Hey guys, Hi. I just want to say that I am still not yet a law student, never attended a trial, so please don't expect too much.

Please comment as you go. Love you.

The judgement was like a blessing in disguise, it came at a time where everyone had smartphones and smarter heads and could decipher things for themselves, they could see that the Judges had been bought, so a trend started on the bird app, #justiceforHalimaetal. The tag was shared far and wide and even lawmakers used it.

It forced the military to set up an inquiry and soon the date of a Martial trial was set. On the morning of the trial, Halima wore a beige skirt and white blouse with a black stretchy material fashioned into a hijab, sturdy black sandals on her feet, she carried a black YSL bag that Jamal bought her in Prague for luck.

In the tinted bus Hafsat's firm had hired on their way there, they picked up three other women, who had similar damning testimonies to give and  Halima was sure, this time justice would prevail.

"So he told his uncle?" Kemi clapped her hands in mirrored surprise. "I don't even know what he did, I just know Chike's uncle went on the floor of the house of representatives and talked about the spate of rape cases and how he wants to ask the Judicial council why such a case would be struck out. Didn't you see the footage?" She asked Halima with a little laugh, they had all seen Chike's uncle argue vociferously about their case on television.

Halima sat back, watching Kemi's animated face as she talked offhandedly about Chike. "Do you like him?" Halima asked finally. Kemi sighed and rolled her eyes. Halima widened her own eyes.

"Madam! Answer me." Kemi sighed and folded her hands on her lap in slight fear.

"I like him, but he's Igbo." Halima eyed Kemi with a sneer. "Yen yen yen, he's Igbo, yet you are friends with a Hausa woman. Tell me your exact issue!" Halima subtly looked around the bus, she had shouted a bit.

" His uncle called me his nephew's fiance, I was shocked. I was wondering when Chike asked me to marry him?" Kemi chuckled softly, she took Halima's hand that was resting on another seat that Lahima and both barristers occupied.

"I like him doesn't mean that I will be with him. Especially seeing as the whole world knows I'm defiled? It's hard to think that someone loves me." Halima could not hide her surprise this time around, she softly slapped Kemi's mouth.

"We'll discuss this matter later, we're at the army headquarters." Kemi nodded and picked her handbag from the empty seat beside her. Hajarah and Hafsat got off the vehicle first, helped Lahima who wore a fitted midi skirt off the vehicle.

"Ladies," Hafsat called to all of them as they all had stepped off the vehicle, the other women were secret witnesses, also victims of the three evil brothers.

"This trial, although a little similar to a normal court trial, is harder than a court trial, they will try to make you look stupid, but stand your ground, say your truth as much as you can and get off the witness stand. Okay?" They all nodded and started off into a huge building at the back of the headquarters. Heels hitting the hot cobblestones in a conducted staccato, clank-clank.

Soon, an army recruit was opening the door of the building for them to enter, they got in and froze at the number of army officers from all three military parastatals; Navy, Air force and the Army.

"Don't fret, they don't dare do nonsense, the whole world is watching. And I have someone doing a video of the whole thing, if they do rubbish, next minute, it's on the internet, they'll explain to the world why they didn't give justice." Hafsat whispered furiously to them as they walked to their seats. They took seats beside each other, Hafsat and Hajarah, walked to the front.

A few minutes later, the national anthem was sung and they all sat, a man, the chief of staff who was also serving as the judge of the court martial introduced the rest of his team, there were four men each from each parastatal, in total twelve men and no woman. Kemi sent Halima a text with that notice and Halima nodded in reply, she was seeing their efforts to make them shake.

****

"This is my partner, Barrister Hafsat Idris, she and I will be representing the three plaintiffs, and two witnesses who were victims of the three accused. If need be, they may show their faces, but if not, I would like their testimony taken privately. We have marked at least six different evidences, recordings and pictures of the accused. Especially Major Muhsin." The chief of staff nodded and asked them to continue. Hafsat invited Halima to the stand and Halima exhaled as she went there.

"What is your name?" Halima sighed before replying.

"I'm Halima Sadiyya Aliyu." Hafsat nodded and put her hands behind her, she was wearing a black pantsuit and black scarf fashioned around her head and black stilettos.

"How did you ever meet the accused and how many of them did you meet at a time?" Halima sighed and leaned into the chair she was sitting on.

"The first time I met them, I went to make their mother's hair. She left on a quick errand and I went into the house to ease myself, when I got cornered by them, they assaulted me, all three of them." Hafsat nodded and leaned against the witness stand with a queer look on her face.

"Did you notice anything different? That day?" Halima shook her head. Then she remembered something. "I remember that they sent their mai guard on an errand." Hafsat nodded and as she was about to speak, one of the men asked a question, Halima didn't hear him, so he directed the microphone at himself before asking the question.

"Did you know they were home?" Halima shook her head, but remembered what Hafsat told them about shaking or nodding their heads.

"I had no idea, prior to the time they conered me that they were in the house, I thought it was just their mother and I." The man nodded and noted something down.

"Did they ever at anytime show that they were under the influence of anything?" Halima swallowed before replying him, this was the tricky part.

"They were under the influence of ecstasy drugs." The whole room buzzed.

"How do you identify those kinds of drugs if you've never used them before?" Halima sighed, these men really.

"Well, long before then, in my Gns class, we were taught rape date drugs and their effects. I saw the drug on the bed that day, and it confirmed my suspicion." The man nodded and noted another thing down.

"Can you walk us through how it happened?" Halima looked at them and sighed before replying.

"When I got out of the toilet, Major Muhsin opened the door and laughing in a sneering manner, he called his brothers who laughed as well and pulled me forcefully into the room, no number of apologies or begging could change their mind. They first started with throwing my hijab over my face, then the third brother tutted and asked, 'How will she take my baby in her mouth if her hijab is covering it?' Then he proceeded to force his organ into my mouth." At this point, Halima was shaking, shaking so hard that when she spoke next, she burst into tears. Hafsat who stood next to her was finally letting her tears fall since the day they began the case.

"They took turns, all three of them. I tasted my own blood as they all forced me in every despicable way possible..." Tears flowed even more, Hafsat carefully passed her a thick tissue wad and Halima cleared her eyes with it.

******

"This is our judgement."

Halima, Kemi and Lahima held hands. This was a defining moment for them.

"…All three officers are to be stripped of all honors they received whilst in the force, they are hereby sentenced to sixty years, forty years and thirty years in prison respectively for each crime, continuous assault, forceful use of military power and kidnap.

I would like to apologise to all the ladies involved, we're sorry that we had devils in our midst and didn't even know." Halima nodded, tears running down her face unchecked, it was all over and for the first time since the incident, she felt peace in her heart.

The officers filed out, the three brothers were handcuffed and led out of the room, the ladies watching them as they left.

"I cannot even say anything coherent yet." Halima snuck a look at Kemi. Who could?

*****

How was it?

If you know how to make amazing covers, multimedia stuff, trailers, make them and send them to me. I'll post them on my Instagram and tag you. I'm on Instagram @theomoope.

Also, thank you so much for 100k reads. You guys do not know how happy I feel to have crossed that mark. Thank you so much.

This chapter is dedicated to Xaharau. Thank you darling🤗😘😙

Ciao Bellas,

TheOmoope.