right there,’ he said, pointing to a spot on the street. ‘I was playing football with my friends that evening. I’m always playing football on the street, so I saw it all, I saw the men.’
‘How many were they?’ Taduno asked, with a faint smile.
‘There were four in all. Anti Lela was screaming for help, but nobody went to help her, everybody was afraid.’
‘What kind of clothes were the men wearing?’
‘I don’t know. Normal clothes, I think. They had guns and they waved their badges.’
‘Did they say where they were taking her?’
‘No, they didn’t say. They didn’t talk to anyone, they just waved their badges. Then they got into their car and drove off leaving so much dust in the air.’
‘Did your parents witness the incident?’
‘No, they were inside the house. By the time they came running out, the men were gone and only the dust remained.’
He realised that it was pointless questioning Lela’s parents as their story would likely be similar to Judah’s.
He nodded in thanks and slapped Judah playfully on the back. ‘I’ll find your sister,’ he said, looking into the boy’s eyes. ‘You can go back to your game.’
‘Promise?’ the boy said, in an eager voice.
‘Yes, I promise.’
They shook hands, and in that moment they both felt something – like the rekindling of an old friendship.
*
He spent the rest of the day deliberating on how to begin his search for Lela. He struck off one idea after the other, until he came to the conclusion that the best place to start was a police station.
At first, the prospect of visiting a police station terrified him; but, encouraged by the knowledge that he no longer had an identity, he took a taxi to the nearest station where he found the sergeant on duty dozing at his desk with a half-eaten cob of corn in one hand.
The tiny office reeked of a terrible odour – a mixture of decayed food, saliva, sweat, urine, morbid fear and stale cigarettes. In spite of the fact that he had been in several police stations before, Taduno felt himself choking.
He rapped a gentle knuckle on the counter.
The Sergeant jumped in his seat and the cob of corn in his hand fell to the floor, disappearing under his desk. Quickly, he picked up his worn beret from his battered desk and slapped it on his head to dignify himself with an air of authority. Then he smiled – a friendly sheepish smile that revealed uneven brown teeth.
‘Good afternoon, Sergeant Bello,’ Taduno greeted, reading the name tag on the Sergeant’s chest.
‘Afternoon,’ the Sergeant replied. ‘How may I help you? In what way may I help you? And what help do you need?’
Taduno was not surprised at the rambling manner of the Sergeant’s questions. He was familiar with the ways of policemen, and he knew you must also respond to them in a roundabout way to get results. Or else, they will turn you round and around until they get you so confused you end up confessing to a crime you never committed. And then they will lock you up with a satisfied grin. And when you bribe them, they become your friend. But they tell you that you are still a criminal all the same, and that they are friends of criminals. And they remind you, in their own parlance, ‘Police is your friend.’
Taduno laughed to himself. ‘Oh yes, you may help me. But before you help me, I think you should know that I want to help you too. And in the end you’ll be helping me to help you.’
The Sergeant looked quite impressed by the response of the well-dressed man standing before him – no doubt, a respectable gentleman wise in the ways of the police. He nodded vigorously, a look of satisfaction on his round oily face.
‘I agree with you. How may we proceed?’
The smile remained on Taduno’s face. ‘Before we proceed you may want to pick up your corn. I think it must be somewhere under your desk.’
‘True!’ The Sergeant bent down and retrieved his corn. He blew on it, then he kept it away on the far end of his desk, to be dealt with later. He turned his attention back to Taduno. ‘Yes, we may proceed.’ He had a business-like air about him now.
Leaning against the counter, Taduno cleared his throat quietly. ‘As I was saying, I need you to help me help you. And after you have helped me I will help you.’
‘That makes a lot of sense to me,’ the Sergeant beamed, rubbing his hands together. ‘Please continue.’
Taduno hesitated for a moment then cleared his throat again. ‘I’d like to know what happened to a certain Miss Lela Olaro. She was arrested a couple of weeks ago by government agents.’
Sergeant Bello scratched his head and pretended to think for several moments. Then he nodded his head slowly, as if it was all coming back to him in a trickle.
‘You remember?’ Taduno asked eagerly.
‘Hmm,’ the Sergeant grunted. ‘Actually, I’m trying to remember. It is not so easy to remember, you know.’
‘Yes, yes, I know. That’s why I need you to help me help you. After you have helped me I will help you. Can you tell me what happened to her, please?’
Sergeant Bello scratched his head some more. ‘Was she arrested or kidnapped?’ he demanded gruffly.
The question caught Taduno by surprise. He thought very quickly, then he asked: ‘You tell me, was she arrested or kidnapped?’
Sergeant Bello hesitated.
Taduno pressed. ‘I’m only asking so that you’ll help me to help you, nothing more.’ He turned on a foolish smile.
‘True, true, I understand, my brother. I need plenty of help actually. Things are very difficult at home.’
‘So?’
‘She was kidnapped by the government,’ the Sergeant said in a whisper, looking furtively around to make sure none of his colleagues was approaching. ‘They only tried to make it look like an arrest.’
Taduno did not show his surprise. ‘I would think that government agents arrest people, not kidnap them?’
‘You’d be surprised,’ the Sergeant chuckled.
‘Where was she taken? Why was she kidnapped?’
The Sergeant’s face hardened. ‘I’ve helped you enough to help me!’ he hissed.
Taduno slipped a 500-naira note across the counter and left the station quietly.
*
Rather than take a taxi, he decided to walk home. He covered the six-kilometre distance in two hours without paying any attention to the bustling city life that raced past him. He arrived home tired and consumed
