2 A Week Earlier
Col. Okonjo Williams was in a hurry, but he made an effort to take his time. He was already an hour behind schedule, but it was strictly due to circumstances beyond his control. Everyone knew his penchant for punctuality, but transporting from the forest at the border to the garrison in the border town of Konduga had been nothing short of tedious, especially with the sandstorm.
He finished dressing and walked out smartly. His boys snapped salutations and followed him to the vehicles. Defense Headquarters had summoned and he had to be at the Federal Capital before noon.
When the Colonel got to his vehicle, he hesitated a bit when he saw Lt. Jerry Dipta.
"Lieutenant, you are not supposed to be here. I almost forgot to deal with your case because of my hurry. But I am placing you under arrest now until I return to decide whether you are to face a full court-martial."
"Yes sir!!!" Jerry snapped a salute.
"I left you in charge of the garrison and now there are three deserters already," Okonjo said, taking a few menacing steps towards Jerry, "and to worsen your situation, you gave classified information out to the international media. I had put you in charge because Capt. Dati is leading special ops for me in the forest and he recommended you, but you have failed him... and me."
"Yes sir, I'm so sorry sir!!!" Jerry said at attention.
Col. Okonjo turned to two other officers and said, "Take him away and lock him in the guardroom."
The officers snapped salutes and took Jerry away as Okonjo boarded his vehicle and zoomed off with his convoy.
As Jerry was led away, he saw Sarah standing in the doorway to the Colonel's quarters. She had been standing there watching what was happening. As their eyes met, Jerry could bet she smiled at him or made an effort to do so, the way her lips moved.
He had always loved Sarah, and of course, she was the idol of many in the battalion. But no one dared go close. Everyone knew she was the girlfriend to the Colonel or something of some sex doll. But Jerry always wanted more for her. Marriage perhaps.
Jerry knew Sarah had a thing for him too, but he always wondered when it ever would be possible for that thing to come to fruition.
As he was led away, he felt defiant. He had no regrets whatsoever, for what he had done. It was the right thing to do anyway. If the world didn't know what was happening here, then somebody had to tell them. And as an acting Information Officer of the unit, he only felt obliged.
There was a deal Col. Okonjo was doing with the terrorist they had come out here to fight. A gimmick very few knew in the unit. They had been made to believe that they were out here to fight terrorists. But they were never winning the war.
The war effort was dragging longer than it was supposed to. it was only when Jerry became the IO a few days ago that he realized a deeper game was at play. The military was busy playing a hide and seek game with the terrorists and dealing arms underneath. Several officers had died for nothing, believing that they were fighting a just cause.
Jerry knew he could not organize a mutiny. But he needed the world out there to know that the lives of officers were only been used for a dramatic performance to satisfy the greed of politicians at the Federal Capital, with Col. Okonjo as their pawn. So he had leaked the information out as to why officers were now deserting the army.
On his third day in the guardroom, Sarah brought him some food. She left the food on the floor and turned to leave.
"Lt. Ade," Jerry called softly.
Sarah turned sharply as if she had not expected to be called at all.
"You know what they are doing is wrong. And they are going to court-martial me for it. They are only using the system to punish me and further their cause, but I believe you know I did the right thing. Didn't I?" Jerry asked.
"Does it matter what my opinion is? Sarah asked back.
"It does matter to me. At least it will comfort me that you of all people knew I made the right call."
"We are soldiers, we are here to serve and carry out orders," Sarah replied.
"Even when you know those orders are wrong? We are supposed to be patriotic to our country, what is happening here is criminal. They are selling arms to those guys, the same arms they use to kill our men. The Northern politicians want to carve a country of their own and they are using this crisis to make that happen. It is only unfortunate that our superior officers have been co-opted into the dirty play. I am from the North, but I stand for one indivisible country. If we are here to waste our lives, then I don't blame any deserter at all. I would same now at the slightest opportunity."
Sarah only heaved a long sigh and turned to go.
"Sarah," Jerry called now, making a show of familiarity. "You are an officer; do you enjoy being used as some sex material? You know he is never going to marry you."
"I do so to stay away from the forest. Besides, who marries female officers?"
After a pause, Jerry said, "I will if I ever got out of here. Would you come with me if I ever asked? But you know they will not let that happen don't you?"
That was all Sarah needed to hear. She didn't answer any of the questions, she just walked briskly out of the guardroom and shut it behind her.
It was the following day that she returned around 10:00 pm, panting. She came with two bags full of provisions.
"You have to dress smartly, we are leaving," she said.
"Why, what happened?"
"Are you coming or not?"
Jerry scrambled to his feet and dressed hurriedly.
"What happened to the Colonel?" he asked.
"I drugged his drink. He is fast asleep now."
They snuck out and got to the car Sarah had prepared. She opened the boot and Jerry hid inside. She shut the boot and went over to the driver's seat. As she drove to the checkpoint at the entrance, the officers there recognized her and opened it for her immediately. When she had driven a long distance, she stopped and opened the boot for Jerry to come over and join her.
"There is something else I have not told you," she said.
"And what is that?"
"Open that bag," she pointed.
When Jerry did, his jaw dropped.
"That is two million dollars. Col. Okonjo said its money for provisions and arms, but I know it was money the Janboko leader sent to him when he returned from the Capital. We could use that to start life in the Cameroons."
"Why are you doing this?"
"They were going to use you as an example. You are not meant to be court-martialed. I heard him as he spoke to Capt. Dati over the phone. Dati is supposed to come in tomorrow and take care of you."
Jerry only sighed and looked out the window into the dark, thinking hard with a squint in the eye.
"Besides, you said you were going to marry me, I love that part too."
As she said this, she turned the ignition and surged the car forward.
At the wee hours of the morning, Jerry and Sarah saw a roadblock on the dirt road about a mile away. It seemed Capt. Dati had been contacted and he had ambushed them. Because as soon as their vehicle was spotted, all the personel at the roadblock got swiftly into the waiting vans and started speeding in their direction.
Sarah engaged gears and began to speed on reverse. Jerry suggested they used an Improvised Explosive Device to take out Dati, but Sarah refused vehemently. When they saw a narrow rocky path through the mountains, they decided to abandon their vehicle and take it on foot. The only better chance they would have to dodge.
That had been their beginning of a three-day cat and mouse chase with Dati through the mountains. They had finally eluded him, but they all knew Dati was not one to give up on a mission once set to.
