The Presidential Target

Chapter Four

Exposure

0945hours

February 4

Las Gidi.

It's been about six months, since the execution of Brigadier General Tanko Abdullahi.

The nation have not totally forgotten about the events of Calaberi on July the 6th.

Every officer in the armed forces, who served with or under Tanko, from the rank of Captain up to colonel, was put under investigation by the The Gongolan Defense Intelligence Agency (GDIA), as well as the Gongolan Intelligence Agency GIA.

Investigators combed through Tanko's life to find those who were close to him. His call records were called up from network companies he used, and everybody he called in the last one year before the attack, was quietly investigated by the intelligence agencies.

His guards were detained for a while, but later released and redeployed. His property were confiscated by the Federal Government and handed over to the Army.

Charles Uba's grave would not be spared, as forensic experts exhumed him when information of his regular visits was made public. Uba's remains would be returned when nothing was found on it.

Investigators would link Adewuyi's murder in Iwerri, to the Calaberi coup plotters, after Nsima's corpse was identified through his fingerprints.

Adewuyi's Commanding Officer, CO, would inform investigators, that Adewuyi had called him that day to brief him on a very important issue.

The investigators sealed the Intercontinental Metropolitan Hotel Calaberi, and would go through the rooms inch by inch but no usable fingerprint or DNA was recovered. The CCTV didn't yield any fruit as none of the faces matched any face on the military records because of their disguises.

Even the cameras at the venue of the shooting, didn't yield any fruit. The men had expertly avoided cameras and the smoke bombs protected them.

Tanko had come earlier on to find out the locations of the cameras mounted at the venue. His men knew where to stand and not get captured by them. They also had a makeup artist work on their features before the went for the operation.

The GDIA and GIA had nothing. The vehicles didn't reveal much. They were procured under assumed names from the dealers. The amour plating was a custom job, and were impossible to trace. No private armoured vehicle manufacturing firm came forward.

The arms all had their serial numbers removed and were untraceable, even though it was clear, they had come from a Gongolan Army amoury. Without the serial numbers, their source could not be traced.

Sitting in his office in Las Gidi, Colonel Richard Adebanjo was staring at the front page of a newspaper. It was about six months old, but Adebanjo would always bring it out and stare at that smiling face whenever he was alone.

"It's not over," he repeated Tanko's last words.

He and his colleagues had sworn to avenge Tanko, no matter how long it took them.

They would try to act normal until the investigations were over. They had to plan better next time. They couldn't afford to miss again. Tanko’s vision for the Gongolan Armed Forces must be actualized.

He and Uche were the only people that knew every member of the group. They always carried around a small capsule, filled with a fast acting poison. They can never be taken alive. They were very ready to give their lives, just like Tanko had done, for the mission.

They had sent their family members abroad, even before the attack. Their major assets had also been liquidated and transferred into accounts linked to their family members.

Unfortunately, the financial transactions, hadn't gone unnoticed by the investigators. Adebanjo knew he was being tailed by agents from the GIA. They took turns every day, changing vehicles almost daily. He could always spot them despite their best efforts to hide from him.

He knew Uche was also under close surveillance by the authorities. Some of their team members, who had reported back to him, revealed that they were also under close watch by the GIA and military intelligence.

They had nothing on them, and could not move in on them. He had been interviewed about his whereabouts during the attack. He had a very strong alibi. They all had strong alibi for that day. Tanko had planned for that.

His phone rang. He looked at the number. It wasn't local. He recognized the country code immediately and the number. It was one of a list of numbers he had been made to memorize. He opened his drawer and brought out a small device which he placed on the side of the phone. He pushed the answer button.

"Hello," he said.

"We need to meet," the electronically masked voice said. "Both of you."

"Where?"

"Our mutual friend left directions."

"Yes, he did."

The line went dead. The phone number that called would be disposed of, by the caller. It would be traced by the GIA with the help of Beninese Republican Police of Benin (Police Républicaine du Bénin) but nothing would come of it.

Tanko had left some instructions in the event of an emergency meeting. There was a hotel in Cotonou. Tanko made him memorize the name, along with some other details in the event that he had to go underground.

He dialed a number on his phone. Uche picked up at the other end.

"How far?"

"O boy long time," Adebanjo tried to sound as casual as possible. He knew he was being bugged and knew he had already raised flags by using the scrambling device during the past call. "Try make we see for house in the next one hour."

"Ok, I go show."

Uche had also followed the same protocols as Adebanjo. Uche, of course, had also followed the same protocols Adebanjo followed, and like Adebanjo, his financial transactions, had raised red flags with investigators. He had long spotted his watchers.

Adebanjo got to his feet immediately. It would take him about thirty minutes to get to his house. He arranged the papers on his desk. He knew the investigators will come snooping around immediately he leaves the office.

They have been doing it for quite a while. He left markers and casual traps. They didn't find anything before and they'll find nothing now.

His orderly, a Lance Corporal, jumped to his feet immediately the door of the office opened. The secretary, a female corporal also jumped to her feet and they saluted in unison.

Adebanjo waved the Lance Corporal away when he started approaching him to take his bag.

"Give me the keys," Adebanjo told him. "You can have the rest of the day off."

He took the keys to the staff car from his orderly and matched towards the car park. From the corner of his eye, he saw his watchers getting into their car.

Adebanjo opened the door of the Peugeot 406 staff car, and got in behind the wheel. He was soon driving out of the barracks, turning the vehicle in the direction of his house.

His watchers were using a Toyota Avalon sedan. They used different cars every day, but Adebanjo could always easily spot them. He had undergone trainings by foreign and local intelligence experts. He could spot a tail a mile away.

He got to his house and freshened up. He turned up the sound from the music system in the room, even though he had conducted a sweep for bugs with a bug detection device he had. He found three. He destroyed them immediately. That will certainly raise flags with whatever agency owned those bugs. They wouldn’t publicly admit to bugging him, but it raised the suspicion level.

Uche arrived at exactly one hour after him. He too drove himself.

"Are we safe?"

"As best as I can manage," he showed Uche the listening devices he found and smashed. "The music stays on though, there might still be more. They won’t be able to hear what we are saying at the volume, if they have any other bugs here or if they use a long range listening device."

"What's going on?"

"We are needed in Benin Republic," Adebanjo said. He explained to a very attentive Uche what had happened. "This might be a one way trip. I hope your affairs are in order?"

"Yes, they are."

"I called my man who'll get us across the border," Adebanjo said. "We'll leave by 7pm. You can freshen up and change into something else while we wait."

The NIA agents in the vehicles outside the house were using a Nuzamas Parabolic long range listening device, but they couldn’t make out what was being said because of the loud music in the house.

A big van arrived at Adebanjo's house at exactly 1849hours, and blocked the view of the two cars containing the watchers.

The four agents tried to get a better view without success.

"What's going on there?" the team leader asked.

"Your guess is as good as mind boss," one of the GIA agents replied.

"Something isn't right."

The van started driving away. The team leader quickly called a commercial motorcycle operator going past them.

"You stay here and keep watch," he ordered the others. "I'll find out what I can about that van."

Flashing his identification card at the okada rider, he commandeered the motorcycle and gave chase after the van.

The van headed towards the Budagry axis, and the team leader sensed the van might be heading for the border.

He called his men, ordering one of them to come after him with a car, while he kept an eye on the van.

"Do you have enough fuel?" he asked the okada rider.

"E dey half," the rider informed him that the motorbike had half tank of fuel.

"We'll buy more," the team leader said. "You’ll be well paid by the government."

"Haba," the rider lamented. "Gongola no go pay me oooo. Na so them go chop my money. Oga make you pay me make I dey go my way or you come down."

The team leader pulled out a bundle of one thousand Gongolan pounds notes from his pocket, and handed the whole bundle to the man.

"This should be enough to buy this your okada," he said.

"Na one-fifty I buy am Oga," the rider protested.

The team leader counted fifty thousand Gongolan pounds from another bundle and handed to the man, who managed to put the money into his pocket with one hand, while controlling the motorcycle with the other.

"I suspect they may stop for fuel," he told the rider. "When they stop, you'll get down."

The van pulled into the Total Simi Service Station. The team leader pulled in after them. His team mate was still faraway but he couldn't wait. He had a hunch that Adebanjo and Uche were in the van. He wanted to be very sure.

The okada rider stopped at one of the pumps and got down. The team leader had instructed him to walk away, and he did as he was told. The man barely managed to hide the excitement on his face. For the first time in his life, he felt he had ripped off a country he believes had ripped him off all his life.

The team leader filled up the tank of the motorcycle. The van started off again and he followed as closely as possible, not to raise suspicion.

The Customs officers at the borders at both sides flagged the van on. The team leader had to flash his identification card and explain him mission, before he was allowed to pass. He barely managed to keep them in his sights.

The motorcycle looked old, but had a very strong engine. The previous owner took good care of it.

The van soon reached the main city. The agent followed closely, as the driver made several turns as he headed towards his destination.

The agent's back-up was just getting through the border, after some delay by the customs officers at the Benin Republic side.

The van came to a stop at a hotel along Rue 442 in Cotonou. The team leader stopped some meters away, and watched as the two Gongolan Army colonels got out of the van.

Adebanjo looked up and down the dark street, then he went into the hotel with Uche following behind.

The team leader pulled out his mobile phone. He could still make a call as his Gongolan number was roamed.

His colleagues were still very far. They were having difficulty finding their way. They had to relay on Google Map to find the hotel he told them, and find the fastest way to get to it. The agent also called another number, and reported the situation to his superiors in Las Gidi. They started calling their counterparts in the Benin Republic law enforcement.

Leaving the motorcycle leaning on a wall, he approached the hotel like a regular guest.

The receptionist was a tired looking young man. He understood little English, but understood Gongolan pounds notes. A lot of his lodgers had been Gongolan businessmen and travelers. The Gongolan pounds was accepted and exchanged in the hotel.

The two men had gone upstairs to the third floor. The receptionist also told the team leader the room number.

The receptionist pointed out that all rooms on the third floor had been booked. Somebody paid for all the rooms on that floor, so that he would not be disturbed.

The team leader wondered who would pay for the rooms and for what reason. The receptionist didn’t know the person either. The lodger had dealt directly with the manager and it was off the books.

The team leader went up the stairs but was stopped by two mean looking bodyguards, who blocked the way to the third floor. He could see they were armed and didn’t seem afraid of using their guns if needed.

He went down to the reception area to await his colleagues.

Adebanjo and Uche walked into the room at the third floor. The former Senate President was seated in the room, as was two other strange faces. One looked like a politician, while the other looked like a croak.

“Colonel Adebanjo, Colonel Uche," the former Senate President said. "Welcome."

The soldiers nodded their greetings to the men in the room. They sat down.

"Good thing you could make It," the former Senate President said. "No time for pleasantries and how are yous. Time is of the essence, and the people in this room don't have it to waste.

"I've not been idle since our failed attempt and General's death. I've not been idle. I've been thinking and making contacts.

"This here is the National Chairman of our party. He's been a silent sponsor from the beginning."

The man that looked like a politician nodded. The soldiers nodded back at him.

"This here is Konto," the Senate President introduced the man who looked like a croak. "He's a man of means. Since the military option have failed, and there's a lot if eyes on you and your people, we've decided to seek more professional help."

The soldiers kept quiet. The former Senate President drank from the glass cup filled with a brownish brew. It seemed harsh as his face twisted into a frown after sipping the drink.

"Have you heard about the assassin the South Africans call Isipoki?"

Everybody in the intelligence community knew Isipoki - the Ghost. Nobody knew his real name. Nobody had ever seen his face. He had never missed a mark. He had plied his trade across the continent and beyond. A senator here, a head of state there, his calling card marked his kills.

"We know him."

"Good," the former Senate President said. "That means you also know his reputation?"

"Yes."

"Konto has connected us to him," the former Senate President beamed. "We now have the services of a professional, a legend in the business."

"As soon as you make the first payment," Konto said rubbing his fat fingers together and grinned. “Of course.”

"Yes," the former Senate President said bringing out a small black bag. "$5million in diamonds. Half now, the rest after the job is done. Here you go."

Konto opened the small bag and looked into it. He took out one of the diamonds and held it up to the light. He smiled in satisfaction.

"Our military partners," the former Senate President continued. "Are here to render support to your client."

Konto laughed and shock his head as he put the bag of diamonds into his pocket.

"There's a reason nobody knows the Ghost," he said with a big smirk on his face. "He works alone and gets the job done. He doesn't need local content. Sorry soldier boys but my client will get the job done without external help."

The soldiers didn't respond. Konto slowly dragged his massive pot belly to his feet.

"You'll be hearing from me," he said. "Or rather, stick to your TV screen. The Gongolan President became history the moment I put those diamonds in my pocket."

He dragged his feet out of the hotel room. The team leader saw him come down the stairs, but assumed he was a guest in the hotel. Konto saw him for what he was.

"I guess our trip here was for nothing," Adebanjo started talking when the phone of the former Senate President rang.

He waved Adebanjo to silence and pushed the answer button. He frowned immediately and glared at the soldiers.

"You were followed," he spat. "Konto spotted somebody at the reception area who shouldn't be there."

"That means we cannot go back," Uche said.

"Exactly," the former Senate President said. "Find out what he knows and deal with him. Get to the back of the hotel quickly."

The soldiers jumped to their feet and ran down the staircase. The team leader heard the footsteps coming down the stairs in a hurry and quickly started leaving the hotel.

Adebanjo spotted him and gave chase. The team leader started pulling out his service automatic pistol from his waist holster, but Uche fired a round into his chest.

The bullet threw the man against the wall and he fell to the ground dead. Adebanjo searched his pockets. He discarded the cash and went through his wallet.

"GIA," he cursed. "Let's get out of here."

The former Senate President travelled in a convoy of three armoured Toyota SUVs. They were steaming behind the hotel.

The soldiers jumped into the SUV at the rear, and the vehicles drove off at top speed.

Two Toyota Hilux trucks belonging to the Republican Police (DGPR) arrived the scene, barely minutes before the Toyota Avalon conveying the second GIA agent arrived.

The Gongolan agent had difficulty identifying himself initially, until a police officer who understood a little English spoke with him. The police insisted they took possession of the body and investigate the case.

The GIA agent punched the number of his superior officer in Las Gidi.

"I got here too late sir," he reported. "Etim is dead sir. The colonels are in the wind."

Benin Republic/Gongola.

In the days ahead, the Benin Republic authorities, would send the corpse of the death GIA agent, an Army captain, across the border, to be received by the Gongolan authorities.

The homes of the two missing colonels, as well as their offices, were torn apart by forensic experts. Even the floor and the walls were not spared.

Nothing useful would be found.

Their call records for over a year would be put under the microscope. Their service records will be thoroughly investigated, with all their postings scrutinized by detectives and experts from almost every intelligence agency in the country.

Wire taps were authorized on several phone numbers of military personnel across the country, whose whereabouts, couldn't be verified at the time of the Calaberi attack, and who served alongside with Tanko at any point in his career.

Even those who served at one point or the other with the two colonels, were put under the microscope.

Investigators paid more attention to those who served with the colonels and Tanko at the same posting, at the same time.

The Benin Republic authorities sealed up the hotel for weeks, while their investigators combed through all the rooms, looking for forensic evidence to identify the people in that room on that day.

The Benin Republic authorities, would coordinate their investigations with their Gongolan counterparts. Fingerprints of the former Senate President would be lifted from the room. The fingerprints of his bodyguards would also be lifted. The bodies of the two bodyguards were found days later.

The former Senate President was well informed by his sources within the Benin Republic police.

He quickly cleaned up lose ends. The colonels took care of the bodyguards and dumped their bodies.

He couldn’t however get his contacts to destroy the forensic evidence that indicated he was in Benin Republic.

A more intensive search would be mounted across the country for him, and it would limit his movement. He would move around less, and always in tinted vehicles.

After two weeks of intense surveillance, a name was mentioned that got investigators very interested and worried.

Isipoki.