The Witness

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“I am a witness my King and I swear to say the truth and nothing but the truth.”

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When Nduka was arraigned in front of the kings and his council men at the palace, he knew he could lose his life if he was found guilty of the crime he was being accused of. The people of Afor didn't take murder cases likely.

They firmly believed in the saying.. "An eye for an eye, a life for a life"

Arinze, the man who was accusing Nduka for the crime was sitting comfortably in the palace. He knew that with the plans he had set in place, there was no way Nduka was leaving the palace alive.

Arinze remembered how he had gone with a friend to confront Nduka about a farmland he claimed was his. The same farmland Nduka also claimed belonged to his late father.

As both men argued and threatened to start a fist fight, the friend Arinze had gone with immediately got in between thrm and tried to break them up but Arinze had pushed his friend and the young man had slipped and fell, hitting his head on a rock and lost his life.

A passerby had witnessed the whole thing and as custom demands, he had gone to the king to report himself as a witness but what the king didn't know was that Arinze had gotten to the man first and he had promised to give him seven pieces of silver and his daughter for marriage if he would lie and say that Nduka had been the one who killed the man.

The king listened as both men told their sides of the story. He didn't know whom among both of them was guilty as both men claimed they were innocent but what the king knew was that one of them was guilty and he was going to find out soon enough.

“Bring in the witness”. The king ordered one of his palace guards and Arinze's face lit up with a hidden smile. He knew this was going to be over soon and the land would be his.

“You were there when the incident happened?” the King asked the witness immediately he entered the palace.

“Yes my king. I am a witness and I swear to say the truth and nothing but the truth”

“Who killed him?” the king asked. He was beginning to get tired with the whole thing and needed it done with.

The witness slowly looked at both men face to face before gently raising his finger in a dramatic way. He pointed it at no other person but Arinze.

“What??” Arinze screamed..

“Take him away” the king ordered before he could say any other word. “He would be hanged by sunset”.

“Thank you.” Nduka said to the witness just as the king walked out of the palace.

“Don't thank me. I just couldn't watch an innocent man die for a crime he didn't commit” the witness said before walking away.

That night, Nduka thanked the gods for vindicating him.


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1 comments
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Well... I am also a witness.
You can vote for me if you want to

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