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Warri here I come! – Vanguard News
Yes, you can now get my three books in the great city of Warri.
- LORDS OF THE CREEK.
- MOUNTAIN OF YESTERDAY.
- MR. BENJAMIN’S PEN.
It also happens that Warri is basically the setting of ‘Lords of the Creek’. I believe the residents and entire people of Warri will find the story particularly interesting. ‘Lords of the Creek’ is an action-packed thriller that is currently being made into a movie by the best hands in the industry. Below is an excerpt from the book:
Robert and his policemen were almost at Jakpa Junction before Robert noticed the roads were virtually deserted. Smouldering vehicles and houses dotted every corner of the town. Besides ambulances, only police and military vehicles were on the streets. Sirens blared from different corners of the city. It finally occurred to him that the State Government had imposed a dusk-to- dawn curfew on the city. He shouldn’t be out on the road.
Robert was driving the car, and he sped toward Esisi road where corpses littered the roadside. There was a barricade with gun-toting military men fifty meters away. The two policemen in his car were in uniform, yet the military men manning the roadblock insisted they show their identity cards. Further down the road, a naval patrol vehicle drove up and requested they pull over. Robert, panicked, did not understand their hand movements as they signalled to him to stop. He continued driving till six gun shots rang out in quick succession. Robert slammed on the breaks, but it was too late. A spider web of cracks appeared on the rear windshield from the bullets. It took twenty minutes of explanation and intense scrutiny of the vehicle before they were set free.
When Robert eventually got to the Mission Road residence of his Ijaw friend, Ebikeme Waboke, it was a few minutes to ten. The gate to the house was firmly locked, and the neighbourhood— always full of life on a normal day—looked like a ghost town. He banged continuously on the gate till the neighbours started peeping cautiously from their windows, thinking, perhaps, that the war had reached their vicinity. After a while, Ebikeme, half-dressed, sauntered out of his house. His bulging stomach drooped over his white shorts.
“Mr. Robert, what are you doing on the streets by now?” A visibly worried Ebikeme asked as he moved to unlock the gate.
“I’m sorry for coming this late, Ebi. It’s important that I speak with you.”
“I am not talking about the late hour but the situation of the town. You don’t seem to care about your life anymore even with what happened to you yesterday. Haba!”
Ebikeme took Robert into the house while the policemen stayed at the gate. The Perkins power generator had been turned off, but his son switched it back on. In minutes, the generator began to hum, sending light into the house.
“Mr. Ebikeme, I want you to take me to Tonye this night.”
Mr. Ebikeme recoiled as though he’d been hit by a bullet. “What! Have you gone mad, Robert?”
“I am dead serious, Ebi.”
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“I think your recent traumatic experiences are beginning to affect you. I advise you take some days off to rest.”
Robert stood from his chair and moved toward Ebikeme. He stooped and held him by the hand. “Ebi, you’ve known me for some years now. In all those years, you’ve helped me reach even the most difficult people. This one is nothing for you.”
“Yes, I’ve known you for years, Robert, but not as a madman.”
“I am sane, Ebi,” Robert said, smiling grimly.
“That’s definitely not what I am seeing right now.”
“Imagine what it means for me to brace all the odds and come over here at this hour. People are dying.The town is on fire,” Robert pleaded.
“Yes, but I didn’t know you to be a policeman. Are you the person to quench the riots?”
“I must do what I can, Ebi. Please take me to Tonye, even if it’ll be the last favour you’ll do me in this life.”
Ebikeme tapped his feet and sat back. “Ehen, but the Itsekiri people caused the whole wahala. Why should they stop the Adilax M.D. from seeing Pere after he had seen their Olu? Is it fair?”
“Itsekiri people did not stop us from going to Oporoza. I was in the car with the M.D. It was a last-minute security report.”
Ebikeme looked away in disgust. “Forget all that, Robert. We know how these things work. The Itsekiri people have a way of influencing those reports.”
“Believe me, Ebi. Let’s not spend time arguing this matter. Please just take me to Tonye, I’ll explain everything to him.”
“By the way, do you know what the time is? Do you know where Tonye lives? How many hours it’ll take to go there and return?”
Robert nodded.“I know it’ll take a while.”
“Do you know how risky it is to ply the creeks in the afternoon, let alone at night? Where are you going to get a speedboat at this time? Who will pilot it?”
“Just do this for me, Ebi.”
“My friend I don’t think you know what you are talking about. And, how are we even sure he would be in any of his houses at this time?”
“Yes, I know it’s a risk I’m taking. Just leave me to face it. Ebi, you know how to get a speedboat and the pilot. We’ve both moved in the creeks at night. I am ready to pay whatever they would charge.”
Ebikeme was silent. He had never seen Robert in such a mood. Robert watched as Ebikeme stared at the blank wall as though weighing the risks of the proposed movement. Suddenly Ebikeme stood, picked up his cell phone, and walked away from the sitting room. “I’ll be back,” he said.
From where Robert sat, he heard Ebikeme chatting over the phone in Ijaw language. He could not make out anything he was saying as he barely understood the language, but from the tone of the discussion, he knew Ebikeme was making an effort to persuade whoever was on the other end. Robert held his breath and prayed it turned out in his favour. For a few seconds, he did not hear anything. Then, the door swung open.
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Ebikeme made for his chair. “Mr. Robert, you must count yourself lucky today. Tonye is willing to receive you. This is very unlike him, I must confess. I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
“Thank you, Ebi.”
Ebikeme ignored Robert’s gratitude. “In any case, I’ll only accompany you to the jetty here in Warri. I’ll not go with you to the creeks, and neither will your two policemen.”
“That’s okay; that’s okay.”
“They’ll wait for you at the jetty until you return. There is a speedboat and a pilot ready to take you there.”
Robert leapt in excitement and hugged Ebikeme. “You’re a true friend, indeed. I’ll never forget this favor, Ebi,” he said.
“It’s okay, Robert. But please know this entire adventure is at your own risk. Left to me, I’d advise you not to embark on such a dangerous journey.”
“Never mind, Ebi. If you want me to sign an undertaking, I will.”
“No, no, no. It’s okay. Just know what you’re getting into.”
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