Dirty Diamonds Of Boko Haram Part 1 by Eze Eke Page A

all two hundred and
sixteen of them, was initially sixty million US dollars but with
the help of the Chadian president, who is acting as the go between,
the price has been reduced to forty million dollars. The money is
set to be paid directly through the office of the National Security
Adviser” the colonel paused a moment to let that one sink in before
going on. “Your current employer is just one name on a long list of
VIPs paying ransom to those terrorists and the list has grown very
quickly to include both the governors of Bauchi and Kano states who
pay them on a monthly basis to keep away from their territory. We
are trying our very best night and day but there isn’t much the
Army or any other arm of the military can do about anything right
now. Everyone blames the military, but the sad truth which we
cannot voice openly is that we are still waiting on the politicians
to sort themselves out and provide us with the necessary weapons
and equipment needed for us to switch tactics from defensive to
offensive. And while we wait, Boko Haram grows from strength to
strength and continue to commit abominable atrocities never heard
of before, our soldiers and countless numbers of innocent citizens
are being slaughtered on a daily. As long as Alhaji Mustapha Usman
keeps the ransom negotiations and payments for the release of his
niece very quiet, everyone here in Abuja will look the other way.
Even if information of it somehow leaks out, he still won’t be
touched. In fact, the contrary is the case, he will find a lot of
sympathizers among his powerful friends who will only be too
willing to provide him with all the necessary assistance he needs
to bring that girl safely home and unharmed. I suspect that’s how
he came into possession of classified military documents and the
soldiers he’s using. I dare say I could point a few fingers but the
targets are so high up above my pay grade that I’ll most likely get
my fingers chopped off if not my career itself, top brass as I
am”
    Alex was quiet a minute as he digested all
the shocking new information. Yes, indeed, he had been away from
the game for too long.
    The Colonel was silent too.
    “What of El Soldat?” Alex asked quietly.
    “You will to have to take him out”
    “ Me ?” Alex asked in surprise.
    The colonel looked directly at him. “Yes,
you, lieutenant. Seeing as you’re already neck deep in this, is
there a better person for the job?”
    “I’m not even military anymore. I don’t
count”
    “Once a military man always a military man.
You still and will always count because you were my best man,
that’s until you had the stupidity of beating up your own
commanding officer”
    “And I paid the price in full” said Alex
firmly. “I rotted in military prison for a month before they kicked
me out of the Army. I don’t work for you or the Army anymore”
    “But you are still a patriot and your county
invested so much in you” countered the Colonel.
    Alex sat back and said nothing.
    “Lieutenant, do you really know why I came
here personally tonight despite having my hands so full of work, I
can hardly sleep?”
    “No, sir”
    “I came here for several reasons but most
important of all is that you were my best man and judging by any
standard you still are. When my best man, right out of the blues,
calls another good operative of mine to say he wants to meet
urgently and over an important issue, that raises a red flag that
catches my full attention at once. Captain Akeem had the good sense
to answer all my questions when I interrogated him directly, and
then instead of dispatching some agent to pick you up as I normally
would have done, here I am. And I’m glad I came because you’ve just
handed me a rare opportunity of catching up with the second most
wanted terrorist in this country”
    Alex was surprised. “I thought he was number
seven?”
    The colonel chuckled. “El Soldat has promoted
himself to second place in just three months” said the