An Inch Away From Death! ( 4)
“YContinued from last week Saturday, May 4, 2024. OUNG lady,” the DPO said thoughtfully, “the judge will determine if truly your fiancé is a robber or not. The case will come up in two weeks time. The only thing I will advise you to do is to get a lawyer for him. This case is beyond our power and capabilities.”
Collins was really assaulted and molested by the inmates of the cell he was clamped in. They beat the living daylight out of him. There were very tough and hardened rogues in the cell. Their eyes were as hard as a rock. Collins begged for mercy in tears, then they became lenient with him. The police officers had to take him to another cell when they realized that the hardened criminals could kill him if he remained there.
Monica brought food, water and clothes for Collins. She prayed to God that Collins would be free at last. Despite the shortcomings of Collins, she loved him. She had a deep affection for the young man. Collins had narrated how he got the handset to Monica and this further confirmed and proved that truly he wasn’t a robber. The young lady stood by Collins. She believed in the philosophy that ‘ nobody is perfect’. She paid for the service of a lawyer to argue in favour of her lover. The very day when the case would come up in court drew nearer. The judgment day was around the corner. Collins was taken out of his cell amid tight security and driven to the court where the case would come up. The judge was a potbellied, bespectacled elderly man in his mid 60s. The case was called up by the Registrar. Collins was all the while shaken and fidgety. He was just sweating and trembling as his name was mentioned and accusations read against him. The tears had gathered in his eyes. He looked up, down and up again. He took a quick look around the court premises and shook his head in a pitiful way. The judge spoke for 10 minutes condemning the act of Collins as a robber. He wondered why people indulge in armed robbery when they could pray passionately, work hard and wait for their time. He believed if people were patient enough there wouldn’t be robbery cases. Collins’ lawyer was a young man in his mid 30s. He argued the case beyond all reasonable doubt that Collins was not a robber but someone who bought a product from the wrong people. Monica was very moody and sad as the case proceeded. She was praying real hard for the case to be in favour of her fiancé.
The judge took his gavel and hit it in on the table and rose. He promised to be back to deliver judgment in a moment. Collins was just crying and sobbing like a baby. Monica mopped the tears off his face and told him that he wouldn’t end up at the gallows. “Collins, you won’t die,” she implored, “they won’t kill you. You’re not a criminal. They won’t kill you,” she further assured . When the judge came back again from the Chambers, he was swift with his judgment. The court was filled to the brim with people who wanted to know what would be the final judgment and fate of the young plumber called Collins. The judge cleared his throat and said:
“Collins Osuji, I hereby sentence you to death by hanging for the murder of the wife of Mr. Albert Chigozie and robbing her of her handset and other valuables. You are a hardhearted criminal. May God receive your soul.”