Eka’s story - Season 1 - Episode 29

Episode 5 years ago

Eka’s story - Season 1 - Episode 29

Dr. Gerry ran into the flat, took his phone and called Christy, “Hello Christy! Do you happen to know any NK?” “Yes, she is a customer of mine. Did you run into her?” “She sent Eka’s parents and some policemen to my apartment claiming that I abducted Eka and has been holding her against her will. In fact her claims are as convoluted as they come.” “Jesus! So she meant to take Eka from us just to make a few million bucks?!” “What do you mean by that Christy?” “When she saw Eka at my shop some time ago, she suggested to me to let her introduce Eka to her lawmaker friend. She was certain her lawmaker friend would pay over a million Naira to have Eka.” “Why didn’t you tell me about that Christy?” “It wasn’t worth bothering you for.” “Well, now it is.” “I am sorry about that. Where is NK now and what are Eka’s parents saying?” “Eka’s parents could not stand Eka’s anger; they took to their heels. Christy I have not seen Eka in the fashion I saw her today. As for NK, she sent someone else to do her dirty job, some loafer called Michael.” “Gerald do your best to keep your head cool, I am bringing a squad with me. If the police insist on taking you to their station, don’t make any statement until I arrive with a lawyer.” Done with making his call Dr. Gerry stepped outside to meet with the policemen. By now one of the policemen had grabbed Michael by the waist to make sure he did not run away like Eka’s parents did. “Officer please I want to know, now that those who brought this obviously fictitious allegation against me are on the run, what is the next step?” asked Dr. Gerry. “I am afraid you and madam will have to follow us to the station to at least understand the accusations which have been leveled against you and to make your own statement. I suppose it is at that point we will commence investigation into this matter.” “In that case let me get ready.” Turning to Eka Dr. Gerry beckoned on her to follow him into the flat.

Inside they had a chat about what their position would be at the station. “You heard me earlier; I am not fifteen years old. My age as far as this case is concerned is nineteen years. I know my parents; they have been offered some money to tell lies. If not so they would not have come here, but the good thing is that guilty conscience has already got the better of them. They are the only ones who can disprove my age. Don’t worry about them, I have them cornered already.” “Good, Christy is coming with a lawyer and some other people. But we have one more ground to cover; who do we tell them that we are to each other?” Eka stepped closer to his face and said, “You are my fiancé and I am your fiancée. That is how it will stay in our statement. I am going to call Simbi to start coming over with her father. They are my witness to the things my parents did to me. I will need you to take me to another police station to lodge in a case against my parents for throwing their underage child out of the house on the basis of false claims that I was a witch. The sound of that alone will make them back me in this case.” “No, we don’t have to do that yet. If we go to another station and enter a case against your parents claiming that you are underage, it might work against this one. You only have to threaten your parents with the case.”

With their position defined, Dr. Gerry and Eka got dressed and left with the policemen to the station. At the station, the IPO did Dr. Gerry the favour of letting him read the statement Eka’s parents made against him. He was shocked by the volume of lies which were told against him. To straighten things out, Dr. Gerry told them who he was, how he met Eka, how long they had been living together and the reasons they had been living together. They police were shocked by his side of the story. However they were further shocked when Eka who boldly claimed nineteen years old told them what her parents did to her and the reason she chose to live with her fiancé instead of with her parents. She helped her cause by repeatedly asking the police if they knew the reason her parents ran away when they met her. Almost in tears she answered the question for them, “They ran away because they can’t stand the guilt of what they did to me and the greater guilt of the lie they just told against me all because some stupid lawmaker offered them money to sell me to him!” The IPO asked Dr. Gerry and Eka to put their statements in writing but they refused and shocked the officers further by announcing that their lawyer was on his way.

The policemen having realized that the case had taken an ugly turn, conferred with each other and agreed to deny that NK offered them any money to arrest Dr. Gerry and to forcefully remove Eka from his house. When Christy arrived at the police station, she came with three lawyers, her sister Ema and officers from NAPTIP (National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons). NK was in a deep mess, Christy and her sister had used their connection in NAPTIP to contrive a charge against NK for previously trafficking young girls across the nation and sometimes into some neighbouring countries for pecuniary benefits. One of the lawyers who came with Christy represented NAPTIP. When the lawyer presented to the police that NAPTIP had been on the hunt for NK and made known the charges against her, the police officers in charge of the case went cold with fear. “Are you telling us that the NK who claimed to be sister to Ekatte’s father is wanted for the crime of trafficking young girls across this nation?” asked the IPO as he looked utterly shocked. “This NK or whatever she calls herself is not my father’s sister! I have not seen her in all my life! She is fraud and must have bribed my parents into letting her make that claim!” shouted Eka. Two of the three lawyers took Dr. Gerry and Eka aside, and after helping them work on their statements had them put the statements in writing.

The two lawyers now representing Eka and Dr. Gerry demanded that the police produce Eka’s parents and NK immediately and made all sorts of legal threats before leaving the police station with their clients. Unfortunately for NK, just after Christy and her entourage left the police station, she called Michael who had been docked in the cell to know if the job she gave him had been successfully done, the police cashed in on that and asked Michael to tell that that it was successful and that Dr. Gerry was cooling off in the police cell and that Eka – the price she wanted – was hers for the taking. NK was jubilant over the phone and announced that she was on her way to the station. The police officers in the station were glad that she had made the job of looking for her easy and called the NAPTIP officers to inform him that they were on the verge of apprehending NK. Meanwhile Eka still had some work to do, she needed to speak with her parents to let them know what was coming after them, get them on her side and to quickly get a birth certificate which would state she was nineteen years. While they brained stormed in Dr. Gerry’s living room, Simbi arrived with her father. He was really heartbroken to hear how far Eka’s parents had gone once more to hurt her in spite of the inhuman treatment they had subjected her to earlier.

The two lawyers took Simbi and her father aside, explained the case to them and told them what they should say at the police station. Simbi’s father was eager to do anything for Eka; he deeply felt bad for the treatment her parents meted out to her and for the fact that he believed the ‘witch rumour’ when it began to fly around and forbade his daughter from having anything to do with Eka. While the others hammered the case into a lethal shape in the living room, Eka went into her room and dialed her father. Fortunately she got through to him, “Hello papa, this is Ekaette.” “Eka! Eka please forgive us. We have done a shameful thing against you. It was that woman NK who pushed us to it…” “Papa, I don’t need your apologies now. Where are you and mama at the moment?” “We are in Uncle James’ house. We have told him the whole truth. Please Eka forgive…” “Papa, each time you apologize to me you make me mad. I have read the statement you made against me and my friend at the police station. Thank you for that. Well this is what I have for you and mama; I will make sure that the two of you suffer for the things you have done to me. The case you have started is a big one and I have people to back me up. The two of you are going to end up in jail. The police are already looking for you, first for what you did to me and secondly for being an accomplice to NK, a criminal wanted by the government for selling young girls…” “What! Did you just say NK is a wanted criminal for selling girl children? Jesus! I am finished!” “Yes you are finished. I already know that the jail term for what you did to me as an underage girl is twelve years. I swear on my life you and mama will get that served to you…”