The Guilty Party

Excerpt of the book titled, The Guilty Party
Author: Omoruyi Uwuigiaren
Publisher: Human Change Communication Co.

Chapter One
There was no rain for weeks and the scorching sun showed no mercy on the leaves such that one could hear the sounds the leaves made when they fell. The sun shone as if there might never be tomorrow. In the midst of this hardship was a man that most people called Ogbuefi. He grew up in a dinky little town that did not even have a movie theater. The man seemed to be robust due to many years of inactivity and his baldhead shone like an afternoon sun. Ogbuefi had lost so much and there was no way he would forget in a hurry the truckload of misfortune that crept into his life like a man that dined with mischievous people. Adversity came like the rushing wind upon the poor soul.
However, all that had befallen Mr. Ogbuefi were nothing in comparison to the harm that he had caused the world. With nothing better to do, the man in the pool of old age sat on a sofa in his sitting room, and spread his hands on the soft cushions like the mother hen that protects her chicks from the cruel hands of scavengers. The house was befitting and a man did not need a prophet to tell that Ogbuefi had tasted fortune.
One day, Ogbuefi and his cohorts were in a deal that could rob them of their jobs in the progression of days. One of the key men in the company that they had tried to lure into the deal had backed out and vowed to expose the fraud should they go ahead with the deal. Against all odds, Ogbuefi and the men that saw the deal as an opportunity to set foot on the corridors of wealth were in a room plotting the way out of the bloody mess. “I’m afraid, since Ekanem and Efe are out of this deal, we might not make it,” Ogbuefi said.
“I have pondered it too. Do we call off the deal?” Sam inquired.
“No! Eteh said. “We can’t give up because Ekanem and Efe are not interested. This money is enough to put a smile on our faces.”
Ogbuefi heaved and sat up, “You are right, Eteh. But the money could also ruin us if we are caught!”
“I wonder why they refused to be part of this deal,” Sam said with a frown.
“My mind tells me that those men are up to something,” Eteh disclosed. He sat back and exchanged glances with the other men.
Ogbuefi coughed a bit and said, “Me too. We shall do ourselves great harm if we back out of this deal now because they will end up executing it alone in the future since they are already aware.”
Sam sat up, “Ah! That will be sheer madness if they try it. If that is the case, what do you want us to do?” He flung a glance at Ogbuefi.
“We must get rid of them! It will only cause the company few weeks of search to replace them,” Ogbuefi suggested.
Sam shook his head, “You are going too far. Can’t we visit a witch doctor to prepare charms for us?”
Ogbuefi swallowed hard and replied, “It is risky. I don’t want us to involve a third party. When we get there, we may end up disclosing all that are supposed to be kept secret to the witch doctor. And I don’t want that.”
“The assassins are also third-party. So what is the difference?” Eteh protested.
Ogbuefi nodded, “There is a huge difference, Eteh. We shall not be under any obligation to disclose information about the deal to the assassins. All they need from us is the whereabouts of the target and their cash once the deal is done!”
Sam nodded affirmatively. He seemed to like the idea. “If that is the only way we can all smile, then let’s go ahead with your idea, Ogbuefi.”
Ogbuefi straightened his chin as if he had just won a lottery and took a deep breath. “I will see the boys tonight and they will take it from there.”

Hard Tackle by Omoruyi Uwuigiaren

There is a common saying in Nigeria that “The police is your friend”. The essence of the statement is to create a healthy relationship between our brothers in black and the populace. But if we send out a questionnaire, I doubt if the respondents will put a smile on the faces of our friends whose duty is to give us the necessary cover when the odds are up against us. No man will like to have anything to do with what will make him walk on the wheels of fire! We are all aware that the responsibility of the police is to keep public order, prevent and solve crime. But looking at the way our society is drowned in the pool of corruption, and has embraced evil manipulations, no doubt both acts have incurred frustration on the future of our nation. In fact, we do not need a prophet to tell us that most of our policemen like some of our leaders are not better than gamblers worshipping at the temple of Mammon!

Have you visited Lasu/Isheri road recently? A movie maker that is daring as if there might not be tomorrow would make a fortune from capturing scenes from that blessed world. People from that part of Lagos always have the luxury of seeing such policemen who see nothing wrong in molestation and forceful extortion of money from road users and drivers. They are like mad despots who would do nothing other than bulldoze forces against their ambitions. Swimming in the pool of corruption, even a criminal or a law breaker is righteous once he meets their financial demands. Immediately they grab the cash that is the end of the story. The road is cleared, and the driver whether he is a man of questionable character disappears into the thin air! There can never be peace if we have such people in the Nigerian Police Force.

Where we have illegal road blocks at every thirty seconds drive, an arrangement by men who have terror sitting comfortably in the balls that sit in the sockets of their skulls, what we shall see is a trial of waste. I must confess, police presence on our road is important and I think every Nigerian with the right thinking will agree with me. But in a situation where they constitute nuisance to the public and make life a living hell by their unscrupulous manners is not palatable. If they concentrate on extorting money at check points and road blocks and fraudulently enrich themselves by these means, what time will they have to strategize and chase criminals? We have been bedeviled long enough by corruption, and this must not continue. I think the Nigerian police needs help. As a matter of fact, it is time we set up an organized body to check their excesses on our roads. This will go a long way to flush out the bad eggs frustrating the reformation. Fellow Nigerians we need reformation urgently!

I hear people say that crime rate have reduced considerably and that credit should be given to the Nigerian police. With all the breath in me, I disagree. The tranquility that took her esteemed seat in our homes is because criminals that would have made our lives a living hell have found a new lease of life in email scam, cyber crime and so forth. If a man could make so much money after sending fraudulent emails and messages from the comfort of his home, why will he need to risk his life running around town with a pistol?

I am scared! If we finally cub the menace of cyber crime, the criminals will return to the street, and you and I will be at the receiving end. We must call the police to order. Their activities on our roads show they are begging for orientation.

Nigeria has a great future and I am part of it. God bless Nigeria.