"Do you hereby solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? So help you, God?" The clerk states to me.
"Yes, I do," I reply.
"Please state your name,"
"Michael Anderson,"
The clerk hands it over to the crown, who begins questioning me.
"Who are you to the accused?" He queries.
"I'm Chief Wole Anderson's son," I respond. "Biological son," I add, looking at my father.
"Did you make a statement live on Instagram following the hours that your father's PA was detained in police custody?"
"Yes,"
"Why would you make such a statement about your biological father?"
"Because that is nothing but the truth," I respond. "My father is the one who is dealing and trafficking illegal drugs. Jefferey, his assistant, is innocent."
"Thank you, my Lord, I have no further questions," The crown says and sits.
"Does the defense wish to cross-examine the witness?" The judge asks.
"Yes, my lord," Dad's attorney says as expected. He stands while I swiftly resolve to defend Jeff no matter what question this man throws at me.
"How close are you to Jeffery, your father's PA?"
What the hell is he trying to ask me?
"We are close," I reply.
"As buddies? Do you two attend parties, clubs, the gym, and football games together?" I scoff a little in response to his question.
"Yes,"
"Were you drunk when you went live on Instagram?"
Guy, I need to stay calm to answer his sort of question.
"No," I reply.
"Remember, Michael, you swore an oath."
"You don't fucking have to remind me of that," I snarl at him.
"I'm not," He responds. "I'm merely attempting to argue that you cannot act as a witness while lying to support your close buddy, Jeff,"
"Objection, my Lord," The crown interferes as he rises.
"Objection sustains," The judge declares.
"Defense, you can't manipulate or accuse a witness into telling the truth, you can only prove to the court that a witness is lying." He includes. "And Michael, please refrain from using offensive or derogatory language in court.
"Thank you, my lord," Dad's lawyer replies, then he turns to face me.
"You passed out right after you went live on Instagram, proving you had been drinking before making such a statement live on Instagram,"
"No, I drank off because of my father's bullshit," I say.
"Final warning," I hear the judge remark. "No more profanity," He cautionary adds and I roll my eyes.
"I had already gone live before I drank off," I clarify my response.
"Are you just backing up your so-called friend, Jeff, because you were having issues with your father, who wouldn't buy you a house and other luxuries until you graduated?"
"Objection my Lord," The crown stands furiously.
"Objection overruled," the Judge retorts. "Michael, go ahead and answer the question,"
"I'm not a kid," I begin to say. "My issues with my father stem from his drug dealing. I may not have evidence, but he confessed to me when I found out, and all he was trying to do after that was buy me off so that I wouldn't expose him,"
"Would you kindly explain to the court how you discovered that he is the one dealing drugs?"
"I discovered... " I was going to mention how I found some cocaine in Jeff's room the morning after my birthday party, but doing so would make Jeff look guilty because he would be more directly involved.
"I confronted him, and he confessed to me," I modified my response, and he scoffs.
"Do you have proof of his confession?"
I let out a deep sigh, having already given up hope.
"Nope," I finally reply.
"I have no further questions, my Lord," He adds, returning to his seat.
"Thank you, Michael, you may step down," The Judge says to me and I exit the witness box.
"Crown, you may call your next witness," I hear the judge say as I am heading to my seat.
"The crown rests its case, my Lord," The crown replies.
Then Dad's lawyer gets up to present his case.
"My lord, Chief Wole Anderson will not admit that he is involved in drug trafficking. You'll learn the truth today and hear testimony that proves Chief Wole Anderson is not connected in any way to the cocaine-filled bag that was discovered in his PA office at his residence. I'm getting ready to call my first witness to ensure that Chief Anderson won't be punished."
"Proceed," The judge commands and I wonder who this man wants to summon first.
"I call Wole Anderson to the witness stand."
Dad steps away from the dock and takes the witness stand. His attorney begins questioning him after he has taken the oath.
"Would you kindly tell the court what happened on June 11, 2022?"
"On the afternoon of June 11, 2022, I was working in my study when my daughter Olivia Anderson sprang on me what she had discovered in my PA office. To verify what my daughter had said, I hastened right to the office. I was shocked to see a suitcase full of cocaine in his office."
"Was your PA available at that time?"
"No,"
"Did you assign him an errand?"
"Of course not," My father responds. "While I was expecting my son to face consequences for what he did to his schoolmate, Jeff opted to ignore me that afternoon and proceeded to bail out my son, using my details without my permission."
"Wow! Your son and your PA are obviously very close."
"My son is indeed closer to him,"
"What happened after you discovered the suitcase?"
"My daughter and I didn't hesitate to inform the NDLEA, and they came,"
'Thank you." Dad's attorney says, "I have no more questions, my Lord."
"Does the Crown wish to cross-examine the accused?" The Judge queries.
"No, My Lord," The crown replies.
The fact that the crown chose not to even have my father cross-examined indicates that Jeff is already guilty.
"You may leave the witness box," The judge says to my father and he exits the witness and returns to the dock.
"Yes, my Lord," Dad's attorney continues. "I'll now call Doctor Williams as the next witness."
A man in a lab coat approaches the witness stand. That had to be the doctor who attended to me when I passed out. As anticipated, he takes the oath.
"Where do you work?"
"I'm a medical practitioner at Imperial University College Hospital."
"Were you the one who attended to Michael Anderson on June 11th, 2022?"
"Yes,"
"What was your medical diagnosis?"
"I diagnosed him with alcohol poisoning,"
"Does this indicate that Michael Anderson had been drinking before passing out?"
"Yes."
"Could you explain to the court what alcohol poisoning is, as a medical professional?"
"Alcohol poisoning occurs when there is too much alcohol in the blood, which causes some brain regions to shut down. It is also known as an alcohol overdose. It may have an impact on your brain and nerve system, slowing down your heart rate, breathing, and other vital bodily functions. A person's judgment may also be impacted by alcohol poisoning."
"In terms of affecting one's judgment, that means it can make one feel a strong emotion like pity about a close one, which I believe happened to Michael,"
"Yes," says the doctor, and I shake my head, disappointed.
"I wasn't drinking when I made that valid statement," I say worriedly where I am and everyone glances at me.
"If this happens again, Michael, you will be sent out," The judge reprimands me. "This is a trial, so try to keep your emotions in check."
"You may continue defense,"
"Thank you, my Lord," Dad's lawyer responds. "I have no further questions, my Lord,"
"Does the crown wish to cross-examine the witness?" The judge asks the crown.
"No, My Lord," He answers.
"Does Jeffery want to question the witness in opposition?"
"No, my Lord," Jeff replies.
"Thank you, doctor Williams. You may step down," The man exits the witness stand after the judge speaks.
"Does that make your case, then?" The judge asks.
"Yes, my Lord, I rest my case," Dad's lawyer responds, and he sits.
"Jefferey Okoh, you may present your case," The judge says, and Jeff steps out of the dock and stands before the judge.
I have no idea what he will say to defend himself, but the worst he might do is to toe my dad's line and confess that he is the owner of the cocaine found in his office.
"My Lord," He begins, clearing his throat as if he is pondering what to say.
"I will not admit that I, Jefferey Okoh, am involved in drug trafficking. I was working in my office on the afternoon of June 11th, 2022, when Chief Wole Anderson, my employer, asked me to see him in his study. I went to him right away, and he informed me I had a task to perform for him, being his PA. He also made me aware that I hadn't done this kind of job before, and it was at this point that we learned that his son, Michael, had hit his fellow student and had been taken into custody by the college police. He was concerned that Michael had caused trouble, but he planned to deal with his arrest later. He then told me to get ready for the job that I am completely unaware of but I decided to go to the station to bail out his son against his wishes. By the time I returned to the mansion, the NDLEA officials had me arrested. My Lord, I have no idea how the suitcase got into my office..."
Dad's attorney walks forward and interjects, "Objection, my Lord."
"Objection overruled," The judge opposes, and my father's counsel sits back.
"You may continue, Jeff," The judge adds.
"I rest my case, my Lord,"
"Does the crown wish to cross-examine the co-accused?"
"No, my Lord," The crown replies.
"Does the defense wish to question the co-defendant on the stand?"
"Yes, my Lord," Dad's lawyer replies while standing.
"How long have you been working with your boss, Chief Wole Anderson?"
"Nine years," Jefferey answers.
"Nine years? Have you ever seen him dealing illegal drugs before?"
"No,"
"Then this proves you made up that story for you to admit that you haven't seen him trafficking drugs in nine years,"
"No, I had no idea what task he was going to give me on June 11, 2022," He explained.
"Do you have any proof to back up your claim?"
"No," Jeff answers.
"I have no further questions, my Lord," Dad's lawyer says and sits.