The Ransom Dealers

In the Net

The road was dark, lonely and bumpy. The headlights were only able to light up a hundred meters of the uneven tar ahead of the vehicle. All the passengers were either asleep or dozing, but Chioma was wide awake.

The time was 08:35PM, and the journey to Abuja from Kano seemed a lot longer than the stipulated four hours. She had to be in Abuja that fateful night in order to make her 08.00AM interview with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc in Abuja.

Chioma Chinedu had never been in Abuja, though she had scores of friends there and even a relative or two. She was an Igbo girl, born in Kano some twenty two years ago, and her parents resided in Brigade, around the Airport Road, Kano.

She had prayed fervently to be shortlisted after the aptitude test she wrote four months ago in January, 2018. She was so excited when the call finally came through to inform her of the interview. By the grace of God, this job was hers.

"Oh God", she whispered silently, "please give me this job. I need it to assist my parents to train my younger siblings through school. I need it, oh God, so I can help Uchenna provide the capital he needs for his Spare Parts Business. Amen!"

She was confident that the job would be hers It didn't matter where she was to report for duty, she was ready.

Before embarking on the fated journey, she had heard so many stories about bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers and even boko haram that plague many of the Nigerian roads, especially the Kaduna-Abuja axis.

But she had prayed to God and she was confident her journey will be secured by God.

The vehicle was a Golf Three Wagon, the typical one used for interstate transportation of passengers and goods. So far, the driver of the vehicle did not exhibit the usual recklessness and speed like many of his counterparts would do. It was a peaceful and uneventful journey so far.

She brought out her TECNO mobile phone to check whether there were new messages on her w******p or updates on f******k. It's a virtual world now and everything happened on a mobile phone. Even the information about the aptitude test, she got from f******k. The importance of Social Media in this age cannot be overemphasized.

She went through her chat with Uche, the love of her life. She missed him already, even though he saw her to the park and they had parted with teary eyes.

"Call me as soon as you get there my love", he had whispered when they were about to take off.

"I will baby", she whispered back.

Now she smiled as she went through one of their chats that always made her happy.

Her: Hello

Uche: Baby

Her: Are you in bed? I miss you

Uche: I love that you get wet whenever I touch you, it makes me know I am irresistible to you...

I love that you love to sleep, and it takes you a long time before you get up from bed in the morning, it tells me our mornings will be lazy and romantic.

I love that I can piss you off, I love the angry look on your face when you're upset, it simply means I have to be prepared to kneel down and beg.

I love the way you touch me, the way your eyes lose focus when we're holding each other, the way your lips part with reckless abandon, it means you're crazy about me like I dey mad over you girl...

I love the fact that after we part, I smell your perfume all over me, my clothes, my hands, my body… All over! It keeps the memories we share alive always.

You're the last person I think about, the last person I talk to before I go to sleep every night. You're also the first thought on my mind every morning!

I couldn't sleep, so I thought I would write these words to you, my thoughts that I have wanted to put down ever since, but couldn't because you're not online…

The truth is when you make up your mind to spend the rest of your life with someone, someone that drives you crazy, someone that's not selfish in their love for you, then you want the rest of your life to start sharp-sharp!

Another truth is, I love you so much… So much that I don't have any expectations, no specific rules that say if you do something or you don't do anything, I won't care anymore. That is just a small part of who you are, and that's not why I love you. I love you for everything that you are, everything that makes you complete, not for the things you do or don't do for me!

I love you so much Chichi, I love you more everyday!

Her: Wow baby! Awwwwwwn… Baby you're gonna kill me

Uche: I love you baby

Her: I love you too

Smiling in the darkness, she thought about Uche. He was such a darling, a Godsend. He had made his intentions known from the very first day they met in Sabon Gari Market. She had gone to buy groceries for her mother at Yankura.

While she was waiting to collect the plantain she had paid for, she heard a voice from behind her.

"My wife, are you cooking plantain for me today?"

Chioma had whirled around, shocked at the audacity of whoever it was that spoke. The first thing she noticed were his brown eyes. They were slanted on either sides of his long nose. His lips were full and pinky, his jaws squared and covered in a thick, black and curly beard. His teeth shone in their brightness as he smiled. His smile was so infectious that she found herself smiling back.

"Yes my husband, I'm going to try plantain for you today", she replied.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing. "My name is Uche", he volunteered.

"I'm Chioma", she said.

That was the beginning of their fantastic relationship.

With her eyes still glued to the illuminated screen of her phone, she felt the car swerve violently to the left, dislodging the phone from her hands. This was immediately followed by the screech of tires biting into the tarred road, then the vehicle came to a violent halt.

Chioma was sitting behind the driver, and the fact that she was conscious somewhat cushioned the shock of the accident. She only sustained a cut on her upper lip and a jolt in the spine.

The haughty youth corper that insisted he was sitting alone in the front seat was not wearing his seat belt. He had been snoring all through the journey. The sudden stop promptly flung him forward toward the dashboard and he landed with a thwack! Blood spurted from a gash on his forehead and his mouth from the impact of the fall. He didn't wake up.

This was the much Chioma observed when she heard gunshots ringing all around the car. "Ku fito maza maza!", a voice screamed from the darkness surrounding the car. "Ku fito ko mu kashe ku gaba daya!"

Chioma's heart skipped a beat, then started racing like a bongo drum. They were being robbed! She thought. In a daze, and completely disoriented, she stepped out of the vehicle unto the grass verge. In no better state, some of them injured and bleeding, all the other passengers followed suit with the exception of the injured corper, who was unconscious.

Miraculously, there was no traffic on their side of the road. The other lane however had very heavy traffic, but no one paid any attention to them. Maybe they didn't see them… but even if they did, no one wanted to be a hero.

Chioma stood dejectedly and in terror, sandwiched between the other passengers from the car. They were nine, including the driver. Passenger number ten was still unconscious in the front seat, blood dripping from his injuries.

Her eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness. She could see six assailants in total. They all wore black. They all held guns. They all looked menacing. They all smelled dirty.

"Ke! Yaya sunanki?!" , one of them, obviously the leader, asked her in a guttural tone, with a strange accent.

"Ch… Ch… Chiom… ma", she stuttered in abject terror. She was the only female in the group, and she quailed at the horror of being raped. She was a proud virgin, with the promise of only giving it to her husband.

"Shegiya! Arniya ce!", he said with relish. "Koma nan wajen!" he gestured with the barrel of his ugly looking gun.

"Waye arne a cikin ku?!" he yelled again at the others. Everyone shook their head, "Babu".

One of them went over to the car, and using his torchlight, searched all over the car and picked all the fallen or abandoned phones. He gave them to the leader who put everything in a knapsack.

Another member of the gang searched them all and removed their possessions:- wallets, money, phones and everything he found. When he came to search Chioma, he slowly pressed his hands over her body from her shoulders, pausing at her breasts and squeezing them hard, making her wince. Again, his hands violated her privates, arrogantly and wickedly pushing his fingers against her mound. She reflexively shied away. Angrily, he rose up and slapped her in the face.

"Sai kin ci ubanki idan muka karasa. Wallahi sai mun kwana muna amfani dake", he threatened. Chioma stifled a sob, then broke down in tears.

"Don Allah ku kyale ni. Don Allah! Ko me kuke so zan baku, amma don Allah ku kyale ni…", she begged, in tears. She knew it was a hopeless plea, but she couldn't help it.

"Ba abunda kike dashi da muke so! Kuma wallahi idan baki daina kuka ba zamu kashe ki a nan wajen!" , the leader snarled at her.

He then walked over to the driver and asked, "Shi wancan bacci yake yi ko ya mutu ne?" referring to the unconscious corper.

The driver assured him that the guy was just unconscious. The leader pointed his rifle at the poor unconscious young man and pulled the trigger. Bang! Bang!! The corper jerked as the bullet hit him at the base of his skull and scattered his brain matter, bones and blood all over the dashboard.

Chioma screamed. The other passengers were as shocked, but they all looked at their feet in terror.

The leader then looked at them and said, "Muje ta nan!", pointing to a path that led into the dark undergrowth.

That was when it finally dawned on Chioma. They have just been kidnapped.