DIVISIONAL CRIME BRANCH 2

THE DIVISIONAL CRIME BRANCH PART 2
It was dark when we arrived at the estate. Well, frankly speaking, calling this area an estate is just glorifying the place. The best it could pass for is shanty town, or better still a ghetto. When Bob Marley was calling Kingston concrete jungle, he has no idea what Kolokolo layout in Warri looks like. It was an iron jungle. All the building in this part of the estate were built with corrugated iron sheet; popularly known here as batchers.
Kevwe was a step ahead of me as we sauntered between these iron box houses deeper into the estate. I had deliberately slowed down my pace since we arrived at this area to allow him to walk ahead of me. I cannot help imagining that I could be walking into a set up.
If it does not seemed to give him a scruple to lead me to the den of his friends, who to all justification, if arrested, could face the firing squad, what stops him from leading me to them; who, in all they knew is a pest that should be rid off.
I was wearing a T-shirt on top of a loosely fitted jean short. I had my right hand in the pocket, resting on the butt of the pistol. If there is going to be any shoot out, I guess I knew who will be my first target.
I have been counting the number of turns we have made, two to the right, and one to the left. Promptly, we came to a little opening, and Kevwe stopped on his tracks. I almost bumped onto him.
“Look at that roof,” he pointed out a dark shape behind the house in front, silhouetted in the fading light. “That is where three of the boys lives,” his voice a conspiratory whisper. “If you go in there now you may see them. And I believe some other boys will be with them also.” He made no effort to move forward, and I did not push him either.
“How many of them do you think are going about this business?” I whispered to him, as we move into the shadow of a building along the street.
“They are always five. I told you that back in the house,” he said harshly. “But sometimes they could change one person or the other. There is also that dismissed police officer amongst them, the one I told you about.”
“Yea, you said so,” I agreed, all the time observing the environment. There were a lot of people going about their nightly affairs. And in the midst of them, lives some vicious people, the dregs of the society which stock in trade is to cause pain and sorrow to humanity. Yet none could come to the Police to report.
There is a path by the left from where we were standing that leads to the house. I could see people going and coming from this road.
“You know I cannot lead you into the house, or even closer than this place,” Kevwe was saying.
“Who asked you to march into their home with a police officer on tow?” I gibed him. “Won’t you allow someone to think for a while? Is there any other way from the back of the house?”
“This road here, leads to the other street we turned off to the one we followed,” he pointed to the path that passed by the house. “If anyone is to come to the house, he can do so by either ways.
I have no plan of marching up to the hide out of this gang, not tonight or any other time. I have to bring them out to meet us in a neutral field. I was not going to mention that to Kevwe now.
“Can we go back now?” I patted his shoulder. “You know we are still going to the house of the Receiver, and you said that is a long way into town?” I asked him.
“It is close to McDermott road,” he agreed as we made our way out of the estate.
The taxi dropped us some way from the compound along the main road. We walked a little distance and stopped.
“Look at that compound in front,” he was pointing to a compound just in ahead of us. “It is after 8, and I believe the man would be at home with his taxi. I cannot go with you any further.”
“It’s okay,” I nodded to him in the dark and walked up to the front of the compound. From the security light in front of the house, I saw a man, not tall, but fair in complexion, washing a Toyota Corolla taxi cab. A loud music was coming out from an open door in the room beside him. No doubt, that must be his room.
“Good Evening Sir,” I called out a greeting to him. He stood up. Just as I have noticed, he was about 5ft tall, slim body stature. His penetrating eyes were scrutinizing me over, but I acted my part well like a student, balancing myself from one leg to the other bouncingly.
“Evening,” he responded, his voice thick with a forced croak.
“Please Sir,” I continued animatedly as if I did not hear his response. “I am asking about my class mate, one Bara, from Urhobo College. He described this place to me as his house. I pretended to be peeping into the compound while collecting the registration number of the taxi.
“I am not sure of the name,” he answered and flung his arm into the compound, “you can go in and ask the Landlord.” He huddled back into his washing.
I was now quite in my element. I thanked him and ambled into the compound. I have no intention of knocking at the Landlord’s room and came out just after a moment.
I waved a good night to our car washer friend, “I am sorry. I think I was mistaken about the description. It is not here.”
‘”It is okay,” he answered me lively this time. I went out of the compound, breathing heavily. As easy as a pie I thought. I joined Kevwe where I left him. He was all animated up trying to know what I have been able to find out.
I felt the relief flowing into my soul as we made our way back to Ovwian. I left Kevwe at Orhuworun junction and took a motorcycle back to the station. I have promised to get in touch with him tomorrow.
I am all exhilarated up with the fact that I have been able to get to the back bone of these Block boys operation. However, knowing the houses of the boys and the receiver is not the end of the tale. So far it is my word against theirs. I have to build up evidence worthy for prosecution, or else I have just been riding a roller coaster.
It is time to present the result to the DPO I guessed. I have done some field work enough to let in the crowd for the compound job.
So the crowd was once again gathered in the DPO’s office this morning. He has just finished going round the station on routine check before inviting us all to his office.
Earlier in the morning I have had a briefing with Inspector Okoro - the Inspector Crime. I have given him the bone of my exploit, and I believe he has done so with the DPO; hence this morning assembling of the Divisional Crime Branch.
The only new face in today’s gathering is ASP Kolawole Idowu. Mr. Idowu is the Divisional Crime Officer, (DCO). He is from one of the Western states. An action looking man in his 30s, he is dark in complexion, slim in stature, with a head that sits on a neck seemingly too small to carry it. His face is marked threateningly with the traditional marking from people of his race; three long tears from the ears to almost touching the jars on both chins. In spite of appearance, the DCO is a very agreeable fellow.
“Okay Baralate,” it was the DPO the broke the sobriety in the office. His eyes were amicably fixed on mine. “What have you been up to this past two days? Mr. Okoro has given me the bone of the story. Can you elaborate on what I have already known?”
I looked around the office, seven pairs of eyes were all fixed on me; all comradely urging me to spill the beans.
And this is the story as I was able to pitched together from a very dependable but slippery ally

There were about five of the boys. They were coordinated by one dismissed Police officer, named Ngozi Kalu. Kalu was a police constable that was serving in this very Division. . Somehow he got into trouble with a renowned smuggler and was implicated in a case of armed robbery. The Police did some hash-hush on the case and Kalu was transferred to the riverine area of the state.
This however does not go down well with this over ambitious police constable, and he refused to report for duty in his new post. He was subsequently dismissed from the Force and has been going around with all sorts of shady characters in town.
His activities to the best of my knowledge, and also to some of the men in the Crime Branch has been limited to hanging around with dupes and cheats, popularly known as ‘419’, an acronym of section 419 of the Criminal Code.
His graduation to being a fully fledged armed robber was sort of surprise to me. I could see that the men in this room, including the DPO, were also having the same feeling.
Anyway, Kalu was able to absorb himself into this renegade group to carry out the recent spate of robbery in our jurisdiction. Their mode of operation goes in this wise. They go around the town scouting out victims they believe will have electronics in their houses. Since some of the boys were from within the community, everybody is known to them.
In the evenings before any operation, the taxi driver, popularly known as Aba man, would carry their arsenals with one of the boys to hide in close proximity to the selected venue. All they need to do in the night was just to stroll up to the place from their various points to retrieve their weapon without arousing any suspicion from a curious observer or the Police.
After the raid, they will hide their loots in a bush and scatter in pairs to their various houses. In the morning, one of them will get in touch with the taxi driver to retrieve the loot from the bush.
The driver is the conduit pipe through which their whole operation flows. He sells off the goods and pays the boys whatever sum they agreed upon. He can sometimes pay them immediately if he has the cash, or sell the items off in the underground market and pay them later.
There is an underground market in Hausa Quarters, where any amount of stolen items that arrives there would disappear in a matter of minutes through chains of special channels.
There was a pulsating silence in the office as I rounded off my brief.
“And from what the Inspector Crime has told me. You have been able to locate the houses of these boys?” that was the DPO leaning forward in his desk.
“Yes Sir,” I answered.
“He has also located the house of the taxi driver,” Inspector Okoro completed for me.
There was hushed mumbling and shifting of feet in the office for a moment.
“How far can we trust your informant, Baralate,” the DCO wanted to know.
“Well Sir,” I ventured cautiously with a smile, “as recruits in Police College, we were trained not to trust anybody a hundred percent but to rely on our instinct. That is the extent to which I trust him. But on this case, I think we are on track.
There was a general concession in the office, and the DPO continued, “We are not going to their hideout to fight them out.” I realized that he is now threading my line of thoughts. We all watched him as he began to explain our next line of action.
“If we bring the boys in now, it will be their words against our allegation. We have to gather enough evidence to prosecute them.”
“If we bring in the driver first, we may have some incriminating items on him to hold on the boys.” The DCO opined
“Excused me Sir,” I raised my finger. I am not always in the best frame to make suggestion on course of an action where there are senior officers, but I have a hunch which I have discussed with Kevwe. I told him I will sell the idea to my bosses, that if they accept, we can swing.
“Okay,” the DPO prompted me. “Do you have an idea how you think we can go into this?”
“Well Sir,” I continued hesitantly. “If we bring in the taxi driver, and they hear about it - and they will – there is the likelihood that they will sink underground. On the other hand, if we bring in the boys and delay in arresting the driver, but start accusing them of any crime, they will deny to high heaven that they do not know what we are talking about.
“I think we should sell them a dummy. I can get in touch with my contact to persuade them to come out to the open. The dummy is about a fake business deal. If they buy into that we can pick them up, or any of them that turns up. We will thereafter go after the driver.
“I think it will be a great spectacle to have both parties looking each other to deny their involvement.” I rounded up, and felt silent, exhausted.
The DPO picked up my analysis from where I left off. “If they will trust your contact enough to meet with him, I will agree that it is a brilliant idea. My fear however is, will the suspicion of their arrest not fall on his laps?” he asked rhetorically.
“I think we should take up the issues as they come,” the Inspector Crime added. “If there is anything we should do, I think this is the best moment to follow up on the lead we have got.”
“Baralate, can you bring your man for me to talk with him?” the DPO requested of me.
“Sir, I don’t think that will be necessary,” I responded promptly. I do not fancy the idea of a ‘big man’ aura over Kevwe. On the other hand, he may not like the exposure.
“Sir, if it does not matter, we can handle it from this point. We will feed you with a very positive result,” Corporal Wangyo enthused in from beside me. I gave him an encouraging smile.
After a few moments of fine tuning our proposal I was asked to come back with a time of action after consulting with my contact.
‘Operation End the Block Boys’ has been approved and launched. It is going to be fast, discreet and effective. Therein is the concern. A lid over the operation till it has swung off successful.