Read The Street Boy Part 4: SARS
The officer stared at us. “Who be these ones?”
“Workers.”
“Oya everybody come down. We want to search this place.” The officer ordered us.
We jumped down one by one. The last guy who was already high on igbo jumped down and his gun fell on the tarred ground.
For a full second, there was total silence as everybody stared at the gun. Before the officer could open his mouth, Oga Bullet shot him with his own gun.
The other officers heard the shot and went into ran towards us. We jumped into the van. The nearest officer shot at Oga Bullet who grabbed Tega in front of him as a shield. Tega got the bullet in his head and died immediately. Oga Bullet shoved him off the van and zoomed off with the rest of us.
The officers gave us a hot chase with their van. My heart was pounding the whole time. In my mind, I was thinking, “God, is this how I’m going to die? I never enter school. Hei! I never marry o. No pikin o“.
After a long Fast and Furious chase and dodging with SARS, we were able to escape. I later heard their fuel ran out during the chase. By the time they could refuel their vehicle and continue, Oga Bullet had disappeared tey tey. What actually happened was Oga Bullet suddenly swerved into the nearby thick forest and drove like a mad man. It was like he knew every corner of the forest. That was the day I knew Oga Bullet was the baba nla of all drivers. He could drive faster than Dom and Brian. I for troway cap for am but I wasn’t in the mood. I was grieving Tega.
Oga Bullet finally parked at a very hidden place that only he knew about. We all jumped down and disappeared in different directions. Luckily for us, those SARS officers wouldn’t recognize us. The only officer that knew our faces was dead. So, it was easy to get back home without problems.
Everybody stayed low for many weeks until Oga Bullet called us together. He had sold the goods and wanted to share the money. He gave each of us fifty thousand naira. Can you imagine? Fifty fucking thousand naira! We stared at him in disbelief.
“Boss, this money is too small now.” I complained.
He looked insolently at me. “You suppose thank your God say you even see money. You think say to find person wey go buy those goods easy?”
“I know, boss, I know.” I replied calmly. “But check am na. Fifty thousand naira for those expensive goods wey we carry the other time? E no good na, boss.”
Oga Bullet glared at me in rising rage. “How much you think say I sell am? The person no give me better money.”
Liar, I thought. I knew for a fact that those goods were worth millions. Oga Bullet wouldn’t have sold them for less than five million naira.
“But Boss, it’s not fair na. ” I began.
He spat out angrily. “You dey craze? Na me you dey talk to like that?”
He glared at all of us. “Make I remind all of una. If not for me, una go still dey sell pure water ten-ten naira for street, under hot sun. Hunger for don finish una. Una suppose dey happy say I dey even give una money instead of complaining. As far this group dey concerned, na me be the boss. Anything wey I talk, una go do. Obey before complain. If you no like am, waka!”
I kept quiet. But inside me, I was boiling with rage. Since our last operation, I hadn’t been myself. Tega’s death was still very fresh in my mind. Tega and I were five and six. We sold pure water together on the street. Oga Bullet recruited us into his gang at the same time. We did everything together. I called him my brother from another mother. We were close like that. So, seeing him lying dead on the main road was scattering my head. And the man responsible for that was standing right there in front of me. As if that wasn’t enough, he was trying to scam us. At that moment, I came to a very cold decision.
Oga Bullet must die!
To be continued on Friday. Don’t forget to comment, like and share.