The Special Task Force

Jessica Mbah was looking out of the window in the middle of the night to the upscale restaurant across the street. Her new apartment in Admiralty Way Lekki Phase 1 in Lagos, Nigeria was facing the restaurant and she immediately remembered Segun’s compliment to the waiter when they were there in the evening. “You guys have the best beef in the world." And she wondered why she remembered that compliment that minute.

The restaurant was facing right before her master bedroom upstairs of her new apartment across the street; the dining section was downstairs and she was sure that the room that had the window facing her bedroom was probably the restaurant’s storeroom upstairs. She had caught a weird movement in that store. Mbah wasn’t sure what she saw. She needed to check it out because she had the feeling that something was wrong.

Jessica Mbah was a special agent with the DSS or the Department of State Security. She had been transferred to the DSS Field Office in Victoria Island, Lagos from Kano State and she had moved to Lagos eight days ago. Mbah and her colleague Agent Segun Balogun had started on their mission immediately she settled in.

Their usual rendezvous before they set out for their investigation was the restaurant, and that was where they also had their dinner when they closed from work. Segun liked their meal especially their beef as he complimented them earlier.

Mbah was in her mid-thirties but looked way younger, average and superfly fit, and pretty enough to be hardly detected as a federal operative. A former journalist, she was now a DSS special agent. She and Balogun were assigned to a special task force in Lagos.

She had a long day, so exhausted and she had promised to turn off her phone and sleep as long as she could because the following day would be even longer. So, she had driven to her house, went to her room, stripped down, and stood in the shower, letting the water wash off some of the fatigue. When she got out of the bathroom, she opened the curtains, turned on the nightstand lamp and the room went dim. She had stood in front of the window, drying her hair when she saw that disturbing image from the restaurant across the street. She somehow had the feeling to check it out, but decided against it and had concluded that some of the workers could be sleeping there and that could justify the person she saw that ran past the storeroom.

But Mbah had always believed in her instincts and that had guided her in most of the impossible missions she had encountered over the years; it had never failed her. She decided to check out whatever that was. Even though she knew it could be the staff, that was just speculation on her part. She put on her tight pants and blouse, took her ID, slid a Glock nine-millimeter into her waist holster, and took other necessary equipment she might need. She turned off the lamp and stepped out of her room.

Mbah left her apartment barefooted and had crossed to the other side of the street with her pistol tactfully in hand. She was barefoot on purpose because she didn’t want to risk her presence with the sounds of her footsteps if there was something illegal going on there. She didn’t expect the front door to the restaurant unlocked, that was the reason she had a facsimile to unlock the door, but when she pushed the door silently, it opened and she was astounded to see the door to the restaurant not locked at this time of the night and she knew something was off. She got into the restaurant; it was dark.

The sound reached her ears a few seconds before it would have been picked up by anyone not as well trained as she was.

She sensed the footsteps approaching towards the dining area where she was and the people had no torchlight. That gave her a bad signal that something could be going on here.

Yet, she didn’t call for backup, not even her colleague Segun because she had to be sure first and foremost.

The footsteps kept coming closer and closer and she flitted for cover near the building’s front door and her pistol was still in position ready to fire. Many footsteps were now approaching and she knew it wasn’t one person. It could be two or more.

She heard a voice. “Are you sure that door is locked?"

A footstep started approaching toward the door, kicking the tables and chairs in the darkness. Mbah hoped they didn’t turn on the light. The footsteps reached the door and stopped; she could hear the breath of the person accelerating. The person turned the lock and then headed back to where the others were and all the footsteps headed back upstairs; Mbah let out a deep sigh of relief.

Night-vision goggles were Mbah’s best friend when she found herself on a mission like this. It enabled her to see clearly without exposing herself by using a torchlight. She had put on the surveillance hardware and could see clearly now.

She could hear muffled voices and sounds upstairs. Just as she headed toward the stairwell. The door to one of the restrooms opened and she moved out of sight behind the counter. Mbah watched as the person started heading upstairs immediately. That person was Musa Yahaya. Mbah had been briefed on him and seen multiple photos of the man. He had been on their radar for weeks now.

What might Yahaya be doing in this place at this late hour?   

As the man headed up, she sprinted to the stairs. She saw him enter the storeroom where the muffled voices were coming from. Mbah quietly made her way to the front door of the storeroom where the light was shining as she performed a sweep of the hallway looking for where to take cover should that door open.

Mbah pulled from her pocket a device that looked like a long pen with an uncanny earbud attached to one end. She pressed the other end, which had a small suction cup attached, against the door and inserted the bud in her ear.

Voices filtered into her ears.

“Do you think we can do this here? We can always supply, but not doing it here, Musa,” said one of the voices.

“This is a neighborhood.”

Mbah next heard Yahaya’s response. “We’re doing it here. I have been on DSS’s radar for weeks now. My source there warned me which means I should watch my back as carefully as ever. this means we can’t risk not doing this in this building. It’s my ass on the line after all.”

“All our asses are on the line, sir.”

“Are they ready?”

“Except the last seven en route,” another voice noted.

“Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Then we will wait and do it all at once tomorrow night then.”

“We’ve already promised two clients tonight including the chairman, Musa. They are already out of stock.”

“They should wait. We are on their payroll for doing neat jobs and not leaving our tracks behind. When we say they should wait, they should wait and know it’s for a good result.”

“You’re right, sir.”

“How close are they?”

“I will have to call them to find out.”

“Make the call.”

There was silence for a few seconds before Mbah heard the voice again. “Hello? How close? Okay. Careful,” then a sigh. “They can’t say. But assured me the packages would be ready here tomorrow night.”

“Good. We’re still in business. Tomorrow then.”

Mbah took off the devices and retreated immediately when she heard footsteps coming toward the door.

“There is something heavy going on in that restaurant and I am sure it has a huge connection to our case because Musa Yahaya is there,” said Mbah.

It was in the morning, and she was sitting next to Segun in her bedroom as they looked out of the window.

“Did you find much?” asked Segun.

Mbah looked at him for a moment and then passed him the recorder she had used to tape the conversation of the men. “You need to hear this.”

Segun turned on the recorder and listened to the conversation with great attention.

When it was done, he turned off the recorder and took a deep breath. When he looked at Mbah, she said, “I am sure now you know I found much?”

“Which also made me understand that we can only trust the people in this room.”

“That’s you and I?”

“Yes, you and I,” agreed Segun. “Yahaya has Intel at our agency and we don’t know who that person is. So, we can’t afford to risk this mission by discussing this to anyone, not even the people above us at the headquarters.”

“Which begs the question, why is Yahaya in that restaurant at such an odd hour?”

“Jessica, we’re assigned to this case because there are lots of kidnapping and people missing in Nigeria especially here in Lagos and Yahaya is a prime suspect, but there is no concrete evidence against him yet. We can’t even use this record against him because they didn’t really say much.” Segun went silent for a moment then added. “You saw someone last night running frantically naked past the store window and when you went there to check it out, you saw Yahaya there.”

Mbah looked at him in alarm. “You think that is a victim running for his life because they’re butchering people in there?”

Segun nodded gently and then his eyes lit up in shock. “My God! I compliment this restaurant often. Their beef is big and nice.”

She gaped at him. “Are you saying this is cannibalism?”   

“I pray it is not. If it is then probably not only this restaurant.”

“Just like the other person stated on the recorder that they have already promised two clients last night.”

“There is one way we can find out.”

“By going in tonight.”

“Jessica, we can’t discuss this with anyone outside of this room.”

“Count me on that.”

They headed out for the mission at past 1 a.m. when they noticed movements in front of the restaurant before the figures moved toward the backyard. Mbah and Segun had night-vision goggles on because everywhere was dark. The darkness to both of them was now represented as daylight and both could spot Yahaya among the men. The thing was they only had to avoid their opponents’ torchlights.

They reached the backdoor when their opponents were already in, Mbah poked her head out and gave the all-clear. They headed in immediately. Mbah gently opened the door, she was sure that it had ‘staff only’ behind it. They walked in and she could see the men up ahead, taking the stairs. Then they headed right up when they heard the door to the store slammed.

They made their way to the store and at the same time, they heard the muffled scream and sob. They didn’t need a device to hear the words because the words were audible enough.

“Please, don’t kill me. How much do you need? My family can provide it.”

Mbah and Segun peeped through the tiny openings. What their eyes could see were about eight people being hanged and gagged. The other one had managed to speak through his gagged mouth. There were about four men with machetes and guns bigger than theirs pointed at the hostages; truth be told if Mbah and Segun would make it through to this mission with their pistols. They would have to be tactful with the operation.

“Actually, you’re right,” Mbah whispered. “They butcher people in here.”

“This is crazy,” whispered Segun. “What do we do?”

“We have to go in and stop them now and we’re done with our task. They’re going to kill these guys.”

“Okay.”

“On my mark.” They both drew their weapons, ready to go in. Five seconds later, the door to the storeroom was forced open. Mbah and Segun stormed in.

“Freeze!” Mbah yelled.

The armed men rushed toward them immediately.

Segun quickly raised the edge of his pistol high in the air and landed it so hard on someone.

Not on the men that had charged toward them.

Mbah fell where she stood. Segun quickly put his gun to his belt holster as he approached Yahaya. “I told you I got this under control.”

“Great job, Segun,” commended Yahaya. “Anyone else knows about this apart from her?”

“Nobody else knows. I made sure of that. I used the fact that you have Intel at our agency as an advantage. I told her not to trust anyone aside from me. She doesn’t know I am the Intel.”

“Did you destroy the recorder?”

"Affirmative,” said Segun.

Yahaya turned toward his men. “Alright, boys. We’re still in business. Let's get back to work. Umar, tie her up. Make sure you take her gun away from her.”

The men started to do as he commanded. Yahaya turned to the hostages who had been freaking out. “We’re sorry for the interruption. Let’s get the party started.”

When the first man with a machete reached out to unconscious Mbah with the man with a machine gun to tie her up, Mbah opened her eyes abruptly and stood. She deftly grabbed the machete man’s wrist, ripped the arm behind him, and reeled the elbow skyward past all breaking points, and the man’s shoulder separated cleanly and excruciatingly. He dropped to the floor, blaring and cursing. All this thing, Mbah had done it within seconds before Segun, Yahaya, and the rest of the men could draw their weapons to fire.

They had started firing at the other man who Mbah had used as a shield. Their rounds hit his flesh as his blood splattered on the walls. Mbah held the man so tight and aimed effortlessly at one of the men and fired. The fellow dropped silently to the ground.

“Shit,” Yahaya exclaimed amidst the gunshots, taking cover. “You’re supposed to kill her. You’re not just supposed to hit her. You said she is one of the best agents in your agency.”

“I thought that would knock her out for hours,” Segun yelled back.

“Then Segun, you made a huge mistake,” Mbah announced. She took up cover behind a couch and had employed only headshots which had cleared the rest of the two men. It was only Yahaya and Segun she was now faced with.

"Agent Jessica Mbah, surrender your weapon. You can’t escape this,” yelled Segun.

“Then you seem not to understand why I am a special agent. How much did Yahaya pay you to betray that badge?!” Mbah yelled back.

Before Segun could respond Mbah had fired two rounds. One hit his knee and the other round his ankle and he slumped, yelling in pain. Mbah quickly moved away from where she was as rounds poured into that location she had just occupied. The only person firing now was Yahaya.

“You slut, I will kill you,” Yahaya said angrily.

If only he knew that the slut had just appeared behind him.

“No, you can’t because she is right behind you to get you arrested.”

Just as it dawned on him that she was right behind him indeed. Mbah knocked him out with her pistol and handcuffed him immediately. Then moved toward Segun, kicked his gun away as he struggled to clutch it, and handcuffed him, too.

Nearly ten minutes later, DSS operatives and an ambulance arrived. Segun was carried to the ambulance handcuffed. Pressures were added on the wounds as they read him his rights. Yahaya was taken away by the DSS. The hostages were released and examined by the medics.

Mbah was highly commended by the field director Michael Ishola for her bravely. She was feeling good that morning. She had just conquered another difficult task. Even though she was disappointed that her colleague Agent Segun was the Intel Yahaya had all along.