A ritualist once murdered a teenage girl and cut off some organs from her body. He was apprehended by the villagers and lynched. The police was not impressed by the villagers action in taking the law into their hands. They took the villagers to court.
On the first day of the Court's proceedings, the following conversation ensued between the judge and the village head who stood for the villagers.
JUDGE: The allegation against you and your people is that you murdered a man by lynching him. Guilty or not guilty?
VILLAGE HEAD: I am not guilty my Lord.
JUDGE: What do you mean that you are not guilty after killing a man?
VILLAGE HEAD: I am not guilty because the deceased murdered one of our teenage daughters hence we did the same to him because the holy book says that with the cup you used to measure for your neighbours will also be used to measure for you.
JUDGE: We are not in a banana republic. We have a law. You ought to have followed the due process of the law by reporting him to the police.
VILLAGE HEAD: My Lord, did he also follow the due process of the law before he killed her? If yes, then let me know.
JUDGE: I would like to know that due process that you would have wanted him to follow before killing her.
VILLAGE HEAD: My Lord, that is by allowing the little girl to grow up, married and have her family and get old and die according to the law of nature.
JUDGE: That your assertion have no bearing in our law.....but his hammer hits the table and ruled him out of contempt of ruling and closed the case.
THE VILLAGERS WALKED HOME HAPPILY!
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