TWENTY-EIGHT

Sana Sana was a mysterious if not forbidding figure. He was Ghana’s most famous journalist, yet very few people had ever seen the face hidden behind a curtain of thick wires or threaded beads hanging from the brim of a hat. On occasion, he had removed the mask in front of an eager TV audience only to reveal a prosthetic face underneath.

He kept his identity a firm secret because over the years he had broken dozens of stories of corruption and organized crime all over Ghana. He was the mastermind behind daring undercover operations that exposed not only the most influential personalities in the country, but murderous rituals practiced in remote parts. Sana’s most recent exposé had blown up the corrupt world of soccer game fixing in Ghana. His motto was, “name, shame, and jail.” His enemies were criminals in both high and low places, and as he once said at a TED talk in Europe, if he ever revealed himself to the crooks, he would be dead within days.

Even Sana’s undercover agents and reporters never saw his face until he was sure they were trustworthy, but in the end, no one could be trusted a hundred percent. Everyone was a potential Judas. Technically, so was Bruno, Sana’s most recent employee, but that would be surprising. The story of Bruno, in brief, was that his ship was heading straight to the rocks and would have crashed into them had Sana not steered it back on course and into safe harbor. One of Sana’s agents had discovered him while investigating a corruption scandal involving street beggars. He used Bruno to get more information. Now Sana employed Bruno often. Yes, he was still on the street, but his skills were redirected toward unearthing the evil powerful men and women do.

Bruno’s association with Sana Sana was best left as classified as possible, because almost everything Sana did was a secret.

The night Bruno got out of jail, he met up with the master journalist at a secret location. Sana listened to his account of the raid and the way Nii Kwei was taken aside and not jailed.

“He probably knows her and regularly dashes her chop money,” Sana said. “And because he gave her and the officers the three-hundred cedis, you were all released from jail later on.”

“Yes,” Bruno confirmed. “Someone called the lady sergeant in the charge office and told her to release me.”

“It might have been DI Damptey or someone above her. That’s what I’m especially interested in—the higher-up people. Her rank is inspector, which is nothing. I want to expose the people at the top, like the commissioners. That way we gradually work our way up to the guy they call the Sakawa Godfather.”

“The one we are dying to know who he is,” Bruno said.

“Yes,” Sana said with a nod that made his beads jingle. “I want you to start asking Nii Kwei what he knows about the Godfather, but just be cool and casual.”

“Sure.”

“Tell me more about Emma, your stepsister. She came to see you at the Dansoman jail.”

“Yes please,” Bruno said. “She’s a good woman. She always tries to help me, and she wants me to do better for myself.”

“Have you told her about our project?”

“No please.”

“Good.” Sana nodded. “You said Emma used to work at CID.”

“Yes please, but now she has taken a job as a private investigator.”

“Ah, I see. Interesting. Which agency?”

“Please, I’ve forgotten the name, but I know it’s in Asylum Down.”

“Then that must be Yemo Sowah’s agency,” Sana said. “I know him.”

Bruno could feel Sana studying him from behind his veil.

“How are you?” Sana asked. “Are you okay?”

“Yes please.”

“When do you plan to see Kweku Ponsu?” Sana asked.

“Please, I will go with Nii Kwei, so let me check with him and I will let you know.”

“Find out how much money he pays Ponsu.”

“Yes please.”

Sana fished for his wallet and counted out several ten-cedi bills, which he handed to Bruno. “Here you are. Good work so far. Now on to the next level.”

Two days passed before Bruno and Nii could get together again to smoke. Hoping to loosen Nii’s tongue, Bruno let him take most of the hits.

“The police people no beat you in the jail?” Nii asked him, his eyes narrowing against a plume of marijuana smoke.

Bruno shook his head. “Not at all.”

“Good.”

“Why they no take you to jail?” Bruno asked. “The lady policeman—Madam Damptey—do you know her?”

“Yah,” Nii said, as if in a pleasant dream. “For long time.”

“Ah, okay,” Bruno said. “Then that’s why. Did you tell her about me?”

Nii took the dwindling stump of weed back and inhaled. “Yes. That’s why they released you first from jail.”

“Ei!” Bruno exclaimed, clapping his friend on the back. “Then you have power, oo!”

Nii smiled, but only briefly. “There are plenty people with more power than me. It’s time for me to tell you everything about how it works, but don’t talk to anybody about what I tell you. It’s a secret you must keep if you want to be successful. You understand?”

“Yes, my brodda.”

“I’ve waited to see if I can trust you, and it seems I can.”

“Thank you.”

“Okay,” Nii began, “I pay Madam some money just like other sakawa boys pay her and other officers. If I get in trouble, whether sakawa or another thing, she protects me. That’s why she told her officers not to arrest me.”

“Won’t the officers suspect?”

Nii shrugged. “And so what? They can’t say or do anything. If she’s in charge of a raid, she’s highest in rank. Even, she might have dashed some of her officers something small so they don’t say anything.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Even when she takes us to police station, they will release us maybe after one night or just a few hours because these raids are just for show. They take pictures of us for the papers and TV just so that the IGP and the president can say they are fighting against sakawa.”

“I see,” Bruno said. “But what will happen if Madam’s bosses find out she is doing this?”

Nii laughed. “Oh, but some of them know already. Even, they are taking money too. Like, her boss, Mr. Quaino. Madam gives him something out of the money she gets from the sakawa boys. Quaino too, he has someone above him he also pays. And it goes on like that to the top.”

“Who is at the top?”

“They call him ‘Godfather,’ but not many people know who he is. It’s better we don’t know, because if Godfather falls, he will take everyone with him. The less you know, the more innocent you are.”

“Have you met him?”

“That one I can’t tell you. If I’ve met him, it’s a secret. If I haven’t met him, it’s also a secret.”

“So, Godfather and Kweku Ponsu, who is more powerful?”

“Godfather, of course,” Nii answered. “And he’s richer than anyone because he controls everything and gets money from police officers who support the sakawa boys all over Ghana.”

Bruno chewed the inside of his lip. “I want to meet Godfather.”

“You have to be one of the best sakawa to do that. Only Kweku Ponsu can decide if you are good enough.”

“Okay, then I will impress Ponsu.”

Nii smirked and said, “It’s just not that easy.”