Chapter 5: Blood, Betrayal, and Truth

It turned out the vessel almost sank because a valve at the bottom was opened, allowing plenty seawater to enter the engine room.

Musa Lawal squatted beside the chief engineer, inspecting the gaping hole where the valve had been forced open. The air stank of rust and brine. He raised his brows at the chief. "Oga, who open this thing?" The man just shook his head, sweat shining on his temples.

After confirming the valve could not be repaired, the command center decided Vessel 118 would tow Okirika Star 2682 back.

Preparations began, ropes thrown and tightened with expert hands. As the two ships linked, a hush fell again—the air heavy with questions.

By protocol, Captain Tunde Ajibade had to submit a report detailing everything that happened on board.

The document was handwritten, pages creased and blotched. Musa Lawal read it with slow, careful eyes, his lips pressed tight as he went line by line. Every so often, he would grunt softly, shaking his head.

The report read: "There was hijack and murder on board, led by Bala Gidado (hereafter called Bala), a man from Sokoto. He joined hands with some of his townsmen to hijack the captain and try seize the ship to sail to Ghana.

During the wahala, they killed 11 other crew members. The remaining 11 of us fight to survive. Later, Bala led the 10 rebels, wore life jackets, carried the lifeboat, and escaped. Their whereabouts unknown."

The story sat in the pit of Musa Lawal’s stomach like undigested garri. He reread the words, eyeing the men on deck. Some scratched at their arms, others avoided his gaze, all of them haunted.

After reading the report, Musa Lawal no believe am finish.

He looked up from the page, lips pressed into a thin line. To his mind, too many things didn’t add up. "Something dey hide here," he thought, hand resting unconsciously on his waist as if searching for a missing baton.