Amanda’s heart raced as she stepped into the dimly lit bar on Okeyilo Street in Shandam, Kaduna, a street renowned for housing dangerous criminals. The pungent smell of cigarettes and cheap liquor assaulted her senses, but she steeled herself. This was it—the breakthrough she’d been waiting for in her investigation of the notorious Ben Edet.
Amanda had been tracking Ben’s activities as an investigative journalist for months. Rumoured to be a ruthless kidnapper and drug kingpin, Ben had recently made headlines by allegedly abducting the State governor’s son for a staggering 50 million naira ransom and has threatened to kidnap the first lady next if his demands were not met. With her wedding drawing close, Amanda was determined to crack the case, expose the truth and be back on time to get married.
The bar’s patrons eyed her suspiciously as she ordered a beer, trying her best to blend in. It wasn’t until later that evening that Amanda realised her mistake—her conservative attire stood out like a sore thumb among the scantily clad women who frequented the establishment.
Despite her initial setback, her persistence paid off. She learned two crucial pieces of information: Ben’s real name was Dogo Sylvester, and he had a weakness for women. Armed with this knowledge, Amanda knew what she had to do.
She called her editor to give him the update and he simply told her to do what she has to do to get him the story. She would have to turn in her report to the state CID as well but, her newspaper house needs it firsthand.
With a heavy heart, she called her fiancé, Jason, to explain her next move. “I have to go undercover,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s the only way to get close to him.”
Jason’s concern was palpable. “Be careful,” he pleaded. “Don’t let him touch you.”
Amanda’s transformation into “Sandra,” a down-on-her-luck prostitute, was swift and convincing. She rented a room in a nearby brothel and immersed herself in the seedy underworld of Shandam’s red-light district. She had to blend in so they could trust her as one of them, she needed to get into Ben’s life by all means. Her act was so convincing that she soon caught Ben’s eye.
On the night she was brought to him, she couldn’t believe her luck as she sat face-to-face with him. She forgot all about the report and was so scared for her life. He smiled at her and asked her to sit on the bed. He took in puff after puff of weed which he offered her but she refused. She thought of what to do but her mind was so dumb. She was still thinking of the next thing to say when he spoke.
“So tell me about yourself, you see all the girls for your cabal I know them, all of them sweet- sweet girls but I’ve never seen you, so I want to know you.”
Amanda broke down in tears as she told her story of woes, how she lost her parents and her uncle who was supposed to take care of her took away the properties of her father and left her to suffer. She had no other option than to do this dirty job to get money. She was surprised at her theatrical display and wondered where the story even came from.
He looked at her strangely as she narrated her ordeals and what pushed her into this kind of life. He looked as though he knew she was lying but he said nothing. He kept looking at her and puffing his weed.
“Come,” he said eventually.
She walked up to him in her tank top and shorts praying he wouldn’t try to manhandle her. She was so defenceless except for the pepper spray she managed to tuck inside her bra. He sat her down on his lap looking deep into her eyes and spraying the smoke from the weed into her face.
She held her breath as he did that wishing she could strangle him already.
“I like you, I won’t hurt you as your uncle did and I can even help you kill him if you want.”
Amanda’s stomach churned at his casual offer of murder, but she saw an opportunity, the possible way of making him talk about his escapades and confess to the various crimes attached to his name, she gave a sinister smile and hugged him then whispered into his ears.
“I would love that!”
Over the next week, Ben became infatuated with Amanda. She played her role to perfection, carefully extracting information while maintaining her cover. With each passing day, she gathered more evidence of his crimes, but she knew she needed a confession.
On the night of reckoning, Amanda prepared herself for the most dangerous part of her mission. She set up hidden cameras and recorders, then invited Ben to her room. As they shared a bottle of wine—which she had laced with a mild sedative—Ben began to open up.
His story was one of tragedy and pain. His father would come home drunk each night to beat him, his mother, and his younger sister. He hated his father. Each day brews new hatred for his useless father and all he wanted was to take care of his mum and sister but that never happened for his father killed his mum one day during their fights.
His father was drunk as usual and everyone blamed it on the alcohol but Ben didn’t and the judge too didn’t and sentenced him to life imprisonment. His kid sister was assaulted by government officials who raked down their kiosk by the roadside alongside others calling it illegal.
She fell sick after the manhandling and died weeks later. That incident changed him a lot and he took this path. He had no regrets as he looked at Amanda. He would avenge his sister and mother but first, he is starting with the State governor and would then come for his father, even if it means breaking into the prison to do that.
As Ben spoke, Amanda felt a conflicting mix of horror at his actions and sympathy for the broken child he had once been.
“It’s fine now,” she soothed, holding him as the sedative took effect. “No one will ever hurt you again.”
He raised his lips to meet hers but she brushed it away and kissed his forehead instead. She held him till he slept off in her arms.
Once Ben was asleep, Amanda sprang into action and ran to where she kept the camera and the voice recorder and removed them. Her hands were trembling, her eyes darting towards him as she packed her bag and left the building to a hotel in another part of town. She started transcribing the voice notes to a written report. She worked on other information and soon came up with a comprehensive report which she emailed immediately to her editor.
She edited the voice and video recording before sending it to her editor as well. She then texted her security agent, whom the police had provided her with for protection. She was done with the mission and would be leaving the next morning.
She couldn’t risk Ben finding out that she played him all this while for one week. He would kill her if he found out she was a reporter and not a prostitute and that he would be arrested soon all thanks to her.
She could not sleep at all, the night reeked of fear and trepidation. Soon she started crying, for her life, for her fiance and then for Ben, he somehow didn’t deserve what would happen to him next even though he was guilty. He was pushed into that kind of life by circumstances greater than him.
She wept more at the damage his father caused in his life. She thought about Jason and how different they would live their lives and raise their kids.
Ben’s arrest came swiftly, and his trial even more so. Based on Amanda’s evidence, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Yet as she watched him being led away in handcuffs, Amanda couldn’t help but wonder about the long chain of events that had led to this moment.
Later, as she sat with Jason discussing their upcoming wedding, Amanda found herself lost in thought.
“That man is someone’s son,” she mused. “He had a father while growing up, and it would have been better if he grew up without one.”
Jason looked at her, puzzled by her sombre mood.
“Getting married and being a husband is one thing,” Amanda continued, “but being a father is another. Will you be a good and godly father, Jason? Will you be there for our kids?”
High percentages of men who turn out to commit various vile acts all have two things in common: their childhood was scarred and their father was never really there.
As they sat in silence, Amanda reflected on the broader implications of her investigation. She had uncovered not just a criminal, but a cycle of abuse and neglect that had devastating consequences. In that moment, she resolved to use her voice not just to expose crime, but to shine a light on the social issues that often lay at its root.
The story of Ben Edet was over, but for Amanda, a new chapter was just beginning.
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