One of them whispered for the others to remain quiet.
Their instructions were simple: enter, attack Ibe, and leave enough disorder behind to support the appearance of an armed robbery.
They believed their uniforms, connections and DPO’s protection would shield them afterward.
The first man reached for the door.
It opened before he touched it.
Ibe stood several steps inside.
He did not look surprised.
That unsettled them immediately.
“What are you doing here?” Ibe asked.
The officer nearest the doorway recovered quickly.
“We came to check on you.”
Ibe glanced behind him at the others.
“At this hour?”
“There was information about criminals in the area,” the officer said.
“We decided to make sure you’re safe.”
It might have sounded convincing if the afternoon had been normal.
But the afternoon had ended with poisoned food disappearing into the DPO’s office.
Ibe stepped aside just enough for them to see the table.
The folder was open.
Beside it sat his phone.
The men looked at one another.
One of them asked what he had written.
“Just today’s events,” Ibe replied.
The officer’s face hardened.
“Which events?”
“The party.”
Silence entered the room.
For the second time that day, a simple answer changed everything.
The officer who had volunteered to lead the attack moved closer.
“You need to stop creating problems for yourself, Ibe.”
Ibe studied him.
“By refusing food?”
“By accusing senior officers.”
“I accused nobody.
I asked people to eat what they gave me.”
That answer irritated the man because it was true.
Nobody could easily explain why a request to share supposedly harmless cake had caused the DPO to explode in anger.
The officer reached toward the folder.
Ibe closed it before his hand arrived.
“Don’t touch that.”
The warning was quiet.
The officer gave a small laugh.
“You’re becoming very bold.”
“I’m becoming very careful.”
Another officer moved toward the side of the room.
That was when headlights appeared outside.
The men froze.
A vehicle stopped near the house.
Then another.
Doors opened.
The officer closest to Ibe turned sharply toward the window.
“Who is that?”
Ibe did not answer immediately.
He looked at the men who had supposedly arrived to protect him from criminals.
“You said you came because this area was dangerous,” he said.
“So I made sure other people knew where I was.”
