Lieutenant Vilakazi, or Lieutenant Vee as his friends liked to call him, was at the mercy of his captors. It seemed as though there was no way out for the lieutenant, he had been blindfolded ever since he was taken. One thing that was certain was that the guys that picked him up were not from around here.

For starters, they had thick Nigerian accents and they didn’t wear your everyday attire. They wore matching outfits made from the most resistant material found on South African soil. Sadly, that’s all Lieutenant Vee could pick up from the guys that picked him up. Other than that, they were pretty smart.

They managed to track and find him without him ever suspecting a thing. That meant they were the best at what they do, but they’d better make it quick before his quadrant realised that he was missing. They’d come guns blazing, not having a care who was in their way.

They would fight through an army if they had to, just so they can have their Lieutenant Vee back in the warmth and safety of his own home. His quadrant would even risk him catching friendly fire than to let one of those Mofos get away. That’s how dedicated they were at getting their man. As soon as they realised what these damn Nigerian captors had done, they would come charging in there, killing every piece of Nigerian filth they find.

They’ll then go after their bosses and offspring and even kill their dogs and burn down their houses. Only then would his quadrant know peace. When the earth is bleeding blood, so much so that it shows in the soil by turning it burgundy red, only then would his quadrant have their fill.

When they had eliminated not just every single one of them, but there was nothing left on their family trees but a stump to remind them of what once was. Lieutenant Vee knew the guys who took him had good timing because they took him right before he was supposed to go hunting in his cabin for two weeks. It could be a while before somebody realised he was not at his cabin in Mpumalanga, but rather at some unknown destination.

They had fooled him with the matching outfits; he thought maybe they were a local boys choir or well-wishers or street performers. But as soon as he opened the car door, they electrocuted him until he blacked out. He didn’t even see any of their faces and had already locked up the house. There wouldn’t be anything suspicious, unless the kidnappers started by ran sacking the house before they left with him.

He didn’t recall much after what happened at the gate, but at least Lieutenant Vee could still think of a few exercises to calm his mind. He didn’t want to go into distress and start freaking out and end up getting hurt. He knew the best way out of this situation was to do what they said and assist them in whatever they wanted from him.

Don’t play a hero, keep your head low and your eyes high, he thought, and don’t speak unless spoken to. If possible, exploit their weakest link and make him your friend. He or she might just be the voice of reason your captors need to hear in order to let you go. And if that doesn’t work, then convince the weakest link to help you bust out.

But he had to give it time and make it seem as though it was their idea because rushing things might get him in trouble. He might be getting played, so if he got caught trying to escape his punishment could be doubled, that’s if he was not shot on sight.

Lieutenant Vee sat there blindfolded and wondered how these Nigerians knew how to find him, or better yet, who in the world sent them. It had been a while since he had any dealings with Nigerians. It had been three years since he was last in Lagos and if he remembered correctly he left Lagos on good terms.

The conditions may have been a bit skew, but he thought since no one said anything throughout these years, then the deal he made was still holding. He hardly came across Nigerians at work and the only Nigerians he saw when he was at work were in handcuffs and headed to jail for a very long time.

The only person Lieutenant Vee could think of who had dealings with Nigerians was his brother maThousan’. He was the complete opposite of Lieutenant Vee and took after their father. Lieutenant Vee was a couple of months older than maThousan’ and was wiser and more obedient, unlike his younger brother who was the epidemic of evil in black skin.

But Lieutenant Vee wanted to give his younger brother the benefit of the doubt. So he said out loud, “Maybe these are Nigerian spies sent to abstract information from me or they are just kidnappers who had a lucky shot?”

Lieutenant Vee didn’t have all the answers, but he knew that time would soon reveal whatever was afoot.

***

Tell us: Why do you think Lieutenant Vee was kidnapped?