sparkles’ hostel. She said she would send the article this morning. Yet, nothing by this time. This girl don’t know how urgently I need money, he thought.
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‘Just in time,’ Sparkles said when she saw it was Bayo that was knocking his door. ‘I am about to send the work,’ she said. She showed him her laptop. ‘Read it and see if it is okay before I finally send it.’
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Bayo, indeed, wanted to read but when he saw how lengthy the article was, he slowly pushed back the laptop. ‘Go ahead. Send it to wherever. How much did you accrue from the initial one?’
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She smiled, insinuating a sense of accomplishment, before saying, ‘Ten thosand…ten thousand naira.’
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Bayo shook his head. With the way she was beaming, he was expecting to hear, at least, a hundred thousand.
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She went in to the dashboard on her site. Set the tags, categories, slug, excerpt and infused the featured images. She didn’t forget the video too. Everything was set. She clicked on the ‘Publish’ button. ‘Sent!’ she said…but she didn’t know… something went wrong.
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Someone grabbed Johnson’s temples. Another made him knelt and then clipped his legs to the ground while twisting his arms tightly. The one grabbing his head pressed his fingers into his cheeks and as such forcing Johnson’s mouth open. He opened his eyes and saw the robe man before him. He was dipping his hands into the ‘honey’. Johnson wanted to fight the hands holding him but they were stronger. The priest put the honey-soaked finger into Johnson’s mouth and made sure he touched his tongue. The person that forced his mouth open now forced them closed. Johnson felt the taste of the liquid he was sure wasn’t ordinary honey. Though the texture was as thick as that of a honey but taste was sour-sweet. He became dizzy and his vision became blurred.
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When he opened his eyes, Johnson found himself in Pablo’s room. The man was working on the system.
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‘Sir! What did you people do to me?’
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‘Nothing. You only went unconscious… because it’s your first time.’ Honourable said. ‘I have gotten the phone number of the reporter that wrote about you.’
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‘Has she posted the pictures?’
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‘I don’t think so. No pictures anywhere yet. I will call her now.’
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He dialled her number. She picked.
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‘I am Honourable Fiwa. A bonafide member of the house. I have seen your first article about a criminal. You said you have pictures of him in the act and you will post them soon.’
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‘The job is done already.’
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‘I doubt that, check it again. If it is not on air yet, call me. I am interested in that case. And you won’t ever regret working with me.’ He cut the call. He turned to Johnson and said, ‘Check your phone.’
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Johnson took his phone from his pocket and slide it open. What he saw next dumbfounded him for the next two minutes. One million naira bank credit alert!
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‘Have you seen it?’ Honourable didn’t have to get any response from Johnson. His expression was clear enough an answer. ‘See, the next job is more sensitive and coded.’
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‘Not again,’ Johnson said, shaking his head.
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‘Hey! Calm down. You are not following them to the main operation. This operation is entirely different.’
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Johnson sighed.
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‘There is a man around here that is going to be getting something beyond what he can handle. We need to help him distribute the money to the people. If not, he will just squander the money.’
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Johnson felt weak. But somewhere in his heart, he was thinking about Pastor Eric’s words.
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‘We are not going to be heavily armed this time…and you don’t have to follow the boys this time. In fact, his vault should be in this state or…’ Honourable shook a pointed finger at Johnson.
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‘What sir?’
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‘That’s were you come in.’
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‘How?’
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‘You will have to go spy the man and his schedules for this week. Large part of the money…cash, should arrive somewhere sometime this week.’
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‘This person you are talking about, who is he?’
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Honourable stood. He went akimbo. ‘Aro…the clueless Chief Aro,’ he said.
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Success Timothy Ayo
Success Timothy Ayo 