CHAPTER TWELVE
I went to ‘the company’ in disguise and also in a car, nobody knows me with, no one will follow me if they don’t know I am the one; actually I learnt that from a movie too. ‘The company’ looked empty as usual. A small building, it had the design of the first two bedroom flat I built when I first started making money; an aluminum hip roofing and the structure was painted orange and milk color, yea it seems quite feminine but that was because it was the house I married Bisola into, I wanted to impress her. Then I was already feeling like a big man; but now to me people who live in such kind of houses are still infected with the disease ‘poverty’.
I walked through the door, the building was fenced round and high with electric barb wires around it. I couldn’t be seen from outside; normal passer bys will think it is just a house where a man with several daughters lives; when a man has more than two female daughters he increases the height of his fence and place barb wires.
“Is any one in?” I whispered as I walked through the passageway for a while I got no reply, I was used to that kind of atmosphere, they wanted to be sure who was coming in. soon afterwards, Daniel came out.
“Baba oh” he screamed as he stood on his toes and saluted, Daniel was one man like all other workers that his looks change with his dressing, he doesn’t look like someone forced to wear a cloth. When he wears suit, he looks really official, on agbada, he looks so much like a big man and on dirty clothes he looks like a road side mechanic and knows so well how to change his facial expression to how you want him to look. His parents were not poor, but he was one of those spoilt kids who hate to go to school. He dropped out and ever since his parents were angry with him, his allowances were cut short so I gave him this great offer now he doesn’t even live with them, he has built his own house, he doesn’t even need a certificate anymore. According to him, he told me he was an aficionado of music but his parent will never just let him do that they wanted a doctor out of him and he couldn’t just cope. Seeing he couldn’t cope, with lines and lines of carry-over, he decided to live like a bad boy, not because he wanted to, but he needed something to cover the shame on his face, the mockeries from his mates and the insults from his parent.
“How are you?” I said in a low voice because of the echoes the sounds produced because the room was empty.
“Am fine oh Baba,” he said, as he dusts down the dust from his dirty attire.
“How many times will I tell you to stop calling me Baba, you make me feel like a local old man or an herbalist with that” I said “ I would prefer Chief then a full stop.” Baba was what I call my father, yea, he was local and the way I could remember him, he looked old, even if Baba Agba said he died at thirty-six. Baba Agba, also another old local man, the one I stayed with after Baba died, I was suppose to stay at his place then for him to take care of me since Baba died but when I reached there the reverse was the case, I fed him and took care of him. Again, Itumokuru, the old, near to death medicine man who helps us sanctify our products so that those who will confiscate them won’t see them was called Baba.
“Okay Chief” he said smiling.
“Now how does that sound in your own mouth?” I asked.
“Baba that one is boring oh let us leave Chief one side now, I like to call you Baba, it sounds even more than a chief to me, it is like reverencing a superior” he said. I knew this boy, so I just had to let go of that issue, I certainly won’t want to spend my whole day here, it might start raising suspicions. I also learnt that from a movie I watched sometime ago; to try to look available at all times in public places. If not it will raise small suspicions of where I went to and certainly suspicions leads to investigations by those who want to see me fall no matter how little it may sound and which might also lead to an arrest. but this is Nigeria, I could bribe my way through but my kids finding out might affect their future and diminish my respect in their face.
“Okay, where are the rest of them?” I asked.
“Baba, some are asleep in the room while the rest went to buy drinks” he replied.
“So that means no one is working?” I asked or have business gone down here at my major source too.
“We worked all night packaging all our products for distribution, now we are through what’s left now is flying out with them to the respective countries”
“That’s impressive” I said as I smiled nodding my head in joy, my boys have been hardworking since day one. Perhaps I am just getting repaid for the total allegiance I pledged to wasabi, I just hope one day I won’t be back stabbed too anyway am way smarter than they all think they are, wait, wasn’t that what wasabi thought when I was working under him? No, he was too dull to think I would betray him, it came as a shock to him he was ready for nothing. Our people will say then that when you kill a bird when it’s not concentrating or perching on a food then you are a coward, but will you stay in front of a lion with a knife to attack? No, you have to go from behind. Daniel paused a bit then turned to me.
“En-hem Baba, we have one new guy that have come to join us” he said. Another new guy? I thought, when the new people are getting too much don’t it means trouble? Jesus had just twelve disciples and there was still a Judas amidst them, now if this is added there would be about seventy one workers here, if out of twelve one Judas arose, what of out of seventy one?
“Where is he?” I asked.
“He is inside”
“Hope you have done all the investigations on him?” I asked. This is a risky business; some people might just come there just to find out what’s going on in here, thirteen of such has been killed over the years, yea just thirteen of those who feel they could threaten me, that little brat Matthias was the thirteenth. However, the boys I sent to do Matthias jobs weren’t good enough. I told them to do it clean and unsuspicious but instead, it was done in my company. Perhaps they thought they were brilliant, doing it in the company he worked at and burning the room down might look like an accident, but am certain this will raise a lot of suspicions but it’s easy to clear off. The EFCC chairman, Mr. Richards my friend, I knew how well to set him up if he tries to go into my case, I know of all his escapades, how he killed the former chairman and paid several people to recommend him, I have my proves and IGP, h’m that one is so easy just collect his account number. “Ah! Baba this one it’s me that is bringing him oh, I fully recommend him he knows the job too well” he replied. I paused and gave out a sigh, Daniel recommending someone was rare, he was the one who always condemn the new ones no matter how others are for the person then I knew this one would really be good.
“Call him for me,” I said. I have not finished speaking when he came outside from the room he stayed in; he had being eavesdropping. The boy he brought seemed very much of a criminal to me, he was tall with rough beards and fierce looking, flashing eyeballs; I had seen these appearance somewhere, it looked faintly familiar, I couldn’t even place where I had seen his face.
“Where did I know you from?” I asked him.
“Baba, no be me you see oh, nobody dey see my face… but e fit be me... Maybe I con rob for your house once or twice or kai... even if I con rob for your house, you can’t fit see my face, am always fully covered,” he said in a high-pitched voice. This man must be a talkative, which wasn’t certainly part of the qualities of these workers; I will ensure I watch him closely before he lands me into gbese. Nevertheless, on a second thought, maybe he is just trying to impress me after all that was the first time we were meeting.
“So what are your qualifications in this … I don’t even know your name,” I said.
“Baba my name is osekere a.k.a master duper of the oyingbos”
“What kind of name is that and where are you from?”
“ebute meta, awon original Lagosians by birth and by life and for life” he paused and saluted as though paying respect to his people. That seemed impressive, I knew of a few people who came from that part of the state, they were very good, secretive, skillful and wise.
“So what
are your qualifications?” I asked that to be sure he was not one of those charlatans. or rather, they make others believe what they are not because as for me when a bad egg enters I perceive the smell immediately no matter how he tries to mask it up with a perfume.
“Ah, Baba that one is small thing but before I start naming them let me start by this.” He said then he paused for a while took a deep breath and walk around a bit, I wondered what he was up to but I was alert up in my brain so that if he wanted to try something funny, I would get him. Suddenly he stopped walking and dipped his hands into his pocket, he wasn’t that smart, immediately, almost with the speed of light, that’s an exaggeration, yea I know but I was very fast, faster than he was, I pulled a gun out of my pocket and pointed it at him.
“Kneel down there, so you are a police... ehn... how many others did you come with now, tell me now?” I screamed at him, he felt a little shocked, I had being in that position before, when you think you are smart just to find out the person you were trying to outsmart whom to you looked dull and unwise was way smarter the you.
“Err… err sir, how will I be a police, I hate all of them that wears that black black cloth like mourners and parole the street collecting twenty naira from people” he said in a shaky voice.
“Then what are you trying to remove from your pocket?” I asked as I pointed the gun closely to his head so that he won’t attempt to make any moves.
“It’s your phone sir”
“My phone? Let me see it” I said and he removed my phone from his pocket. It was shocking; I immediately searched my pockets and found nothing. How did he do it? When did he come close? Were the questions that jogged inside my head. I had been with me why I did not even notice when he come close not to talk of carrying it. It looked impressive to me; I tucked my gun back into my pocket.
“How did you do that I asked?” I asked.
“I make you believe what I want you to believe. All those drama I acted, shouting Baba was just to draw your attention away from yourself then I struck when am fully sure you are no longer with you” he said in a calm and fluent English and I wondered if it wasn’t the same person I was just speaking to right now. He seemed entirely different just by changing the way he spoke, at first I thought he was a total illiterate but now he seem like a graduate.
“Wow, that’s impressive. You are taken, as soon as Itumokuru arrives you will do all the rest rights and your protection charms will be given unto you. You might be smart but sometimes you make mistakes, the protection charm corrects those mistakes,” I said and he jumped back to his feet, returned to his barbaric acts, and screamed.
“Ah me? Baba oh, thanks you so much,” he said then he lay on the floor like a real Yoruba man shows respect. I will certainly like this man, he will be a fool to me, I like those workers I can toss and toss just like the way I do to Ndoka.
“You will also take the oath of allegiance with Itumokuru. Not because I don’t trust you or any of them who have taken the oath but we are humans living in flesh, sometimes the flesh tells us to betray but when this oath is taken it suppress the flesh in such situations” I said without even a break, when I was through I took a deep breath.
“Baba that one is small thing, even my father is a Babalawo, his father was one too in short we are the family of babalawo when I get to seventy too I will be a babalawo.” He said confidently and he smiled happily. I recited some incantations and he began to cry. “Ah Baba please don’t curse me, my father is not a Babalawo I don’t even know him, my mother was raped by some armed robbers even she don’t know my father” he said. I began to laugh, he was a drama, a funny one, am sure if Wole Soyinka had known him he would have given him the role of the character Lakunle in his play ‘the lion and the jewel’.
“Am not cursing you, it’s just a mere panegyrics, if you were into babalawo things you would know that” I said as I raised him from the floor where he lay down.
The three of us walked through the passageway to the room, we saw a few workers sleeping the rest were playing cards, I advised them to play cards frequently because it aids their brains to know how to act fast and smartly. The female workers were very pretty; everything I do in that business, I do them with wisdom anyway this is one of those things I learnt from wasabi, may his life jail sentence be more laborious. I selected the pretty ones because they know how well to distract those men searching at airports. I had just seventeen of them of which just thirteen of them are my mistresses, they take weekly turns; this is part of the thing Bisola and every other person don’t know I do, to her I would never look at another woman, but a big man remains a big man, we sometimes need something to keep the body and soul active, we needed variety of tastes.
“Baba is around” Daniel screamed and they all left what they were doing and bowed a bit to show respect. However, it happens everywhere but I am usually happier when it is done here.
“Who is the newly appointed cashier among you?” I asked and waited for a while nobody raised up his or her hands to signify.
“So this company has no cashier? Do you people want to land me into gbese?” I screamed.
“Baba, we were waiting for you to come and assign one, but Funke is the one we kept in charge of the money for the last mission” Daniel replied. Funke have never being my mistress even once, so it was a good thing she was kept in charge, the other ladies who had taken turns in being my mistress will mishandle the money because they feel they were very close to me, seeing things the rest haven’t seen.
“Okay then, since you all trust her that much to keep her in charge, from henceforth she will be the cashier” everyone there clapped but I knew they weren’t all happy, that’s just how success is, not everyone is happy when you are succeeding.
“So how much was made last week?” I asked.
“N500 million and a little plus in front” she said smiling and I wondered if after five years of her working under me she don’t know how much I love money, I love to listen to every detail down to the pluses.
“Is that a precise value?” I asked in a harsh tone before the next time she will call values she will subtract the pluses.
“Sorry sir, its five hundred million three hundred and twenty seven thousand naira” she said in a shaky voice.
“Was it in Nigeria all the goods were sold?” I asked.
“No sir, most were even sold in …..”
“You can keep the explanations to yourself. If they were not all sold in Nigeria then am sure the monies were changed at the bank”
“Yes sir”
“Then, why wasn’t the kobo included?”
“But sir, in today’s Nigeria, kobo is not val …..”
“To Nigeria not to me, okay?”
“Yes sir” she replied in a trembling voice and I smiled to the effect my actions have caused. I wanted to make a show to make her realize I don’t joke with any single penny of mine and just one act and it worked so well, I would make a good actor, Nollywood might be my next target.
“Open the shelves I want to see the packaged goods,” I told one of the boys who was seated at one end of the wall. Immediately he stood up and pushed the wood across the wall. Anyone who just entered the room for the first time or even forever without being told would think it’s just an empty room awaiting a tenant but to those who knew it well knows where the products are hidden. As soon as the woods were pushed open to reveal the drugs, I noticed osekere swallowed saliva. H’m he must be a drug addict, I just hope he doesn’t take all my drugs when he is told to go and do supplies I will deal with him if my money is not complete, but he is so smart, I will give him a closer look.
“Okay, nicely packaged. Close it up; Itumokuru will be here any minute soon” I said and he closed it immediately, my boys were hardworking anyway there is a saying that says the students are influenced by their masters; I am so hardworking they learnt it from me.
We waited there for quite a while, those who went to buy drinks had returned, yet Itumokuru didn’t com
e. We were getting frustrated, I called him just a night before and he told me he will come quickly, by his quickly I thought I would even meet him there when I arrive but that’s not the case I had to even wait for him. We all tried calling his phone but it was switched off, he always switched it off when he is in the shrine, he says it keeps him away from disturbances from his clients. Yea clients, they are so many, the first time I was at his shrine, I saw pastor Oscar, one of the world’s most famous pastors but he didn’t know I saw him there if not am certain he will send killers to take my life so that I won’t expose his secrets. I went to the back to ease myself of urine when he walked outside giving Itumokuru some notes, when I asked Itumokuru he told me pastor Oscar was one of his most faithful clients, sacrificing more than thirty two heads since he had started attending to him, he gives him rings, handkerchiefs and water, the so called holy water to use in his church. At least if not for anything, I was glad I wasn’t the only famous person that had something sealed and I was glad since Itumokuru’s charms were as potent as making pastor Oscar that famous, then it would help me achieve my own goals too.
Itumokuru later arrived at about 3:30pm, I knew that Bisola would have gone to the headquarters to look for me; she usually does that as every good wife would. But today would just be another day that I had to lie to her. if I knew I would spend this long here I would have called Ndoka to tell him to tell my wife that I just went out but she will want to wait and waiting too was risky but what was worse was if she was told I hadn’t come to the office throughout that day where would I tell her I went to? Wish she knew about ‘the company’ too, but it wouldn’t be good. To her I looked like the best man in the world with just a few faults. I have overhead her said that a number of times either when she and Nkechi are together in the kitchen or when she talked to her friends, telling her would reduce the level of respect she had for me, I guess I just have to conceal it from her till perhaps when we are about to die at old age, that’s if we reach. Itumokuru pleaded with us for a while telling us his usual stories that he wanted the charms to be very potent. “My son, am so sorry, you know most times we just aren’t satisfied with the potency of the charms. If we try it on a goat and it works, we won’t stop there, we will migrate to elephants, to humans and then to spirits” he always said. It was becoming an ad nauseam already, at first it seemed interesting to me how a human; no matter how much he hated to be called a human, he said he was a spirit, animal and human, will test the potency of a charm on spirits or even animals. it seemed strange truly but now we were tired of hearing that over and over again. Itumokuru was an old man, but when he walked on the streets, he usually dressed like a young man, on a face cap and jean trousers if you didn’t look closely you won’t realize you are talking to an old man who is approaching his eighties because he doesn’t even walk like one.
“Open it up so that I can sprinkle the charms” he said as he used a banana leaf to mix the liquid in the calabash. Daniel immediately opened it for him and he sprinkled the white liquid with the banana leaves he attached together and whispered some incantations as he sprinkled.
“That’s all for today” he said as he walked down through the passageway of a sudden he paused and turned around to look at osekere, that was when I remembered that osekere was to do all the requires rights and allegiance and be given his own charm for protection.
“Is this a new guy? I have never seen his face here” he said, Itumokuru still gets me wondering, he was an old man but he had an active brain that even sometimes make me believe if truly he is a mixed breed of man, animals and spirits.
“He is new here” I replied
“Have he done all the required rights he have to do with me?” he said sternly as though vexed. These medicine men are usually very suspicious just in case you have started visiting another medicine man, he would think the rights have been done on osekere by another medicine man.
“He just came in today” I replied “we wanted to tell you since but your late coming had made us gotten so acquainted with him that we even think he has being here with us for long” I continued.
“Okay then, if that is the case let me begin the rights on him,” he said and he told osekere to kneel down. He did the usual rights on his head: breaking an egg in front of him, telling him to bend a bit as though he wants to lick the egg liquid, then rolls a calabash over him, scatter chicken’s feather on his head and finally gave him kola nuts to chew and other kola nuts he will chew when he is going a mission. That was for protection, it was time for allegiance, I put my hands first on his own then Itumokuru’s own followed, and then the rest of them made sure they had contact with one person who had contact with him. Prayers were made on his head and right at that moment, he swore allegiance to the entire family. Itumokuru later left when he was through with everything and I sat and wondered what kind of a herbalist he was, he doesn’t live in the bush like all other fellow herbalist, he lives in a bungalow. He don’t only travel overseas just in spiritual forms he also travels in planes, drives big cars and do enjoyable things like any other rich man would. Nobody will ever know he is an herbalist or a medicine man unless told, even when he or she is told they would not believe.