<p>When his mother, Hajiya Zainab, heard the news on the radio, she was deeply shaken. She had assumed the matter had been covered up, especially since she had bribed officials with twenty thousand naira. Now, she realized she had to act fast before things got worse.</p><p>She and her sister, Hajiya Zulai, rushed to the State CID and met with senior officers, hoping to intervene.</p><p>One officer told her, “Hajiya, you have to accept this. The case has become very serious. Our superiors are aware, and legal proceedings have already begun. He will be taken to court for sentencing.”</p><p>Tears rolled down her face. Her beloved son would go to prison. She had to do something. She couldn’t watch him suffer.</p><p>Before leaving, she secretly met with an officer handling the case and gave him fifty thousand naira, begging him to help.</p><p>Feeling sorry for her, the officer promised that he would try to prevent the case from reaching the court and would arrange for a lawyer to handle it.</p><p>With that assurance, she felt relieved and left.</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p>Monday: The Court Hearing</p><p>Mudansir’s lawyer presented false evidence in his defense, while Aisha’s lawyer provided strong counterarguments.</p><p>The trial was intense. The judge postponed the verdict until the following Monday, when Aisha’s lawyer planned to present undeniable evidence in front of the public.</p><p>That evening, Mudansir’s lawyer visited him in detention.</p><p>"Do you think they have strong evidence against you?" he asked.</p><p>Mudansir sighed. “Yes, they do. There’s a journalist who has photographic evidence of the incident. I don’t know who took the pictures, but it must have been someone inside our house. If I find out who it was, I will make sure they disappear.”</p><p>The lawyer asked, “Why didn’t you lock the door when it happened? If the door had been closed, they wouldn’t have been able to take those pictures.”</p><p>"I swear I locked it! I don’t know how it happened. There must be a conspiracy!" Mudansir replied.</p><p>The lawyer then said, “Is there a way to steal the camera from her without her knowing? If she can’t present the pictures in court, then the case will collapse.”</p><p>Mudansir smirked. “That’s easy.”</p><p>"What’s the plan?" the lawyer asked.</p><p>“I have some men in the forest outside town. They have weapons—guns and knives. They can scare her into handing over the camera.”</p><p>The lawyer hesitated. “Make sure they don’t hurt her. If they do, you’ll be in even bigger trouble.”</p><p>"Don’t worry. These are my trusted men. They will handle it carefully," Mudansir assured him.</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p> </p><p> </p>
