The Ransom Dealers

The Operation

Abdul was tense. He sat in his cubicle, waiting for what he knew was about to happen. Today was D-day, and the carefully planned operation that was to make them twenty million naira richer, was now in the laps of the gods.

He and Dele have crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's. With an operation that entailed such high risk and lucrative reward, one thoughtless mistake and they would all be handcuffed and sent to jail. He broke out in a sweat just to think of it.

He consoled himself with the thought that although it was a kidnap operation, they still had an escape pod should the whole operation turn sour. He glanced nervously at his watch. The time was 11:27AM. Any moment from now, all hell would break loose.

He was so immersed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the policeman standing in front of his cubicle.

"Hello", the policeman said, "Good morning".

Abdul glanced up to see the police inspector standing and watching him with his police x-ray eyes. His heart stopped, then began to race. What the hell is the police doing here? he asked himself. Has Dele been arrested?

But he needn't have worried, the inspector was there to enquire about his damaged ATM card. Abdul directed him to the right staff that would fix his problem.

His phone vibrated. Abdul opened his w******p and saw the much awaited message from Dele: The eagle has landed.

Abdul typed back: Copy

Sure enough, Hajia Munu walked into the banking hall, heading towards Abdul. He was the staff that initially opened the savings account for her, so she always came to him to solve any problem to do with her account.

"Abdul how are you?" She greeted him cheerfully.

"Ina kwana Hajia? I am fine, how is Alhaji and your children?", asked Abdul.

"Everyone is fine, thank you. Abdul someone called the he is your staff, and he wants to regularize my account to prevent fraudsters from hacking it", she said.

"Yes, it's a serious problem. Only yesterday they hacked and stole about 100 million naira from one of our customers. The IT department has been tasked with fixing all our customers' accounts", he told her.

"Okay", she said. "I came with the phone, so what do you need?"

"I'll need the phone for some minutes to receive and input the OTP. It will be sent numerous times as we work on securing your account. If you could just wait in the coffee room, our staff will bring you some tea", Abdul informed her.

She frowned at this suggestion, reluctant to leave her phone for that long. But she shrugged and decided to go ahead, since she did not have anywhere else to be.

"Please notify me in case there is a call", she said.

"No problem Hajia. Let me take you to the coffee room", Abdul said.

Immediately he left her in the coffee room, Abdul headed directly to the rest rooms. He checked all the other doors to be sure he was alone, then removed a handkerchief to cover the mouthpiece of Hajia Munu's phone. He then dialed her husband.

The phone rang once, twice, and then a deep, authoritative voice answered. "Alhaji Ibrahim speaking."

Abdul's throat tightened. He had rehearsed this moment a hundred times, but now, with the phone pressed to his ear, his mind went blank for a split second. He quickly regained his composure, his voice dropping to a low, menacing tone. "Alhaji, listen carefully. Your wife, Hajia Munu, is in our custody. If you want to see her alive again, you will follow our instructions exactly."

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end, followed by a tense silence. Then Alhaji's voice, trembling with a mix of fear and anger, broke through. "Who is this? What do you want?"

Abdul's heart pounded in his chest, but he kept his voice steady. "We want twenty million naira. You will bring the money in unmarked bills to the old warehouse by the docks tonight at midnight. Come alone. If you involve the police or try anything stupid, you will never see your wife again."

Alhaji's voice cracked. "Let me speak to her! I need to know she's okay!"

Abdul hesitated. This was a complication they hadn't fully planned for. He glanced around the restroom, his mind racing. "You'll hear her voice when we confirm you're at the location with the money. Don't test us, Alhaji. We're watching you."

He ended the call abruptly, his hands shaking as he wiped the phone clean and slipped it back into his pocket. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. The first part of the plan was in motion. Now, it was up to Dele to keep Hajia occupied while Abdul prepared for the next steps.

As he stepped out of the restroom, he nearly collided with Dele, who was pacing nervously outside. "Did you do it?" Dele whispered, his eyes darting around the hallway.

Abdul nodded, his face grim. "It's done. He bought it. Now we just have to keep her distracted until tonight."

Dele exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "This is it, man. No turning back now."

The two men exchanged a tense glance before Abdul forced a smile and headed back to the coffee room. Hajia Munu was sipping tea, her phone resting on the table beside her. She looked up as he entered, her expression calm but curious.

"Any updates, Abdul?" she asked.

"Not yet, Hajia," he replied, his voice smooth and reassuring. "The process is taking a bit longer than expected, but we're almost done. Just a few more minutes."

She nodded, seemingly satisfied, and returned to her tea. Abdul's mind, however, was far from calm. Every second felt like an eternity, the weight of their deception pressing down on him. He couldn't afford to slip up now.

As the hours dragged on, Abdul and Dele maintained their facade, ensuring Hajia remained oblivious to the storm brewing around her. But as the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the banking hall, Abdul couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong.

At precisely 11:30 PM, Abdul received a text from an unknown number: "Warehouse secured. Be ready."

He showed it to Dele, who nodded silently. The final phase of their plan was about to begin. They waited until the bank was empty, then escorted Hajia to her car, assuring her that her account was now fully secure.

As she drove away, Abdul and Dele exchanged a final, determined look before heading to the docks. The warehouse loomed in the distance, its dark silhouette ominous against the night sky. They parked a few blocks away, their footsteps echoing in the deserted streets as they approached the meeting point.

But as they neared the warehouse, a sudden noise made them freeze. The sound of footsteps, heavy and deliberate, echoed from the shadows. Before they could react, a group of armed men emerged, their faces obscured by masks.

Abdul's heart sank. This wasn't part of the plan.

"Hands up," one of the men barked, his voice cold and commanding. "You're not the only ones who know how to play this game."

As the reality of their situation dawned on them, Abdul and Dele realized they had been outplayed. The ransom, the kidnapping, the entire operation—it had all been a setup. And now, they were the ones trapped in a web of their own making.

The last thing Abdul saw before everything went black was the glint of a gun barrel, and the chilling realization that their escape pod had just been sealed shut.