Three Boys on One Finger
"They may hang these boys," whispered a spectator who had come to see what was happening.
It was a very shocking sight. The three teenagers were standing in the dock. Now, for the first time, they really looked ruffled. The tide seemed to be turning against their lawyer who had promised that he would argue the case very well and they would be left off the hook. It was obvious to the parents of the accused boys that they really miscalculated with the lawyer.
The court was full to the brim. The story of the three boys described as devilish by the spectators had spread round the town right from the first time they were brought to the court. Almost everyone heard about the recovered finger that was wrapped in a small piece of cloth.
It was reportedly found with a herbalist, and everyone who came to court the previous day swore that they actually saw the finger, and that it belonged to a six-year-old boy. Some young boys beat him to death.
"Where is the boy now?" asked a sympathiser who had also come to watch the events as they unfolded in the court.
"Didn't you hear what they did to the poor little boy?" whispered another.
"I didn't...I just came here today and...."
"Shh.... why don't you people keep quiet? This is a court. That judge is tough. Any person he catches talking anyhow in his court is sentenced for contempt," another man quickly interrupted the discussion.
About this time, the judge's eyes surveyed the whole courtroom and looked at Lape, the poor boy's mother.
Mr. Justice Wawa Wowawa as he was known by everyone, felt bad about the strange story he was listening to in the court. Indeed, there was pity in his eyes as he listened with rapt attention. Suddenly, his eyes were fixed on the 60-year-old herbalist.
"This beast! How could he have been asking people to bring human skulls and fingers to his evil temple for sacrifices so that they can have stupendous wealth?" Justice Wowawa thought in his mind.
Wowawa adjusted his glasses and signaled to Mr. Kolua Kolomi, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) to continue his submission, as he was being drilled by the state prosecutor.
"Who did you say first initiated the move to consult the herbalist?" asked the state prosecutor.
"It was the first accused person, my lord. He was the one who told the two other accused persons that he was fed up with schooling and he had just found a short cut to wealth and riches," said the officer.
"And what did he say was the short-cut to the wealth and riches?" asked the prosecutor.
Mr. Kolomi answered, "My lord, he told the two other younger boys that he had found a herbalist who was ready to do money-spinning medicine, which would make him a millionaire overnight."
The entire court was quiet. The high court judge asked the prosecutor to continue with the case. As he continued, spectators who had gathered at the court almost took the laws into their hands to carry out instant jungle justice against the three teenagers who were standing trial for the murder of Shofax Muwese, a six-year- old boy.
Shofax was a pupil at the Moweta Primary School, Okejo. His mother, Aduke was a struggling trader at the Tojudea market. She had vowed that she would do all she could to train her son up to the university level. Unfortunately, the Devil cut her dream short. The three teenage money hunters who were tired of schooling murdered the poor boy in his prime.
They claimed that the West African School Certificate Examination being organized by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) was getting too difficult. The examination body had tightened the security concerning examination malpractice. Cheats and fraudulent people no longer found it easy, so they felt instead of going through the rigours of exam, the result of which they may not even know, it was better they consulted a herbalist to help them make charms which would give them financial break through.
The Joker on the Bench
All the problems that gradually forced the small boys into the crime echoed on their minds as they stood in the dock staring aimlessly at the presiding judge. Mr. Justice Wowawa, a no-nonsense judge was well known in the town.
A very interesting man, his nickname was, One-Who-Jokingly-Sends-Accused-Persons-to-Jail. Many times, the judge would beat his chest in court and announce to the people his record of cases where he had sent scores of people behind bars. But that day, although he did not make that kind of announcement because of the number of cases before him, he was at his best - sending banters occasionally through the courtroom.
Suddenly, his roving eyes caught one of the police officers in charge of the case before him. He was excited as he discovered that he had three pips on his shoulder. It was evident that the young officer, Peter had just been promoted as a sergeant.
"Heh, Peter, when did you receive your third pip?" He queried.
"Just yesterday sir!" said Sergeant Peter.
"Really? Congratulations. I didn't know you would become a sergeant so soon. Is it not just six years ago that you joined the force? I'm happy for you Peter."
There was a kind of excitement amongst some spectators in the court. Suddenly, Justice Wowawa looked across the courtroom and his eyes caught yet another policeman, Austin aged about 45 years. He pointed in his direction.
"Hmm.... You Austin, why are you not with a pip?" he asked him.
Poor Austin. He was lost. He did not know what to say. Realizing that the man who asked the question was sitting in the exalted position of a judge, he then answered.
"I do not know why I do not have any rope."
"You do not know why, Austin?" he asked.
"Yes my lord," Austin answered.
"Haha... Austin maybe because you take so many bribes," volunteered Justice Wowawa amidst laughter in court.
He then looked at the younger policeman. "How old are you, Peter?"
"I'm 26 years old," He answered.
"Can you beat that! And you are already with three pips. Good. This is our future Inspector General of Police. By the time you are forty years, Peter, you will be a Commissioner. Good," he said. The laughter in court seemed infectious now. Everyone laughed hysterically.
"Can you hear this judge? He is ever acting true to his nickname - The-One-Who-Jokingly-Sends-People-To-Jail," whispered a spectator.
Strange Court Session
Shortly after, it was the time for cross-examination of the accused person. They asked Emma, the sixteen-year-old boy some questions, and he corroborated some of the things already known by the court.
When they were through with him, they switched on to Oliko, the 14-year-old accused boy, in form two. Oliko narrated his own experiences to the court on what led him to commit the crime. Oliko had been repeating one class two times, and he was fed up with schooling. However the most shocking aspect of his confession was when he told the court during cross-examination that it was the herbalist who asked them to procure a human finger, which could be used to make juju medicine to conjure money for them.
"Why did you consult the herbalist for this wicked act?" asked the prosecutor.
"We were always failing in school. We were fed up with schooling. The School Certificate examination was getting more difficult, and we felt many people were failing. We then thought, 'Why are we wasting our time in school? Is it not to make money in future? If it is, then we can ask someone somewhere to do it for us in whatever form,'" He volunteered to the astonished court.
"Wicked children!" said a spectator in the court.
When the prosecutor said he had had enough from him, he then switched on to the youngest of the accused, 10-year-old Wonpe. He, it was, who was cajoled by the most senior boys - Oliko and Momoda to join them and assist them to lure Oweke, the six-year-old deceased when his parents were not in.
"Tell the court what actually happened," The prosecutor implored the young boy.
"Hem... that day when they were ready, the two of them asked me to lure the boy that was killed under the pretext that we were going to play football. When we got to the place; we played ball and later took the boy to a bush faraway from every house. There, Momoda clubbed him to death on the head. Then Oliko joined in the clubbing. But me, I...I did not join them. I only lured the boy.... I brought him out from their house. That was all I did," The youngest accused volunteered.
By the time he finished, the court was shocked beyond words. The spectators sighed with disbelief. They could not understand how young secondary school boys could engage in such a satanic activity of beating a small innocent boy to death.
"After killing him, what happened next?" asked the prosecutor.
"They brought out a knife and cut off the finger. They buried the boy, and we later walked to the herbalist who collected the finger for use," the smallest boy narrated.
"Ha... .I was only trying to put them off by suggesting that they should bring a finger. I didn't know they were that desperate," the herbalist stammered, even when it was not his turn to talk.
"Will you shut up!" the court ordered.
"My lord, I did not ask them to kill. I only suggested if they could find a finger so as to put them off," the herbalist said.
A slap from a policeman kept him quiet. The court proceedings continued throughout the day. By the time it was evening, the evidences and testimonies of all persons brought before the court had been taken.
A week later, Judge decided to give the judgement. The whole court was equally quiet. While he was reading his judgement, he noticed the 45-year-old constable who had no pip dozing in a corner of the court.
"Ha... You are already dozing, early in the morning. Are you having a hangover from the alcohol and drinking session you had last night?" asked the judge amidst laughter.
Suddenly, his mood changed and his eyes were red in anger. He looked at the boys. He stared at the herbalist. He read his judgement. And sentenced every one to death. The herbalist was to die by hanging for aiding and abetting the murder of a six-year-old innocent boy. The three secondary school boys despite their ages were given death sentence. But they were to be kept behind bars to pay the ultimate penalty anytime after they reached the age of 18 years.
©2002 StoriesByEmail.com
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