Chapter 5: Broken Justice

During break, I discuss the case with some colleagues.

For the lawyers' lounge, air thick with smoke, some dey sip cold malt, others dey check their phone. We dey argue, but nobody wan talk the real thing. Some dey dodge eye contact. For Naija, big case dey always get politics join.

Funny enough, nobody wan talk the real matter. Dem just dey praise Onuche.

If you hear the way dem dey talk, you go think say Onuche na small thief wey steal plantain. Person go say, "Ah, the boy try, e no bad reach like that." I dey shake head, but I just dey observe. Some people dey fear speak truth for this kain system.

“He still young, just nineteen, university student.”

One SAN dey talk. "Abeg, he still be pikin. Nineteen years no be full man. Make we show am small mercy." Na so everybody dey nod like agama lizard. E no matter say the girl na only twenty herself. Double standard na our second skin sometimes.

“He turn himself in, dey humble.”

Another lawyer dey talk. "He surrender, him no run. That one show say e get conscience." For Naija, dem fit use surrender take reduce crime. Even judge dey smile sometimes for this yarn.

“He do am because of inferiority complex.”

Dem dey try psychoanalyze evil. "E do am because girls dey yab am for hostel. Na low self-esteem push am." I dey look all of them, dey wonder if them dey hear themselves.

Everybody dey hint say make we give am suspended death sentence, but nobody talk am straight.

The talk dey circle the point. Dem no want shout am, but eye dey wink, hand dey tap table. Na the subtle politics of big man case.

Yesterday night, my mentor tell me say he don arrange am; the case go end as suspended death penalty, prosecutor no go appeal.

The call still dey ring for my head. Na my mentor voice—confident, calm. "I don settle am. Suspended death, prosecutor go fold hand. Nobody go push further." I just dey nod, dey reason where justice go hide for this kain arrangement.

True true, by law, suspended death sentence no be problem. E go make oga people happy, calm the public.

If to say we dey follow book, that one dey okay. Suspended sentence na way to cool big men nerves, make public no shout. Everybody go rest, no wahala. But for victim family, that one no reach.

But the victim family nko?

Na that question dey bite me for chest. For Naija, if you no get power, your voice dey low for law house.

I never meet Morenike papa before. The oga people, fear say the case go cause wahala, no gree do public trial—they dey fear make family no cause gbege.

Oga people no want make matter trend for social media. Dem dey arrange things coded, dey block Morenike family from press, from open talk. For them, silence na golden. But truth get way of leaking out.

After all, na this man dem kill him pikin.

Make we no deceive ourselves. For back of all this arrangement, one man dey house dey mourn. Pikin wey be him only hope—gone. Wetin person go tell am?