DRIZZLE OF MAYHEM Read online

  Drizzle of Mayhem

  by Sam Akande

  * * *

  Copyright 2021

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the permission of the author.

  [email protected]

  Chapter One

  F ear hung like cobwebs over Le-Croff. Newspapers were crammed with dire headlines.

  Le-Croff Standard: Mayor abducted from his home.

  Le-Croff Mail: Mayor taken away by gunmen.

  Island Observer, a national newspaper, read: Mayor of Le-Croff kidnapped.

  The electronic media covered the news too. Television stations played voice footage of the mayor’s wife’s frantic call to the emergency services.

  “My hus . . . hus . . . hus . . . please, help,” she sobbed.

  “How can I help, madam?” asked the operator.

  “My husband has been kidnapped,” she said.

  “What’s your name?” the operator asked.

  “Aria Kaars,” she replied.

  “Aria, how many were there? Can you describe them?” asked the operator.

  “I don’t know. Please, please, please, they might kill him!” she said before the line went off.

  The mayor was abducted from his home at 11 p.m. the previous day. Residents of Le-Croff woke up to an unusual morning.

  Ricor Marsh, the deputy mayor, a man in his late forties, average height, slim and grey-haired, was a representative in the Le-Croff Assembly. He also contested in the primaries of his party as a mayoral candidate, but he lost to the abducted mayor.

  The deputy mayor had no constitutionally designated role, except to step in if the mayor becomes debilitated.

  The deputy mayor of Le-Croff is also the speaker of the Assembly, but does not have executive official duties. Since the deputy is usually not the mayor’s running mate, he or she is appointed by the mayor. By default, the appointment makes the deputy mayor speaker of the Le-Croff Assembly.

  Ricor Marsh addressed the region:

  “The abduction of the mayor from his house last night is an assault on our democratic values. The government of Le-Croff has been undermined by anti-democratic forces.

  “Political mandate belongs to the people, that’s why the ballot box is how politicians are appointed. Intimidation or violence due to opposing beliefs will not be accepted.

  “Elected officials should discharge their duties without fear or favour. Let me assure Le-Croff that the perpetrators of this dastardly act will be brought to justice.

  “I have spoken to the prime minister, Lilian Loixe. She has pledged her support for us.

  “The police and intelligence community have commenced investigations.

  “Furthermore, it’s now imperative that the Office of the Mayor of Le-Croff be provided with round-the-clock security protection. Stringent measures are in place at the Assembly building.

  “These are trying times. Our unity and freedom is under threat. We must set aside our disparities. We must unite, for it will scare those anti-democratic forces like a deadly armament.

  “To the wife and children of the mayor, our prayers are with you. Mayor Frank Kaars has served our region steadfastly. His abduction is unpatriotic.

  “Good people of Le-Croff, tenacity conquers adversity.

  “Thank you.”

  Public opinion soon linked the mayor’s seizure to a socio-political group known as the ‘Great Patriots’. A random user on Rantpage, a social media platform in Patriccar Island, posted a rant:

  Is this what Jasper of the Great Patriots meant by flushing the mayor out by any means necessary?

  The rant got one thousand likes, five hundred comments, and nine hundred reposts. Some of the comments were accusatory:

  Jasper and his gang can’t be exonerated.

  Flush out by any means necessary? Then mayor goes missing?

  Other comments were in defence of the Great Patriots:

  Jeez, why do you want to hang an innocent man?

  Not a fan of Jasper or the Great Patriots, but let the police do their job.

  Frank Kaars’ supporters blaming the innocent smh?

  Great Patriots founder Jasper Jabari, thirty seven years old, former journalist, was an oddball. Tall, slender, with Mohican dreadlocks, he wore silver hoop earrings. Jasper was usually dressed in a vest, a kimono, ripped jeans and a pair of polished black boots. He was a critic of Mayor Kaars. Jasper held protests with the Great Patriots against the mayor’s policies.

  An increase in vehicle tax for vehicles over five years old drew criticism from Jasper. The mayor said it would curb CO2 emissions.

  “If the mayor wants to curb CO2 emissions, electric cars would fix that,” Jasper said.

  Cutting funding for community policing and the mayor’s request for security detail enraged Jasper.

  “This mayor doesn’t give a toss about Le-Croff. He’s cutting funding for community police while requesting for security for himself. This is bad leadership,” Jasper said to the Great Patriots at a protest.

  Le-Croff region drug policy under Mayor Kaars was austere. It was the only region in Patriccar Island with a strict law. Possession of cannabis could lead to sixteen years’ imprisonment. Mayor Kaars’ and Le-Croff Assembly’s defiance to declassify the drug from a class A drug to a class C drug, in spite of pleas from interest groups, law enforcement agents and human rights activists, incurred Jasper’s ire.

  “Sixteen years for cannabis possession is a draconian law. This mayor must be flushed out by any means necessary,” Jasper averred.

  Mayor Frank incessantly dismissed Jasper as rabble-rousing riff-raff and the Great Patriots as a bunch of scallywags.

  The phone rang through the house like a chapel bell. Jasper was in his study. The study, stocked with political, historical and philosophical books, with pictures of Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Muhammad Ali.

  “Hello, Jasper speaking,” Jasper said.

  “Hello Jasper, it’s Vinor,” the caller said.

  Vinor Magarbaa was the deputy leader of the Great Patriots. Like Jasper, Vinor was an eccentric; bald, green beard, broad shoulders, average height, piercings, he adored sleeveless shirts, ripped jeans and boots.

  “Have you seen the latest on social media?” Vinor asked.

  “Regarding the mayor’s abduction?” Jasper replied.

  “About the Great Patriots on Rantpage,” Vinor said.

  “No. What are they saying?” Jasper asked.

  “The Great Patriots incited Mayor Frank’s abduction,” Vinor said.

  “Incited Mayor Frank’s abduction? That’s crazy,” Jasper said.

  “It’s crazy, but it’s on social media,” Vinor replied.

  “Bloody hell! This is nuts,” Jasper said furiously.

  “There’s an insinuation that when you said the mayor must be flushed out by any means necessary, you were inciting violence,” Vinor said.

  “How did they arrive at that conclusion?” Jasper asked.

  “The Great Patriots have been Frank’s critic so, to some, we are suspects in his abduction,” Vinor replied.

  “Suspects? There’s no evidence,” Jasper said.

  “Evidence is irrelevant on social media,” Vinor said.

  “Comrade, people can read between the lines,” Jasper said.

  “Jasper, the lines are not palpable to everyone,” Vinor replied.

  “Comrade Vinor, that’s yackety-yack,” Jasper said.

  “Jasper, the media is going to obliterate us. We are toast,” Vinor said.

  “Vinor, Vinor, where’s your cojones? We aren’t,” Jasper replied.

  “They will nail the Great Patriots,” Vinor said.

  “Nail the Great Patriots? Bollocks!” Jasper said.


  “We would be made the scapegoat,” Vinor said.

  “Comrade, when a goat is jostled, it bites,” Jasper said with hysteria.

  “Jasper, we are done,” Vinor said dejectedly.

  “Comrade, it’s a setup,” Jasper said.

  “Setup? What are you on about?” Vinor asked, stupefied.

  “The abduction is a setup. Don’t believe the hype,” Jasper said.

  “I’m confused!” Vinor said.

  “Confused about the abduction hype?” Jasper asked, chuckling.

  “How do you know it’s hype or a setup?” Vinor asked.

  “Mayor Frank is like a slay queen. He would do anything for attention,” Jasper said.

  “A slay queen?” Vinor queried.

  “Yes, comrade, a slay queen,” Jasper said, giggling.

  “Elaborate please,” Vinor said.

  “Sure, comrade. Listen to my exposé of Frank,” Jasper said.

  “Jasper, I’m all ears,” Vinor said.

  “Mayor Frank’s request for huge security detail and a motorcade was turned down by the Assembly. Are you with me, comrade?” Jasper said.

  “Ride on, comrade,” Vinor said.

  “This bizarre request made him dip in the polls because it made him look out of touch with the people of Le-Croff. This is a play to improve his chances of a re-election and to compel the Assembly to do his bidding,” Jasper said.

  “Are you saying Frank has planned it himself?” Vinor asked, puzzled.

  “Yes, comrade,” Jasper replied.

  “We have got to refute the wild allegation,” Vinor said.

  “We can’t be crushed. The Great Patriots are unbeatable,” Jasper said.

  “We are uncrushable pebbles,” Vinor said exhilaratedly.

  “Convene the comrades for a protest at the end of the week,” Jasper said.

  “Roger that! The comrades shall be apprised,” Vinor replied.

  Mayor Frank Kaars, an athletically-built, clean-shaven man in his mid-forties, was an investment banker before his sojourn into politics. He had been mayor of Le-Croff for two terms. Frank was seeking re-election for a third term. The Constitution of Patriccar Island had a fixed tenure of three years and three terms for elected officials. The three terms had been scrutinised by advocates for democracy because it was deemed not in compliance with other countries in the world.

  Frank caused a pivotal upset as a candidate for the Democratic Advancement Party by defeating the incumbent from the Liberation Party in a landslide victory.

  The Liberation Party was the party of the prime minister, Lilian Loixe, a thirty-six-year-old, bespectacled and petite woman.

  The General Elections were in ten months. The prime minister had been campaigning for her party’s mayoral candidate. Lilian was serving her last term as prime minister of Patriccar Island.

  At a rally, the prime minister took a jab at Frank Kars:

  “Le-Croff deserves a visionary mayor,” she declared.

  “Nine years of Lilian Loixe has brought a high rate of inflation to our country. It’s seven liquets to a dollar,” Frank Kaars replied.

  Patriccar Island was made up of thirty five regions, including the capital city of Terre de Gloire.

  The prime minister’s party, the Liberation Party, was in power in most of the regions. Le-Croff was the only region where the Democratic Advancement Party held sway.

  Stand up or stand down.

  Chapter Two

  I nvestigations by the police were now fully fledged.

  “We shall get to the bottom of this,” trothed Zul Baxter, the Chief Constable of Le-Croff.

  The Great Patriots congregated on the street, toting placards with captions such as ‘Peekaboo’, ‘I see you’, ‘We are not terrorists’, ‘It’s a fallacy’, ‘You can’t fool the region’.

  Fela Kuti’s ‘Zombie’ blared out of a van behind the bevy of Great Patriots protestors. They cavorted to the euphonious music as they trudged along. It was like a rave. Yards from the Great Patriots, Unified Alliance, a faction within the Democratic Advancement Party, were inveighing against the snatching of Frank Kaars.

  ‘Terrorism sucks’, ‘Justice must prevail’, ‘Find those bandits’, ‘Where is our mayor?’ ‘This is inhumane’, were imprinted on their posters.

  Ruckus loomed, but there was a huge police presence to curtail it.

  Clutching a megaphone, Jasper spoke to his members:

  “Comrades, anarchy hovers over us, anarchy orchestrated by Le-Croff politicians so that they can shove their dubious agenda down our bloody throats.

  “The Great Patriots condemn the abduction of Mayor Kaars, if it’s true. Mayor Kaars’ request for security and a motorcade was rejected by the Assembly. Now he’s vanished? Smell that?” Jasper asked, making sniffy sounds.

  “Smells shifty!” the protestors replied.

  Jasper continued:

  “Very shifty, comrades. There is a precept to tar the Great Patriots with the terrorist brush. Are we terrorists?” Jasper asked.

  “NO!” the Great Patriots protestors bellowed.

  “Who are we?” Jasper asked energetically.

  “We are patriots, we are patriots,” they chanted.

  Jasper continued:

  “Malcolm X said if you are not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. The media and Mayor Kaars’ supporters are attempting to make us the hated by pinning nonsense on us. Comrade Vinor foresaw this. The narrative they are impelling is that I incited Mayor Kaars’ abduction. We won’t be scapegoated!”

  “We are not scapegoats!” the protestors chanted.

  Jasper continued:

  “Comrades, we are not thugs.”

  “We are patriots, we are patriots,” the protestors chanted again.

  Jasper continued:

  “The voice of the oppressed, face of the faceless, and defender of the masses . . .” Deafening whistling and applause from the crowd interrupted Jasper. Jasper continued: “Martin Luther King said our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Things like accountability, good governance, adherence to the Constitution, and respect for the rule of law are things that matter.”

  The protestors applauded.

  Jasper continued:

  “Mayor Kaars is no Gandhi. He is a corrupt politician that serves his donors at the expense of Le-Croff. The chicken has come home to roost and this saga is the last trick in his hat.”

  “Bomboclaat!” someone shouted.

  Jasper continued:

  “It’s all sorts of claats. Bomboclaat, rasclats, bloodclaat and dutty clats.”

  “Dutty clat! Dutty clat! Dutty clat!” the protestors chanted.

  “Le-Croff must be emancipated from the shackles of corrupt politicians. The establishment must be destabilised. Patriccar Island, according to UNESCO, is amongst the five safest countries in the world. There hasn’t been any extremist attack on our soil. This is why for ages public officials have had no security detail.

  “The only public official assigned that privilege is the prime minister. Mayor Kaars, streaked with a tyrannical complex, saw himself as the emperor of Le-Croff. He got too big for his britches, so he behested for a palace. Le-Croff is not his flipping empire. You can’t be an authoritarian in a democratic system of government.”

  “Not your empire! Not your empire!” the protestors chanted emphatically.

  “It’s all a flim-flam. We aren’t daft. It’s a scheme for the mayor to evoke sympathy from Le-Croff, which would militate against his defeat at the general elections.”

  “Dutty clat! Dutty clat!” the protestors chanted.

  “Those bamboozled by Mayor Frank Kaars suffer from unabating misology. The Unified Alliance of the gullible,” Jasper said, taking a swipe at the Unified Alliance.

  “Gullible muppets! Gullible muppets!” Great Patriots aimed a verbal onslaught at the Unified Alliance.

/>   Incensed, Unified Alliance retaliated.

  “They are vile! They are vile!” the faction shouted.

  Missiles were hurled from the Great Patriots and Unified Alliance. A brawl ensued as both sides charged at each other like psychotic buffalos. Placards turned into épées in the tussle. Police officers in riot gear fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disburse the throng. This aggravated the mob. They unbridled their anger on the police.

  When the fracas fizzled out, there were injured casualties. Paramedics tended to them, some were taken to the hospital. Shoes, stones, rubber bullets littered. Unified Alliance scampered.

  Unscathed, Jasper was adamant to carry on.

  “Sir, you have to leave,” a police officer said to Jasper.

  “We aren’t going anywhere,” Jasper replied stubbornly.

  “You are in breach of public peace,” the officer cautioned.

  “Freedom of speech is my human right,” Jasper barked at the officer.

  “You will be arrested if you persist,” the officer warned.

  “They have cancelled our protest!” Jasper said to the Great Patriots over the megaphone.

  “Fire burn them! Fire burn them!” they shouted.

  “Fire burn them to the bone, they can’t run us out of town!” Jasper yelled.

  “Oppressors! Oppressors! Oppressors!” they cried vigorously.

  “They are pissed off because we made the Unified Alliance run away with their tails between their legs,” Jasper said.

  “Scaredy-cats! Scaredy-cats!” they chanted.

  “Some of our comrades are in the hospital. To cancel the protest will be a disservice to them,” Jasper said.

  “We are patriots! We are patriots!” they cried.

  “We stand up and never stand down. That’s why we can’t fall for anything,” Jasper said.

  “Great Patriots! Great Patriots!” they chanted.

  “We will go when we want. Nobody can tell us jack,” Jasper said.

  “Nobody! Nobody!” they roared.

  The police seized the megaphone from Jasper.

  “You are under arrest for breach of the peace,” an officer said to Jasper as he was being cuffed.