Tiit for tat - S02 E37

3 years ago

Tiit for tat - S02 E37

Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 37

Legal Battle

There is a higher court than the court of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supercede all other courts -Mahatma Gandhi

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[Mike’s Point Of view ]

~~In the Police cell~~

No. Somebody should tell me. The young man that stopped me from shooting Zolabin, is he really the Tife I knew, the Tife who saved me when Zolabin’s gang was now pursuing me? The Tife who came in to rescue me from Torture?

I mean somebody should convince me that that young man was TIFE?

Was that the Tife I put my life on the line to save from death ?

The same Tife who trained my gang?Support my rescue mission to Parrot Island to get Cassandra?

I looked round the Police cell. Thunder and Flexion were silent.

Bellona and Deianira were in the female cell. Tabuki seemed a bit bothered. He told me earlier he had not done some rituals for his god because the concoctions needed could not be acquired when he was in a cell!! Well , I didn’t think it was that serious.

The police cell was six feet by four feet.The walls were thick with a metal door welded firmly to a pivot hinge and supplied in a substantial steel frame. It had only one small window. A perfect reflection of the real prison which soon awaited us. It was no brighter inside than the gathering gloom of dusk, even at midday. Even the comfort offered by the single student mattress was a torture.

The D day for the court was set. I was sleeping on the only dirty student mattress in the cell while the rest of my team were sleeping on the bare floor. Two police men came in saying, : It’s time for court, gangsters”

We were Handcuffed and marched into the Police van.When we got to the compound of the court, I was shocked to see a large crowd. They stared at me in sadness and surprise. My eyes landed on Cassandra and Rosaline.

They were sobbing uncontrollably. We walked into the court room.

~~In the court room~~

The crowd in the court room was even more than those outside. The Judge and jury entered the court room .The Court’s clerk ordered the Court to rise.

All the people in the court rose to honour the presence of the Jury.After the judge sat down in his seat on the elevated platform,the people in the court were also asked to sit down.

The two parties were fully present for the trial to begin with Zolabin Egwu as the plaintiff and me, Mike Ebuke and my gang as the defendant.

Our lawyers sat at the counsel table near the bench.

The court clerk searched through the dockets and brought out the case file. He said, “Case Number 667.A, ZOLABIN EGWU VRS MIKE EBUKE and case Number 667.B The STATE VRS MIKE EBUKE.

I was sent to the witness box and made to swear an oath. After the swearing of the oath, the case was read:

“Three days ago you broke into Zolabin’s House in the Jungle, attacked his men and killed several of them. Zolabin himself was saved by the intervention of the police and Tife!!!

The Trial Began. …

Mr. Zolabin was asked to tell the court what exactly happened. He said he was in his room that day , sick of malaria when he heard the sounds of gunshots. He said he realised he was under attack and decided to call the police for assistance.

The lawyer of the accused was called to cross-examine the plaintiff- Zolabin.

Lawyer Okeke George cross-examined Zolabin. He asked him if he had hurt Mike in the past for which reason Mike had decided to avenge the wrong doing.

Zolabin denied hurting Mike in the past. Some of the messages he sent to Mike threatening him were marked as exhibits and played in the court.

Zolabin’s Lawyer Rafiq raised an objection saying any message between two persons were protected by privacy laws and could not be administered in a court of law as exhibit unless the court had thoroughly examined its content.

The objection was SUSTAINED.

Mike was then asked to stand in the witness box and asked to explained his reasons for attacking Zolabin. He alleged Zolabin made several attempts to kill him and he saw the need to strike him first. Unfortunately, the few evidence he had to prove his case was scanty and inconsequential to the case.

The lawyer for the plaintiff, Rafiq cross-examined Mike’s case. He asked Mike why he didn’t report the issue to the police and rather took justice into his own hands. Mike said the police commander in charge by then was a collaborator of crime and thus cannot be trusted. Rafiq asked Mike why he still had not reported the issue to the police since that police officer was removed. Mike couldn’t answer.

Mike’s lawyer raised an objection but was overruled.

The court was adjourned for two hours.

Two hours later, the Jury reconvened. They examined the issues and decided Mike was guilty by breaking into Zolabin’s House without authorization and killing his bodyguards. No sentence was imposed on him because the jury wanted to wait till the second case and he would make the two pronouncements.

The Judge said the second case would be adjudicated in two week time. The court session ended and the the judge left. Mike and his gang were sent back to the cell.

Mike was told he had a visitor. It turned out to be Rosaline.

She visited him in the cell. Mike knew why she was there. He told her to initialize Plan B. She understood the message.

“Time up” one the police men said and walked Mike back into the prison cell.

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What happened next?