Helon Habila - Oil on Water

— Everything will be fine. You’re doing the right thing by talking to me.

— You must write it down exactly as I say, because I am the only one who knows everything that happened. I had a hand in the kidnapping, at first, but later I took care of her very well, otherwise. . she wouldn’t be alive right now.

— What happened after you left her at your uncle’s motel for the night?

— It is a long story. .

— I’m listening.

— I went back to my room, but I couldn’t rest. My mind was still worried. Later, when my neighbor Bassey came back, we sat down to drink and when he asked me where Koko was, I told him everything. When I left him, he went and told his friend Jamabo, a police officer, and it was Jamabo who came up with the kidnapping idea. Late that night they came knocking on my door. I listened as they laid out the plan. Jamabo said as a police officer he had seen many cases of kidnapping and it is like plucking money off a money tree — that was how he put it. And when I asked, What if we get caught? He said there was no danger of that: usually the police stay out of it, leaving the oil company to handle things its own way, which is what it prefers. But what of the woman? I said. She has done nothing wrong, will she be all right? Jamabo said nothing would happen to her. She would remain in the hotel room, we’d treat her well, and we’d let her go as soon as we had the money. It wouldn’t take more than two days in all. He said technically it wasn’t even kidnapping; I’d just be collecting payment for all the pain these people caused me, a refund for all my investment in Koko. And that was what convinced me. The Oga had insulted me badly, he’d taken away my pride, my dignity, my manhood, and all the time I was serving him honestly, diligently. I trusted him. And another point, the money wasn’t even coming out of his pocket: the oil company always pays the ransom, and Bassey said that if you thought about it carefully, you’d realize that the money came from our oil, so we would be getting back what was ours in the first place. Well, I started to really think. This was the chance of a lifetime. And, like Jamabo said, it wasn’t a real kidnapping. So we all agreed. We were going to ask for one million dollars. Over three hundred thousand each. We would be rich. With that kind of money I could get out of the country and no one would ever find me.

And so, their plan carefully prepared, the three went to the motel early the next morning. Isabel looked surprised to see not just Salomon but also two other men with him, one carrying a duffel bag, but she let them in and turned to Salomon for explanation. Salomon just stood there, unable to speak, unable to look her directly in the eye. But when Bassey pushed him aside impatiently to face her, Salomon found his voice.

— I will tell her.

He took her into the next room and told her the two men outside would stay with her until her husband paid ransom for her. He said if her husband cooperated, she would be free in a day or two. Slowly she sat down on the bed, shaking her head.

— No, Salomon, you’re doing the wrong thing. Listen, they’ll catch you and you’ll go to prison — do you want that? I know you’re doing this because of your fiancée, but this is wrong.

He turned and left the room, locking the door behind him, but Jamabo went in again and inspected the windows, making sure they were all firmly secured. The men stayed in the living room all day, playing cards, and when night finally fell, Salomon checked on her once more to make sure she was okay — there was a fridge in the bedroom, with water and fruit and bread in it — and then he left. However, a big shock awaited him when he got home and turned on the TV.

— The first thing I saw on the screen was the madam’s face, she was missing, and then my own face, the last person she was seen with when leaving the European Club in her car. And I remembered I had left the car at the motel, and I began to worry. What if somebody stumbled upon it, my uncle or one of his workers?

The same story was on all the stations: Isabel Floode, only six months in the country, abducted on the way home from the European Club, her driver, Salomon, wanted for questioning. He felt trapped in his room, unsure what to do. The plan had been for him to take the ransom note to Floode’s office in the morning and to drop it there without being seen; Jamabo had drafted the note with clear instructions as to where to bring the money and how to get the woman back. But this was now too dangerous and would have to change.

He couldn’t stay in his room any longer, so he quickly gathered together a few things and took a bus back to the motel.

— I went straight to number nineteen and knocked on the door. I could see the curtain shake as a figure observed me from inside. I shouted, It is me, Salomon, open up quickly. Jamabo opened the door and dragged me inside, telling me to keep my voice down. I looked around and he was alone. I went to the adjoining room where the madam was, and it was empty. Jamabo is sitting on a chair in the first room, waiting for me. Sit down, he told me, there is a change in plans. What do you mean, there is a change in plans? I shouted at him. Who is making the plans, is it not me? He said, Sit down, I am making the plans now. Listen, we think the million dollars you are asking is too small for this operation. But that is bigger than you are ever going to earn in all your life as a policeman. Besides, this is not a real kidnapping, I said. Isn’t it? he asked. My friend, kidnapping is kidnapping. Did you see the news? I am thinking that is why you came back so quickly, isn’t it? Where is she? I asked. Don’t worry, she is being taken somewhere safe as we speak. I saw the news and I knew she couldn’t stay here any longer, so I called a friend of mine who owns a boat and now he is taking her to an island not far from here. No one can find her there. We’ll soon join her. But before we go, I want to make sure you are with us. This is not a game anymore. That is why we are asking for three million instead of one. Last week, a foreign family was kidnapped, a man and his wife, their company paid three million ransom for them. Cash. This woman is worth nothing less than that, but if they decide to negotiate, we can go down to two million. Are you coming with us? You decide. But, I said to him, this is not a real kidnapping. But it is, he said, we will get the same prison sentence regardless of how much we ask for. You are a kidnapper already. Well, I had no option. And we left. First I went and checked out of the motel room, as if nothing was wrong, then we took the car and dumped it in front of a supermarket, then we set out for Agbuki Island. That was where she was being taken by Bassey.

— I know the place. I was there with other reporters. We met nothing there but dead bodies and burned-down houses, I said.

— We went there in a speedboat, and I was surprised at how glad she was to see me. I promised her everything would be all right. They had locked her up by herself in one of the huts and she looked terrified. Well, in the morning we wrote the new ransom note and sent it to the husband, but we didn’t hear back from him, nothing. Two days we were there and by now the lady was beginning to fall sick and the army was out there patrolling the river trying to find her and we didn’t know how long we could remain undetected. Jamabo said we should go and meet the husband with a picture of her as proof. He wanted me to do it since I was the driver and the husband knew me. The other two said we should seek help from other gangs, bigger gangs who have done this kind of thing before, like the Professor. There was constant argument and fighting, and all the time, when I go to give her her food, she’d urge me to take her back home, that she’d make sure her husband paid me my share of the ransom money no matter how much it was. She said she’d not mention my part in it. But I told her I couldn’t. The others were watching us all the time and they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot me if they suspected anything. Besides, I couldn’t see myself taking the husband’s money like that: I still hated him. Anyway, things were resolved for us the next day when the whole island was surrounded by boats. It was the Professor. His men came out shooting into the air, they shot at goats and dogs and chickens just like that. They went from door to door till they came to us. We were all in the same hut, the hostage and Bassey and me and Jamabo and Paul, the man with the boat who Jamabo hired. Well, the Professor came in and I was surprised to see how small and ordinary he looked. I had read about him in all the papers and I always assumed he would be a big man. He sat down and he didn’t look at us, but he said to the madam, Are they treating you well? I hope they are, because if they are not, then they will be giving all of us a bad name. Kidnapping is not for amateurs, they make a mess, people get killed, and when they do the papers have a field day. They call us barbaric, and it spoils business for everyone. Jamabo quickly jumped in and said, We are taking care of her very well. Everything is under control. Ah, so you are the leader, the Professor said, turning and looking up at Jamabo. Jamabo nodded eagerly. And you think you can just kidnap people here in my territory, without letting me know? The Professor spoke very mildly, he didn’t raise his voice. And Jamabo kept nodding and even smiling, he said, Haba , Professor, we were going to contact you after everything has been settled. We will give you your share. . And the Professor raised his hand and said to his men who were standing there holding guns, Take him out. And they grabbed Jamabo and took him out and after a minute we heard a scream, then a gunshot. Just like that. Well, everyone fell silent. We couldn’t believe what had just happened. But we never saw Jamabo again. Not even his dead body. The madam was holding my hand, and she was trying to hide behind me and she was whimpering like this, Mmmh, mmmmh, on and on, and she didn’t even know she was doing it. He looked at me and at her and he said, We are taking you off the hands of these idiots. But she was still whimpering and shaking her head and holding my hand and saying, Please, please, no. And he said, Believe me, you are more likely to get hurt in the hands of these idiots than with us. We will get in touch with your family and everything will be settled in a few days. We want this over as soon as possible. He looked at me and said, You must be the driver. She seems to trust you, so you will come with us. You are in charge of her welfare. And then Bassey raised his hand and said, Please, Oga Professor, I want to join you too. You are welcome, said the Professor. And we left together. They blindfolded me, and Isabel and Bassey. We were taken onto a boat and then we were on the water. It was a fairly long boat journey and when the blindfold was finally removed, we were on a strange beach with statues facing the water. They call it Irikefe.