Chapter 10: the course II

This time around a secret message was mailed to our inboxes requesting our presence and that was where I was now.

Coker was a small town in Surulere, Lagos and I had to drive all the way from Ikeja to see why I had been called. I was more cautious and conscious of my surroundings as I would never allow what happened that day to repeat itself.

When I arrived at the house in Enitan street which the mail had addressed, I was met with a group of some Generals and other Soldier's. This meet was more secretive than the other and I wondered why they hadn't summoned the rest of us but only a few. We were inaccurately, a number of 20 men present at this location, there might have been more but that was what I was able to achieve after my head count.

We had sat down in a large spaced living room that had an oval centre mat with the face of a lion boldly indented on it, before a man began to speak. He had a protruding stomach that looked as though it had swallowed a whale but then I realized he was a general by his stiff looks and commanding presence.

"We are running out of time, the nation is crying for our help and still we haven't found a footing against these criminals," the man said in a gruff voice while the rest of us listened attentively.

"The events of last time didn't allow us to share our plans but today, I say, no Jupiter would stop us from actualizing that," he added again and we all nodded simultaneously in understanding of his words.

A man at the far end stood up and drew forward a small white board. I assumed they intended to map out the plans for us but I couldn't help but feel uneasy where I sat. It was almost as though any minute now, those men with the masks would appear and a rerun of events would follow.

"If you're clever you must have caught on to the reason why we are here incognito," the man continued, now standing before the board, referring to our casual wears and not uniforms.

"It's highly expected that there's a rat amongst us. They might even be here present but I pray not, so that's why only a few of us are privileged to be sitting here now."

The thought had been there from day one but saying it out now was making it become a reality. At his words we all glanced at ourselves as if, if we looked, we would find the truth written on whomever's face.

"If you're seated here, you're considered to be the best in your branch or organisation," he started again, now folding his hands behind his back.

He went forward to pick up the black paint marker before scribbling something on the board.

"It's time to make introductions," he said reading out what he had written and we obliged instantly.

"Lieutenant Jamal Obiyemi," the first man in the order stood in a salute.

"Flight Sergeant Aliyu Umar."

"D3 ICS Agent Paul Uhie," my colleague beside me said and I knew it was my turn. He was the only one I was familiar with here, the rest were strangers.

Paul was well known in our field as he was highly skilled in bomb disposal. For a while he was competition but that was at the start of things, now we had learnt eventually to accommodate ourselves.

"D3 ICS Agent Lade Adenuga," I said in an awkward salute with my right hand. The annoying cast once again was hindering me from doing something so little.

The introduction had finished and my rough count was right, we were a number of 20men sitting here and It was finally remaining the general before us to make his own introduction.

"I am General Alfred Suraj Dzarma and I was appointed by the President to lead this rescue mission," he said and my mind centred on the word rescue only.

We were going on an extraction and the reality dawned on me instantly as this was one of the most dangerous ops to ever embark on. There were high rates of risks because most times one hasn't identified and analysed the capacity of the enemy's capabilities and now, we were entering blindly into the enemies territory while seeking for hostages who had no definite locations. 

"Our goal is to apprehend these terrorists but the first priority is rescuing the girls who were abducted recently," the man explained before turning to write something on the board again.

"Sambisa," I muttered trying to pronounce the strange written word staring at all of us on the board. 

"A forest located on the border of Lake Chad and Nigeria. It's a Savannah hold with thick bushes and massive land mass. The only forest habitat in the North East," he said while sketching out a diagram on the board.

"We have a lead that says this group is hiding these girls somewhere inside these bulks of Savannah."

I hadn't heard of a place like the Sambisa forest before but I knew it wouldn't be easy, definitely.

"So now what is the plan," he started, walking forward into the circle of the room.

"We are going to infiltrate their camp like they did to ours two weeks ago but before that I wonder though, how did they get into a highly secured barracks without being noticed," he began again and it wasn't until he was silent for a minute that I realized he was asking us the question.

"They must have had some kind of disguise," Jamal, the first man to introduce himself responded and I reflected on what he said for some time.

"You're not quite there but you're close. A disguise but of what kind," the general responded and it had me thinking deeply.

"Are you talking based on material wears like uniform guises," another man said from my left hand side but I highly doubted it was what we were looking for.

"A disguise perse does not mean faking personal or frontal features," the general replied before walking back to his board but then an answer struck.

"A distraction?" I said more like a question but I guess I was heard well.

"Aha!" The general shouted in approval while pointing his marker towards my direction as a sign of me being correct.

I saw the others start to understand where the general was coming from as the wheels started turning in their heads.

"So then, what kind of distraction happened that allowed maybe all or a few to slip in and create an opening for the rest or for a full blown attack?" He asked again and my mind rolled back to that day's events. I played it out like a movie in my head, stopping at the scene created at the building entrance by Emeka and I, and even later the lady in red.

"That morning there was a scene at the entrance of the building," I said and everyone turned to me, like this was something new to their ears.

"Really and what was that?" The general asked, waiting for me to elaborate further. I never looked at or thought that that morning's events were fishy, but as it all played out now, I had to admit, there was some sense in what the General was saying.

"A soldier on guard picked a fight with my coworker, J4 agent Emeka Okigbo and it grasped the attention of everyone around. I had to intervene to stop it from becoming bloody," I explained and I saw the man head bent in thought.

"Did you investigate the guard?" The general questioned.

"No I handed him over to be disciplined but the turn out of things made me not to return back to check whether it was carried out," I answered.

"What was the basis of their disagreement?" This time around it was the flight Sergeant Aliyu that threw a question at me.

"Nothing relevant, my coworker had forgotten his ID but that was a normalcy on his side," I clarified right alway before their minds began conjuring up false ideas. 

"I'm guessing there is no footage of the scene," the general asked again and I shook my head in reply, come to think of it they had all been deleted.

"Then we need to investigate the guard he might be the one we are looking for or a plausible lead to the rat," he added before walking towards the white board again.

I left out the woman in red because no one had accepted they had seen her and I needed to understand the situation about her before I put it out on a serious ground like this one.

"Okay now that we have established something on that matter let's move on. You have 3 to 5 days tops to complete this mission," he said drawing something on the board.

It was some sort of haphazard sketch of a climatic condition. I didn't study geography to understand what he had just done, so to be honest I was lost.

"The Sahara Desert is in line to the forest and by this time of the year, the North wind rises from it. Which means you're going there on land in order not to draw attention and when you're done in nothing more than 5days, we send an aircraft to pick you and the girls up," he addressed again, explaining his diagram systematically.

"Why an Ultimatum?" A new voice asked this time from the far end.

"Because in 7days the weather forecasts have predicted that this North Wind would start blowing throughout and around the whole Northern region and we can't fly an aircraft in a dust clouded atmosphere. If you don't complete this mission on time you would be stuck there till whenever the Wind decides to stop and there's nothing we can do."

I hated when there was a timer set on something I was doing and the consequences deadly, it was almost suffocating.

"Truthfully it's not going to be easy, what you would face would be unimaginable but focus on the essence of why you're going there and not the fear."

Our features had no single emotions etched on them as It was all contorted In a stoic manner while we received the news. This was a case of the survival of the fittest but I planned on surviving no matter what.

"Though that's not all," he voiced again, walking back to sit amongst us with our eyes following his movements.

General Dzarma's hands reached for a photo that had been turned upside down on the wooden table at the centre and when he brought it up, the face of an unknown but yet very familiar man came into view.

"Abubakar Shekau," his authoritative voice sounded the terrifying name that instilled a shivering feel in all of us. An unmistakable outcome from the presence of a dreadful fear that dwelt within.

"The bloodthirsty Monster and sadly, the head of this group," he added, stopping to glance swiftly at our faces to ensure that we were all following. "This man over here," he said while poking the photo a couple of times, still moving his stare around to catch ours.

"The truth is that, he is your bane. So you must! At the very first chance..." His words paused to imbue a dramatic effect throughout the space. "Strike him out," He finished in a hushed tone but loud enough for us to hear clearly as we began to drink in his words with our minds wandering farther than time itself.

"And finally once you leave this building, this meeting didn't happen. If you choose to spill, it would be your life in danger and not mine. Following protocol, you will be given two days to stay with your family then you're expected to pack up and report back here immediately," he concluded and we all nodded briskly before standing and saluting at the General, who had just given the final orders.

We started walking towards the exit at the same time, looking apprehensive and down in the dumps as this meeting had completely changed our lives for good. The storm had arrived and it was going to surely sweep us all off our feets but the question now was, who would eventually make it?.

"Agent Lade," I heard someone call my name and when I turned it was the General Dzarma.

I saluted at him immediately, waiting for his command.

"At ease," he said next and I lowered my hand instantly.

"You will not be joining them on this mission."