Umar Kassim was already developing deep animosity toward Chief Timbabu. If there was a way to slowly end the life of the overlord without raising suspicion, he will have done so. The video recording that Kulala Bodega was in possession of also made the situation more complicated.
For Umar Kassim, just like he anticipated, his life was no longer the same as soon as he began the publications on Chief Timbabu. He no longer had access to the luxurious life he had gotten accustomed to. His job was dangerous and he knew it. But he rarely bothered because he was convinced that he was fighting a noble cause.
Having been a beneficiary of the largesse of Chief Timbabu himself in the past went he needed funds to invigorate his publications, he knew that the path he was threading was a deadly one. Umar Kassim who ran his publications with a different identity was of the firm belief that the more one ponders about his or her enemy’s power, the weaker one tends to become so he; like a pigeon that would close its eye when it sees a cat, kept doing his job without thinking about the consequences.
Taking a clue from how the dreaded Chief terminated the life of Osawa Dinbidu, Umar Kassim clearly knew he had to make backup plans if he was to stay alive. Chief Timbabu’s hunger for money or his greed for power meant he could do anything just to have and sustain them.
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Umar Kassim knew he was needed by the Chief to destroy Kulala Bodega but would become his fate after that episode of madness? He had too many questions on his mind and very few answers but he was determined to save his life one way or the other. Will Chief Timbabu ever find out that he was being played? What will be his reaction if he did?
Excerpt:
He walked out of the abandoned warehouse with a quick pace, as he had received a very important text regarding the next move of the chief. Although he was in a crucial meeting already, it was even more urgent. He was sure that Kulala Bodega would surely send him the video recordings and with them, he could destroy the chief, who had them all on the leash. He hated Chief Timbabu to the core, each time when he would sit in front of the chief and take orders, all he wanted to do was give him a painfully slow death.
His eyes blinded for a second as he stepped out of the semi-dark cool warehouse into the open sunny day. The scorching afternoon was turning into the evening, but there was no sign of a single squall or breeze. Their state had beautiful beaches which was also a reason that after hot days, the evenings usually were cooler with the sea breeze pushing the blazing effect of the sun away. He got into his truck, which was reserved for the kind of meetings only which he attended just now. It was very old with flashy red paint peeling off. The rust had consumed half of it, and it was a miracle that the thing was still working. The inside was as hot as inside of a burning volcano. He cursed as he banged the old door shut and removed the ski mask he was wearing. He tried to fill his lungs with a few mouthfuls of air, but nothing helped. It was like his lungs were being filled with boiling water. He opened the weary dashboard and took a little thermos out of it. A big swig of water felt like heaven, and his breathing became better. He missed his luxurious air- conditioned car which he usually used and started the engine. Umar Kassim had given up many things since he first started the underground publication.
He had always been called a brave-heart, ever since he was a kid but trying to deceive the chief right under his nose, well that was downright stupid, even in Umar Kassim’s opinion. He was the man who had been using the bribes he received from the chief himself in running the state-endorsed paper to secretly fund his underground publication. He had never thought about what could happen if the chief found out about his real identity and that he was the backbone of the secret force that was trying to cease his power and his existence. Umar Kassim believed that more you ponder about your enemy’s power, the weaker you tend to become so he; like a pigeon who would close its eye when it sees a cat, kept doing his job without thinking about the consequences.
The idea of the paper had occurred to him one day when one of his very close friends who happened to work for the chief was ordered to be executed by Chief Timbabu, along with his wife and two little children just because he had no resources to fill the chief’s forever gaping mouth, nobody could ever satiate Timbabu’s hunger for money or his greed for power. Osawa Dinbidu was Umar Kassim’s childhood friend, and he was literally family. Before the day he was killed, Umar Kassim was invited to their home for dinner, and he could still remember each moment as if it had happened days back. Osawa Dinbidu loved poetry, just like his four-year-old daughter, especially the works of Keats. Osawa’s eyes were always full of pride each time her daughter recited any of Keats’ poems.
He had later told Umar that he wanted his daughter to become a poet like John Keats when she is a lady and Umar had smiled at how his eyes twinkled when he talked about it. The very next morning, Umar Kassim had seen the lifeless forms of his friend and his innocent family who were killed by unknown intruders. The little bodies of his children were covered in blood and Umar had felt as if a part of him had died with Osawa. He had promised himself that day that the chief will suffer the same way, even if meant giving up his life.
Umar Kassim was a famous talk show anchor, and people believed whatever he said. He practically made stars out of losers. He knew well that Chief Timbabu needed him more than anything else especially now when he wants to destroy Kulala Bodega. Umar also knew that after crushing Kulala Bodega in the game of politics, the chief would squash him like a bug. Umar Kassim never considered himself a hero, but the last thing he wanted to see was another Osawa losing his life in the hands of the chief.
When the underground publication was initially started, Umar Kassim was not even sure if people would buy his stories or not but guess a long time over television and the press had set his tone pretty convincing. The very first publication spread like wildfire and soon it was the talk of the town. The very first bomb dropped by Umar Kassim was the news about the oil wells and their deteriorating conditions. He had an idea that it may affect Kulala Bodega’s image, but he had a plan which in the long run would only damage Chief Timbabu. Kulala Bodega was dearly loved and highly respected by the masses as he was a man of his word and he worked for the state and its interest.
The biggest advantage Umar Kassim had apart from him being in the field of media was that he was close to the chief. This could also turn out to be his biggest disadvantage if the chief found out about his sneaky behaviour but this also gave Umar Kassim a chance to fish out more and more information. Now with the tapes Kulala Bodega was about to provide him, he would dig a grave for the chief.
Umar Kassim revved the engine and wore his ski mask back. Nobody could identify him as he played extremely safe, knowing the chief’s influence. He texted his PO box number to Kulala Bodega and drove towards the outskirts of the town. It was not a very crowded part of the town, but he still earned some weird looks from the people around. Suddenly, while crossing a hawker selling newspapers the new publication of the underground paper caught his attention. Umar Kassim smiled and threw a ZAF towards the guy and grabbed the paper. Without waiting for his change he drove away leaving the shocked newspaper hawker behind.
In a deserted corner, Umar Kassim parked the truck and opened the paper. The front page showed a smiling picture of Osawa Dinbidu which made Umar Kassim feel as if his heart was squashed under a boot. The headline of the article said;
To an unsung hero; we sing the song of your valiance.
The article was about the bravery of Osawa and how he lost his life because he dared to refuse the chief’s orders. The report also highlighted some of the dirty businesses ran by the chief. Attached to the article were some of the pictures of Chief Timbabu during his meetings or distributing drugs and ammunition to his customers. Umar Kassim was satisfied with the content in the paper anticipating the chaos that was about to be unleashed after the distribution of the paper. Chief was not going to like it. Umar Kassim smirked, and his eyes once again lingered to Osawa’s photo. A sharp pain hit Umar, and dejection was literally seen on his face.
Umar Kassim suddenly felt tired as if he had been running for too long. He rolled the paper and took his ski mask off again. He then rested his head against the seat and closed his eyes.
