FALLING IN LOVE IS A CRIME

COMING INTO LIGHT

    In the two years that Jacob had spent behind bars, a whirlwind of events had unfolded. Joshua Adetayo had since won the gubernatorial election and has been making life difficult for the Oladapo’s. Temitope Oladapo ended her marriage with Mr. Gbenga for some undisclosed reasons and carted away with fifty-percent of the Oladapo’s net worth. Itohan and her family remained in hiding- visiting Jacob twice in a month.
    No doubt, the Oladapo’s were grappling to retain their affluence. The loss Gbenga sustained to Joshua dealt a severe blow to the family’s reputation. For the first time in a long time, people had the opportunity to spread news concerning the Oladapo’s. Rumors saturated the media- some saying, the Oladapo’s never made it legitimately while others expressed that they belonged to a deadly cult.
    Many of the huge companies controlled by the Oladapo’s went bankrupt while others were running on loans. No one understood the feud between the Adetayo’s and the Oladapo’s but it was evident that Joshua was hell-bent on bringing the Oladapo’s down. According to rumors, it was believed that Gbenga’s first son, Caleb, was responsible for the death of Joshua’s father and the family allegedly conspired to conceal this act.
    All the turbulence whirling round the whole state didn’t have an impact on Jacob as he was left to rot in prison.

    One evening, Itohan’s phone rang and she quickly rushed from the kitchen to pick her call in the bedroom where she kept her phone.
    “Who is this?” Itohan asked over the phone.
“My name is Joseph, and I have something to tell you,” Joseph answered.
“Please, do I know you?” Itohan inquired.
“Maybe… I really don’t know, but I once stayed with your brother in the same residence,” Joseph answered.
“My brother? As in, Jacob?” Itohan questioned.
“Yes. We were next-door neighbors before he got arrested.”
“So what exactly do you want to tell me? Can’t you say it over the phone?”
“I really can’t. This is an emergency, and I might be dead in the next seventy-two hours.”
“Dead? Who wants to kill you?”
“Some very influential people.”
“So where are you?”
“The countryside of Lagos.”
“But why do you want to see me?”
“I have video evidence that can set your brother free from prison.”
“Okay… I need a clip of the video so I can validate the credibility of your statement. Can you send it to me on WhatsApp?”
“Yes, I can do that.”
“Okay, I’ll be waiting,” Itohan ended the call.
“Honey, who was that?” Daniel asked.
“Some random guy. He claims he has video evidence that will set Jacob free,” Itohan answered.
“Are you serious? That’s good news if you ask me.”
“I think he’s lying, or it’s just a scheme by the Oladapo’s to lure us out. I mean, why this time? It’s been two years already… Jacob has been in prison for two years!”
“Did he say he was going to send the video?”
“Yes, he said he will send a clip through WhatsApp.”
“Let’s wait for him then,” Daniel headed to the kitchen.

    The Osawese’s and Osagie’s have been laying low since Jacob’s sentence. They stayed in a rural area in Kaduna state. Though life wasn’t all that glitters, they were grateful they had a means of sustenance. Itohan worked in local school while her husband, Daniel, opened a small mechanic shop where he helped the locals repair vehicles and also sell spare parts.
    Jacob’s father and mother ran a store where they sold groceries and other domestic goods. While these two families had the money to leave the country, the Oladapo’s made it steep as every major airport reported to them. The Osawese’s couldn’t afford going through the other route as they had little kids and the hope of survival was minimal.
    All this didn’t stop Itohan from doing her findings to prove her brother’s innocence. She was certain the Oladapo’s were going to crash and she was ready to be the cause of their downfall.

    A few minutes later, Itohan’s phone beeped- it was a video file from Joseph. She played the video and watched when Femi was murdered by a man wearing black gloves and how the man walked into Jacob’s apartment. The clip ended and a surge of shock washed over her.
    She quickly called Joseph. “I just watched the video.”
“You see… I’m saying the truth,” Joseph said.
“Who did that? Who was that person in the video?” Itohan questioned angrily.
“I will explain better when you get to Lagos. I’ll forward you the details on how to get to me. And please, keep your kids out of this. At least, for their own safety,” Joseph ended the call.
    A few minutes later, Joseph forwarded the address of a local restaurant to Itohan. She quickly rushed to the kitchen and showed her husband the video.
    “This is our chance, we need to get to Lagos tomorrow,” Daniel said.
“What if it’s a fabricated video?” Itohan asked.
“Madam, don’t you want your brother to be set free? Even if it means falling into a trap, let’s just go,” Daniel answered.
“But how? He said he might be gone in seventy-two hours, and moving from Kaduna to Lagos via bus takes time,” Itohan explained.
“Who said we’re taking a bus? My friend is shipping some things to Lagos tomorrow via air. He stays in Kaduna here, and if I contact him today, he can get us to Lagos tomorrow.”
“How many friends do you have?”
“You don’t know the type of husband you married,” Daniel laughed and went to the living room to make contact with his friend.
    Itohan quickly checked what she was cooking and noticed that Daniel had finished preparing the meal. She went to her kids’ room and packed some of their clothes in a bag.
    Daniel returned with good news and explained that they were supposed to move by 6 am the next morning. Itohan picked up her kids from where they were playing outside, cleaned them up, and took them to their grandparents’ house. She explained that she wanted to attend to something urgent and the kids would be staying with them for a while. They consented.
    By 6 am the next morning, Itohan and her husband were boarded onto Daniel’s friend’s private jet. They landed in Lagos about an hour later and disguised themselves as Hijabis. They met Joseph, covered in a hood, wearing a backpack, at the address he designated.
    “You’re the man I saw in the video clip,” Itohan said angrily.
“Honey, calm down! We can’t afford to blow our cover, and I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for all this. Just have a seat,” Daniel instructed.
    Itohan and her husband took their seats, and Joseph started, “I admit that I killed Femi, but I only did it because I needed the money,” Joseph whispered. “Our landlord used to work for the Oladapo’s, and he had a very close relationship with them. I believe he revealed to them that Jacob was staying in his residence. Since the Oladapo’s didn’t want to get their hands dirty, I was called by my landlord. He offered to give me the sum of five million Naira if I framed Jacob. My mother was at the point of death, and I needed money to pay her bills, so I just couldn’t resist the offer,” Joseph cried.
“All these things are ambiguous without evidence,” Daniel said.
“Where is your landlord?” Itohan inquired.
“He got killed a month after Jacob’s sentence. Apparently, they found out that he had footage that covered all the negotiations between the Oladapo’s, him, and me,” Joseph answered.
“Let me get this straight. The Oladapo’s visited your landlord, and he invited you to his house to meet the family?” Daniel questioned.
“Yes… It was Gbenga Oladapo and his son, Caleb,” Joseph answered.
“Are you saying you have two video clips?” Itohan asked.
“Yes. The first was our meeting at my landlord’s residence, and the second was me killing Femi and framing Jacob,” Joseph replied.
“Let’s see the videos,” Daniel demanded.
    Joseph brought his laptop from his bag and played the video clips. It was exactly as Joseph explained; Joseph had a meeting with his landlord and the Oladapo’s where he was transferred the sum of five million Naira before proceeding to kill Femi.
Itohan sighed and asked, “But how did you get these evidences?”
“After the incident, I visited my landlord occasionally, so he could assure my safety. I found out that he had a control room that recorded everything that happens in his house and in my apartment. I downloaded everything to a flash drive as insurance,” Joseph replied.
“But how did they know that your landlord had voice and video recordings of every action?” Daniel questioned.
“I really don’t know, but I’ve been in hiding for a long time. They killed my landlord, and they’ve been restlessly looking for me. I’m willing to confess and showcase this evidence in court, I just need protection; I’m tired of running,” Joseph sobbed.
“Well, if it’s protection, we can’t offer you that. You can see that we’re both in disguise; the Oladapo’s still have eyes everywhere. We can’t report to the police either,” Daniel said.
“We need someone higher than the police to tackle this case; someone that hates the Oladapo’s so much,” Itohan said.
“The governor… Joshua Adetayo. He hates them so much, and he would do anything to wipe out their name from existence,” Joseph said.
“How do we see a governor? Do you know how hard it is to even see a counselor?” Daniel questioned.
“Joshua Adetayo’s first son, David, is an extravagant spender. There’s a popular club he attends every evening in Luxipolis, but you can only get there if you have a property in the estate,” Joseph explained.
“Guess we’re going to our old residence then,” Itohan said.
“The security will inform the Oladapo’s the moment we step foot in the estate,” Daniel said.
“No problem, we just need to get to David quickly,” Itohan said.
“Guess we’re all going to a club then,” Daniel said.

    Daniel, Itohan and Joseph made their way into Luxipolis. The moment the security sighted the reputable lawyer and her husband, they made contact with the Oladapo’s and in no time, they Oladapo’s had their gang in Luxipolis.
    With loud music everywhere, Itohan tried to figure a way into the VIP lounge where he could meet the governor’s son. Daniel bribed one of the club staff and got Itohan to dress like a waiter. She made her way into the VIP lounge when David ordered for his third round of drinks.
    As she served the drinks, Daniel and Joseph caused a diversion that caught the attention of David’s bodyguards.
    Standing in front of David, Itohan said, “Sir, I have something to tell you, something that’s priceless to His Excellency.”