#DAY 1-2

The following takes place between 8 AM and 10 AM.

Events occur in real time...

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Time: 08:05:15 AM

Lagos... Lagos is a major African financial centre and is the economic hub of Lagos state and Nigeria at large. The megacity has the fourth-highest GDP in Africa and houses one of the largest and busiest seaports on the continent. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world.

The bustling city of Lagos, with its towering buildings, busy streets, and lively people, stood as the financial centre of Africa. Amid the sea of vehicles, a BMW skidded through the palm groove road, its engine roaring like a fierce tiger, racing towards Maryland. But the traffic lights brought the car to a halt, causing a momentary stillness amidst the city's frenzy.

Buildings lined the streets, adorned with billboards advertising everything from Pepsi to baby diapers and upcoming concerts. Pedestrians hustled along the pavements, some on their way to work, others seeking passengers for their buses, and a few others hawking goods to the stationary vehicles.

Inside his car, Ben, a seasoned investigator, reached for his phone and dialled a number of a government agency building in Lagos' capital.

After a series of rings, Kendra, whom Ben affectionately called Ken, answered, her voice slightly muffled as she chewed her food.

"Hey Ken, it's Ben," he said, his face serious as he surveyed his surroundings from behind the wheel.

"Hey, Ben! I was just about to call you. We've got good news. Headquarters just sent details about a prime suspect in the Shoprite attack," Kendra replied, her chewing more subdued now.

Taking a deep breath, Ben responded, "That's great news. It means we're one step ahead. What do we have?" he asked one after the other before ending with a question. He held his phone with his right hand and the steering with the other.

"I think you'd better see it for yourself," Kendra said, arriving at her workstation and logging into her system.

"Okay, send it over," Ben replied, activating a mini TV screen in his car and connecting his phone to it via USB.

"Sending it now," Kendra said, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she accessed the system's database. She smiled immediately after she got the info and lastly tapped the enter button.

"Got it," Ben smirked as he tapped the link sent by Kendra on his phone, revealing the picture and details of the suspect.

"Abdulganiu Abdulmuiz; born in Bornu state in 1979, married to Alimat Abdulganiu with a child. He used to work as an arms dealer under Bala before establishing his own empire..."

"We have a hit," Ben interrupted, giving the steering wheel a light smack as the traffic light turned green, and the cars moved forward.

"What do you mean we've got a hit?" Kendra asked, her head slightly tilted in confusion.

"The details indicate that Bala was caught, but there's no record of Muiz being caught. That suggests he's still involved in arms dealing," Ben explained.

"But he operates underground," Kendra added, nodding with understanding.

"Yeah, exactly. But how do we get his location?" Ben wondered aloud, as Kendra began typing on her system. She seemed interested in her job and was typing fast.

"Sorry to cut in but I think I just located Muiz," Nick, an effective data analyst who worked under Kendra, interjected from his workstation.

Nick Aaron, a highly skilled data analyst, serves under Kendra at the agency. With his sharp appearance, he sports naturally brown hair that complements his eyebrows. Some mistake it for dyed hair, but it's simply his natural colour. He exudes professionalism, often seen wearing a crisp white designer t-shirt neatly tucked into his black trousers.

"Hold on, are you eavesdropping on our conversation?" Kendra asked, slightly annoyed at Joel who gave a burst of tiny laughter. Her brows furrowed in annoyance.

Ignoring the playful exchange, Ben asked, regaining focus."What do we have, Nick?"

Kendra on the other hand got up from her seat, walked and stood behind Nick's chair, staring at the screen in front of him.

"For the past few weeks, I've been working on this arms dealing case, and I've hit upon a shipment of dozens of weapons heading to a warehouse in Lagos," Nick explained, typing rapidly on his keyboard to access the database. He finally tapped the enter button which revealed the location on a green map on the screen, and with a snap of his fingers, he exclaimed, "Bingo! That's your location. The radiography warehouse is located at plot 32 Yaba Road. That may be Muiz's address." he ended with a smile spreading across his face.

"Did you get that, Ben?" Kendra inquired, peeking at the screen from behind Nick's chair.

"Yeah, got it. It looks like I won't be heading to the FBI after all," Ben replied, beginning to write down the address in a book even while driving. He took a short jotter from the dashboard without even looking at it. His eyes were solely on the road to avoid any form of collision. He also took a pen from his bag. With his right hand, he wrote down the address in bad handwriting. This time he glanced at the jotter and then the road...

"Okay, but do you need anything else?" Kendra asked, returning to her seat.

"Yes, Ken. Set a 3-block perimeter coverage with drones around the location. Also, radio the cops in that area to establish a 4-block perimeter. We don't want Muiz to get wind of our approach," Ben instructed as he threw the book he jotted on the seat beside him.

"Copy that," Kendra acknowledged, making the necessary calls to the security unit. She appeared composed and focused as she worked.

"How far are the Tac teams?" Ben inquired, taking a U-turn and speeding off.

"They should be there in 15 or so," Nick replied, engrossed in his work.

"Roger... and, uh, Nick, good job," Ben praised, and with a wide smile, Nick acknowledged the compliment as Ben's car raced through the city's labyrinth of streets, headed towards the radiography warehouse to uncover the shadows of Lagos. He was determined to apprehend the dangerous arms dealer, Abdulganu Abdulmuiz.

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A/N: I don't wanna be a spoiler but do you really think Nigeria would be this in the next 10 years? 🤔 Tbh I really believe, wbu?

Pls, don't forget to comment and gift if you love this chapter. Next chapter coming in hot 🔥