SECURITY THREATS

“If you don’t sign this agreement chief, we are afraid we cannot guarantee your safety in this city”. A tall man sitting at the tail end of a rectangular glass table said in a solemn voice to Chief Paul Ebenezer.

“Are you threatening me? I am not signing this goddamn document! Chief Paul Ebenezer foremost business mogul and CEO of Petrix Nigeria holdings ltd declared as he tossed the legal looking document to the other side of the table. He got up to his feet, grabbed his hat from the table and stormed out of the business meeting. The meeting held in the small conference room of Cellulies hotel had come to an abrupt end.

He walked hastily toward his car parked under a shade cover by the hotel’s entrance. Etim his driver and two bodyguards were waiting.


“Drive me home!” he yelled at Etim as he jumped into the back seat.

“Yes sir”


#14 Dareks street Warri was a mansion. A well secured haven. High perimeter walls decorated with terracotta tiles enclosed the sprawling duplex. A “Beware of dogs sign” written on the gate clearly showed that the owner of the building wasn’t a friendly person. The fence was further reinforced with wire gauges that were connected to an electricity source and turned on at night. The fate of any intruder who harboured the though of breaking into the house was electrocution

The driver honked at the gate and Mustapha the gateman rushed out and rolled away the sliding gate.

“Welcome sah! He curtsied as he greeted his master.

Chief Paul didn’t bother to acknowledge the greeting as he breezed away with his briefcase in his hand.

Mustapha rolled his eyes it was obvious Oga was in a bad mood. It was 12 pm an unusual time for Oga to be at home.

“Make una comot for here, oga dey angry!’ he waved away and made a motion to kick the three rottweiler s who had come to herald their master’s arrival. The dogs ran round him with their tongues dangling out emitting guttural sounds.

“E be like say oga dey vex, wetin happen? Mustapha asked the driver.

“I don’t know oh, he walked out of a meeting angry”
“These big men and their wahala sef” Mustapha sighed, shrugged his shoulders and returned to the small box-room which served as his security post and residence.


Chief Paul paced across his study deep in thought. The study room always served as a calming oasis for him. It was the only place in the house where he had the privacy to think, scheme and project ideas for the expansion of his drug empire. He sank into the single soft leather cushioned chair.
Petrix holdings was a company he established to serve as a front & as a disguise for his hard drugs trade. He was a drug lord with a large cartel spread across the country. Cocaine, heroin, cannabis, marijuana were his major trade items.

Competition was in the drug world was stiff. Rival drug lords were snitching on each other to the police authorities in return for protection. The police were busting up major transactions. The losses were becoming enormous and the middlemen were leaving the region in droves. It was hurting their plans and projections. Something had to be done.

A meeting of the southern drug big boys was called and held at Cellulies hotel, one of the legitimate business outfits of Dr Wiwe a fellow southern drug lord.

The deal was proposed; no more snitching, no more excessive competition, stay in your own turf & I stay in my own turf. Everybody only had to sign the document and peace & profits will be restored.

Chief Paul wouldn’t sign the document. He had 50% control of the southern drug market and he was planning on expanding his empire. He was on his way to becoming the richest drug lord in the country, he will not sign any goddamn deal that seeked to restrain him. No! he wouldn’t stay in his own turf.


“These guys want to bite off more than they can chew, imagine them threatening me! Maybe I am becoming too soft these days”. Chief Paul reasoned in his mind.

He walked out of the study and entered the living room.

“Kemi! Bring me a cold beer, he ordered the house-help. Promptly he was served with a chilled beer. He carried it with the tray and walked back to the study.

It was time to make the call. Chief Paul brought out his second mobile phone. A private line dedicated for important calls and dialed a number.

“Mosco! Are you there?

“Hello Chief, a gruff voice sounded in the receiver.

Mosco was the leader of his hit man squad. He was a cold emotionless professional assassin who killed with precision.

“It is time for some action…..Meet me in the house in 10 minutes time.
There’s a job to be done.
“Alright Chief”. Mosco was a man of few words.


The three major rivals had to be eliminated. They were security threats and the absence of security threats was the best proof of the presence of security. He wanted them out of the way. He will show them who owned the streets.
He trusted Mosco to do a professional job. His henchmen were well able to counter any moves that will arise from those loyal to the rivals. He will gobble up their empires and merge them with his. He will be the undisputable king of the Nigerian drug world! His empire will be secured.
Chief Paul got up from the chair and made his way to the bedroom. He wanted to change into something more comfortable. Mosco will soon be around.

The soft blue chandelier light hanging on the ceiling always gave a bluish ambience to the master bedroom which blended with the navy blue coloured walls. Chief Paul closed the door and moved towards the direction of his wardrobe.


“Don’t move any longer” a cold voice sounded in the room. Chief immediately turned around instinctively reaching into his pocket for his concealed firearm.

“I said keep still!”

Seated on top of the bed was Mosco the leader of his hit man team. Mosco was in a black polo shirt on top of a faded denim jean trouser. He was pointing a .9mm pistol at Chief Paul.

“Don’t make any move or I’ll shoot, drop your weapon gently on the floor, we have this house surrounded!” he calmly said.

“Mosco what is this?! Who are we? You are talking to your chief! Chief Paul uttered. There must be an explanation for this.

“I don’t have time to waste sir, Your security was breached last month. I am not going into details, all I want you to do is to sign this document!“.

Mosco tossed a legal looking document to the bewildered drug baron. It was the same document he gave a cold shoulder to in the meeting about an hour ago.

“How much did they offer you Mosco to betray me? Chief inquired…...“What happens if I refuse to sign?

Mosco made a sharp whistling sound & the door burst open. Two men entered dragging a lady who was handcuffed and muffled with a scarf tied over her mouth. Their guns were pointed at her head.


“Grace! What have they done to you?”. Grace was Chief’s mistress for two years running. He had planned marrying her later in the year.
“We will kill her first then kill you”.


Mosco’s fingers tightened around the trigger for effect.

“Sign it now”.


An agreement signed in the drug world was a law. The breaker of the law always got punished by death sooner or later. A drug lord is a schemer, someone that has the ability to manoeuvre his way out of difficult circumstances but sometimes a drug lord caves in when his back is against the wall. Chief Paul took the document & picked a pen lying on the floor and appended his signature.


Mosco was only an underling who had found more powerful bosses.

“We’re good now” Mosco said as he grabbed the document from the drug lord’s hands.

“We will release her as soon as we leave your building”. He announced as they led Grace away.

“The absence of security threat is the presence of security”. The phrase resounded in Chief Paul’s mind as he watched Mosco walk out of the room. He had to eliminate the security threats.

He quickly took a heavy metal box and shoved it at Mosco.


Mosco was a professional and was ready for any eventuality. He sidestepped, dodged the box and in a quick move fired several shots at close range at Chief Paul who had brought out a revolver from a compartment by the side of the bed. The bullets grazed his skin and one of them got buried in his head.

Mosco watched as the body of Chief Paul Ebenezer his former boss fall on the rugged floor of his bedroom.



The end.