Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 10
The Rejected Ring
Episode 10
The second day of Benjamin’s trial came.
The sun was hot that morning. Policemen came to the prison yard with their van.
“Benjamin, get ready,” one officer shouted.
Benjamin stood up slowly. His heart was beating, but this time, there was hope inside him. He remembered what his lawyer told him the other day.
"The video will save me", he said to himself. "Maybe today I will regain my freedom."
They pushed him into the van and locked it. As the vehicle moved, Benjamin looked out through the small window. He prayed silently.
“God, please, let the truth come out today. Don’t allow my enemies to win.”
Meanwhile, Evelyn was also preparing. She woke up early, took her bath, and wore one of her best gowns. She painted her lips and looked at herself in the mirror.
She smiled wickedly.
“Today is the day,” she whispered. “I will finish Benjamin in court. The judge will believe me. He will rot in prison. Mary will never marry him. Nobody will.”
She began rehearsing the lies she wanted to tell.
“I will say I bought hem.p from him many times. I will say he even begged me to keep quiet. Yes… I will make it look real.”
She laughed and left the house.
Soon, everyone gathered inside the courtroom. The judge entered, and the clerk shouted, “Court rise!”
Everybody stood. The judge took his seat, and the trial began.
The police presented their case again. They brought out the nylon bag of Indian he.mp they said was found in Benjamin’s restaurant.
“This is the evidence,” the prosecutor said. “We also have a witness who will testify against the accused.”
The judge nodded. “Call the witness.”
The door opened. Evelyn walked confidently to the witness box. She stood tall, pretending to be innocent.
Benjamin looked at her and almost collapsed. He could not believe what he was seeing.
"So Evelyn is the one?" he thought. "She is the one behind my suffering?"
He shook his head in pain.
The clerk asked Evelyn to swear an oath. She raised her hand and swore to tell the truth. But immediately she began to speak, everything she said was a lie.
“My Lord,” Evelyn started, “I know Benjamin very well. I used to buy food from his restaurant.
But apart from food, he also sells Indian he.mp secretly. I am a smoker. Many times, I bought hemp from him directly.”
The courtroom became noisy. People started whispering. Some looked at Benjamin with pity, others with suspicion.
Benjamin’s eyes were full of tears. He could not believe Evelyn was lying against him without fear. He bent his head and muttered, “Why, Evelyn? Why do you hate me this much?”
The judge raised his hand. “Order! Order in the court!”
The room became quiet again. Evelyn continued, “Benjamin sold hem.p to many people in the estate. He is deceiving everyone by pretending to be a good businessman. But in truth, he is a criminal.”
She folded her arms and looked at the judge, thinking she had already won.
Benjamin’s lawyer stood up calmly. “My Lord, I request permission to cross-examine this witness.”
“Go ahead,” the judge said.
The lawyer faced Evelyn. “Madam, you say you often bought hem.p from Benjamin. Can you tell the court the exact date you last bought it from him?”
Evelyn blinked. She was not expecting that question. “Eh… ehm… it was… it was last month.”
The lawyer smiled. “Last month? Which day?”
She scratched her head. “I cannot remember the exact day.”
The lawyer shook his head. “Alright. When you bought it, did you pay him in cash or transfer?”
“Cash,” she said quickly.
“How much did you buy?”
“Five hundred naira hem.p,” she replied.
The lawyer continued, “So, Madam, you mean Benjamin was selling hemp openly in his restaurant where everyone comes to eat, and yet nobody except you has ever seen him doing it?”
“Yes,” Evelyn said boldly.
The lawyer looked at the judge and bowed. “My Lord, I believe this witness is lying. And I have evidence to prove it.”
The judge leaned forward. “Evidence? Present it.”
The lawyer brought out a flash drive. He handed it to the court clerk, who connected it to a computer. A big screen was rolled out for everyone to see.
The lawyer cleared his throat. “My Lord, this is CCTV footage from Benjamin’s restaurant on the day the hem.p was found. Watch closely.”
The video began to play. The whole courtroom was silent.
They saw a man walk into the restaurant with the same nylon bag the police later claimed belonged to Benjamin. The man sat down, ate, and later stood up to leave. But the bag was no longer with him.
Gasps filled the court. People began to murmur.
The lawyer raised his voice. “My Lord, you can see clearly that Benjamin never had the bag. It was planted in his restaurant by someone who wanted to frame him. My client is innocent.”
The judge watched the video again. He shook his head.
“This is strong evidence,” he said. “The police must be very careful before accusing citizens wrongly.”
Evelyn’s face changed. She began to tremble. Sweat poured down her body. She did not expect such evidence. She looked at Benjamin with fear, but Benjamin refused to look at her.
The judge turned to Benjamin. “Mr. Benjamin, do you have anything to say?”
Benjamin stood up slowly. His voice shook. “My Lord, I am an innocent man. I have never sold Indian hem.p in my life. I am only a businessman. Somebody planned all this against me because they hate me. Please, I want justice.”
The judge nodded. He faced the police. “Do you have any other evidence?”
The prosecutor was silent. He bent his head. There was nothing else to show.
The judge lifted his hammer. “This court has seen enough. The evidence from the CCTV proves that the Indian hem.p was planted. The case against Benjamin is hereby struck out. He is free to go.”
The hammer dropped on the table.
“Case dismissed!” the judge shouted.
The courtroom became noisy again. Some people clapped. Others shouted in joy. Mary burst into tears of happiness. She rushed to Benjamin and hugged him tightly.
Benjamin himself was crying. His lawyer held his hand and smiled. “I told you. The truth will always win.”
Benjamin looked at the judge and said, “Thank you, My Lord.”
The police removed the chains from his hands and legs. For the first time in weeks, he walked as a free man.
Benjamin was set free.
To be continued
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