The Resolution

They were going to church for the cross over service

Himself, his babe and his babe’s step brother

His babe’s step brother was a carpenter

He was single and he had some free money to throw around

He and his babe were students

They had some money saved for the Holiday period from their allowances

They were live in lovers on campus

She was in 300 Level, studying library studies

He was in 500 Level engineering

They were able to save more money by living together

They both collect money for rent, pocket money and provision from their parents

They split the rent, foodstuff, provisions, bills etc

It was plain common sense to do so

Many believers on campus condemn it

They call it living in “sin”

Some students outrightly condemn it as indecent

Those who condemn it were also sleeping with their lovers

Its just that they did so “in the afternoon” and once in a while overnight

Decency was costing them a fortune

Hypocrisy was way too expensive

He and his babe were very practical people

They had a lot of things in common and they do not really need friends other than each other

That year they had both used some of their excess cash to redecorate their room

They also had enough cash to plan a day out on January 1^st

His babe’s father and his first wife were divorced

They had a child before they split up

They had both remarried and moved on

The son they had together lived with her father’s elder sister who never had a child

Every December, he would come to their house to spend a few days

Especially from Christmas day till January second

Whenever he was coming to the house, he would come loaded with Christmas stuff

He would bring fireworks of all types “Disco light”, Bangers, Hammer light etc

That night as they walked towards the bus stop

He was heavily loaded with these items

The three of them walked side by side chatting

Suddenly three police officers appeared out of nowhere

“Stop there!” one of the policemen shouted

They froze!

The spate of reckless police shootings had become rampant as the year was drawing to an end

It was better to cooperate and see the new year in peace

The police officer started searching them

They found all the fireworks on her elder brother

They handcuffed him immediately

There had been a law against possession of such the previous year

Armed robbers used it to rob in many houses

They searched her, she didn’t have any!

They searched him

He didn’t have any but the police officer produced a pack of banger out of nowhere and insisted he took it out of his pocket

He looked at the police officer and refused to stretch forth his hands to be cuffed

The police officer called the other two officers

“See this boy here, he is proving to be Hulk Hogan” he said

The other two officers pounced on him

They cuffed him by force

They threw the two of them inside their vehicle

They told her to go and get thirty thousand naira for their bail

She ran to the bank

They had some money in the bank

She could easily withdraw from the ATM

They drove them to the police station

Her elder brother tried talking to them

They ignored him

They got to the police station

They threw them inside the cell

He still didn’t say a word

As soon as they stepped into the cell

The previous occupants of the cell descended on them

They didn’t see it coming

He had never been in such a situation before in his life

He couldn’t see where the slaps were coming from

They all landed very well

By the time he learnt that he had to guard his face

His face was already stinging

The criminals asked them for “relief” money

Their leader said “pay relief money or you will be beaten to pulp before the next criminals are brought in here”

They quickly paid 500 Naira each

The slaps stopped!

He thought to himself

“I am innocent of this charge and yet I am in the cell, my savings will go to these crooked cops, my girlfriend is running up and down to get the money for bail…”

Suddenly one of the previous guys in the cell screamed

He held his tummy

He was obviously in agony

The cell was dark, they couldn’t see what was wrong with the guy

Suddenly the screaming stopped, the guy slumped on him and died!

DIED!!!

Oh God!

The police officer behind the counter had deliberately ignored the hullabaloo before then

When they all started screaming all at once

He came to check what was going on

He called for reinforcements

They checked on the guy

He was gone!

Nobody knew the cause of death

Could it be poison?

Could it be drugs?

Could it be one of the fellow accused in the cell?

The police officer called the DPO

The DPO rushed in

The DPO said “this is a murder case, one of this guys killed him”

We will have to charge all of them unless they can fish out the culprit(s)

The police officer looked at all of them

He had some blood on his shirt because the dead guy fell directly on him when he slumped

He was handpicked as one of the suspects

The other suspects in the cell said “He did it”

Officer he was the one that killed that boy

They said so because they didn’t want to be charged with murder

They had seen a scape goat and “anybody but me” is the game

The officer dragged him out

He wasn’t even interrogated

The officer threw him in a separate cell

He was suddenly labelled a murderer!

The officer said “He was the state witness against one of the politicians, he had been here for three days. He was due in court in the morning. The two of you were the ones thrown in last. If anybody wanted him dead they would have killed him before you came. You guys got into the cell and few minutes later he was dead. His blood was all over your clothes. You are the only one who doesn’t fit in here! You are an undergraduate. The others were all street boys and petty criminals. They lacked the imagination to commit such a heinous crime! We know politicians use you students to carry out their assassinations. You are a stone-cold cultist, ritualist, criminal mastermind and murderer”

He couldn’t believe the officer was talking about him

His girlfriend came

The police officer hastily released her brother to her

Told her "the other guy" was a murderer

“He had killed somebody in the cell and is now in solitary confinement

If you and her brother do not want to be charged as conspirators, you had better leave!”

The girlfriend’s brother dragged his sister, they left!

It was already 11:15pm

He was going to spend the new year and beyond in jail

Possibly answering for a crime, he knew nothing about!

Possibly killed to protect the identity of the real killer or jailed if convicted

For sure even if he was innocent, it wouldn’t be proven until several weeks or months later

He had been set up!

He started crying

He remembered his mother’s prayers

He remembered he used to pray once

He said “God, please, have mercy upon me!

I know this is a terrible way to repent but I do so

I am sorry for all my sins

Jesus, please rescue me from this place before the new year

I am guilty before you but innocent of this crimes which had been laid at my feet

I promise I will serve you for the rest of my life if you help me

For I pray in Jesus name!”

11: 20PM

The brother in Jeans and T-shirt had been in Church since 9pm

They usually take Holy Communion in his church before the cross over service

He was seating in the service, praying when he suddenly felt very uneasy

He didn’t know why but the weight on his spirit was very heavy

He walked out of the church

To the street, he saw a police officer ahead

His parish had embarked on a Christian Social Responsibility project earlier that year at the police station

They rebuilt the station and donated two patrol vehicles to the station

Since that time he had a relationship with the officers

The officer saw him and beckoned unto him

The officer told him a sorry tale

Of a young boy they set up just to collect New Year money

The boy didn’t actually have any contraband on him

They locked him up to compel the lady with him to bring more money for the two guys

One guy died in the cell and now the implicated guy had been further implicated

The guy with the contraband had been set free

The lady with them had left

The other guy would most likely be transferred to a prison in the morning and charged with murder

If he was not killed overnight

There was nothing anybody could do about it

Some people’s time simply run out at the odd places

The Brother in Jeans and T-shirt didn’t say a word

He walked directly to the police station

The officer who spilled the beans walked briskly after him

Wondering what he was going to do

The brother in Jeans and T-shirt walked directly to the DPO’s office

The DPO welcomed him cheerfully

The brother in Jeans and t-shirt told the DPO he would like to see the dead guy

The guy had been packed aside on the floor of the DPO’s office

They were waiting for an ambulance to arrive and ferry him to the morgue

The brother in Jeans and T-shirt Knelt down at the feet of the corpse

Held the corpse’s legs with both hands

And started praying in tongues

The spirit grew heavier and heavier upon him

He said “I command death to flee, I command darkness to flee, I command life to come back into your body, I command total restoration of your body, I command you to be healed, I command the effect of the poison to be lifted, I command you to come alive! LIVE!! Live!!! Live!!!”

The legs grew warm

Then the hands

Then the neck

Then the face

Then the chest

The dead man took a deep breath with a gasp

When he breathed out, he coughed deeply for a spell

The corpse sat up

He pulled his legs up wards his face and started sobbing quietly

The brother in Jeans and T-shirt turned to the DPO

“Sir, where is the boy charged with his murder?”

The DPO was in a daze, he took the brother in Jeans and T-shirt outside his office and ordered the policeman on duty to release the boy

The time was 11:50

The brother in Jeans and T-shirt stood as his guarantor

They released him to the brother in Jeans and T-shirt

They both went to the church of the brother in jeans and T-shirt

The DPO and the officer that told the brother in Jeans and T-shirt about the case also followed them to church

Thy prayed till past 12am

The Pastor made altar call

He went to give his life to Christ

The DPO also went to the altar to give his life to Christ

The officer who told the brother in Jeans and T-shirt about the case also went to the altar to give his life to Christ

PS: The relationship between him and the lady died a natural death

She tried everything to get back with him

Even though he forgave her for deserting him, he had been set on another course and she couldn’t come with him on that journey

The young man is now a parish pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God

He is happily married with two children

The young man who was raised from the dead is a missionary

Somehow his case was dismissed by the court

He swore to spend the rest of his life winning souls for Christ

He never told anybody what he saw while he was dead that transformed his life so drastically

The DPO and the Police officer are still in the police force

They are both believers

This event happened in Lagos, Nigeria in 2011