Disheartening moment I was wrongly accused

There have been times in our lives where we were wrongly accused of something we knew nothing about, and such a scenario can be disheartening, disappointing, and even dent our image among the general public if the truth isn't revealed on time. I've been in such a situation before, and I can tell you that I would never want to experience such a thing again in my life.

About four years ago, I resided in the northern part of Nigeria, in Kano State to be precise, and that is where I moved after concluding my service year in another northern state. I worked at one of the biggest manufacturing organizations as an audit manager and supervisor, so my rank also kind of gave me the privilege to employ or suggest who to employ whenever we needed new staff.

But despite my rank, I don't really know anyone in Kano State who needed a job, nor do my friends who were still job hunting, willing to leave Lagos State for Kano just because they were in need of a job. That's my plight. Other superior staff who wished to bring in their friends usually pleaded with me to help suggest those people to the management, and I usually did that without blinking since it was aimed at helping someone.

Little did I know that my fellow superior officers, who usually use my slot to bring in new staff, are actually charging each of those employees a certain amount of money, which if they can't pay before getting employed, they would then need to give him a certain percentage of their salary in their first five months in the office.

After a few months after those developments, news started making the rounds within the factory that someone was extorting the new intake, and then the management got to hear about it. They employed some new people, unknown to everyone, who were spies who only came to make findings. At the end of those guys findings, it was discovered that everyone complaining about their pay all worked under me. Without waiting to hear my side of the story, I was called into the office and given a sack letter.

Our manager, a Lebanese man, had anger issues, and no matter how I tried to find out why I was fired, he was too angry to respond to me. Instead,  I called the security to push me out of the factory without even picking up any of my things. I was so embarrassed and ashamed, and to cap it up, I don't even know why I was sacked other than the fact that the reason stated on the letter was gross misconduct.

With that stained cloth I was putting on, I walked down to my house dejected; I couldn't even call anyone. Instead,  I started packing my belongings with the mindset that I'd just move back to Lagos because I couldn't stand being looked around with the eyes of a thief around that place. Though I don't know what I was fired for, I know that for it to warrant such treatment, then it must be the worst.

When it was almost evening that same day, I got a knock on my door, and when I opened it, I realized it was one of my colleagues at work. He told me the management would like to see me immediately; he did not state the purpose, but then I already had the mindset of blasting the management if I was treated badly again, and I still wanted to know my offense, so I followed him.

I met our manager at the entrance of the factory, and unlike before, when he was furious, now he's smiling and apologizing for judging and punishing me wrongly without getting his facts right. Apparently,  when those guys who worked under me realized I was fired for their outburst, they had to visit the manager and narrate everything to him, and that's how he realized I knew nothing about the case.

I only got an apology there at the gate; nothing was announced to let everyone know I did nothing wrong initially, but then they sacked the person involved in the act, and that was how I got back to work, though I continued my work at the place I made up my mind to leave at any slit opportunity because I felt betrayed despite all the effort I put in for the betterment of the organization. Being treated like that is disheartening.

That's about all on how I was wrongly accused, it's was painful but I'm glad the truth was later out to proof my innocent.

Thanks so much for your time, stau blesss.