​

Violations

By Victor Johnson

 

Help! Help! Help
A lonely voice cries from the Ogbona bush. I recognize the voice to be that of my cousin Obialuju who was killed before the last weekend market and festival day. Ever since his death, his voice has crept on the village walls, getting through to me. Both the King and the council of elders sent out able bodied men to search for the missing and the perpetrators but the nearer they get to the luring voice, the thicker the bush becomes. It is rumored by the village women that Obialuju must have offended the gods by violating their rules hence the gods were having their revenge on him. But do the gods really take revenge for themselves? 
Akpan! Obialuju's voice rings out, calling me, whenever Papa and I visit his papa's farm. He had been raised in bliss with no experience of suffering.
From his tender years, Obialuju was that all ladies dream, his wall breasted chest and his holden cowries necklace lured the best.
He had grown to become a nuisance, having gotten much wealth after his father's demise at such tender age of just twenty five, he was the youngest and wealthiest livestock farmer in Eze village, owning 700 cows and 399 calves. He had employed 50 herdsmen too.
He was a man of free will who spent lavishly. He was a philanthropist. The only sourness attached to him was his immense love for ladies and promiscuity. At age eighteen, he had had two ladies pregnant, but that didn't stop him from being flirty.
It was during the rainy season he met with the daughter of one of the gods. Obinna, the most beautiful consecrated girl in the town, the only daughter of Chika, the gods’ mouthpiece.

Obialuju as usual sought after the girl who in turn refused him. But three months after she had turned eighteen, and no longer at the service of the gods, she succumbed to Obialuju and accepted his proposal against her father's wish. Obialuju approached Chika seeking Obinna's hand in marriage. But Chika opposed, saying, she is but few months away from the gods so they still have her in their memories. No one is to lay with her till she's been totally freed, and that will be on the gods’ festival in six months’ time.
Obialuju, discarding Chika's warning, went ahead and took Obinna to bed, and just three days after, Obinna was struck by a mysterious thunder, her life claimed.
Chika was furious and had Obialuju reported to the King. The King tried probing Obialuju but Obialuju was smart. He bribed the King and the case was dismissed.
Furious, Chika exiled himself. Three days later, Obialuju was found dead in his bedroom. He had been brutally handled by unknown men with three cowries placed behind his bed stand indicating the gods’ authority.
The villagers believed it was the gods’ judgement, none of the priests dreaded burying him.
The King summoned Chika to his palace laying his apologies to him and also asked that a divination be performed, and the gods spoke.
Obialuju was to be buried on the gods’ festival day and his wealth transferred to Chika as a punishment for violating the gods’ own orders.
Obialuju's body was kept in the sacred hut, heavily guarded by fully armed men.
But then, his corpse was kidnapped by unknown men with three cowries placed on his coffin.
The uproar in the village rose more as Chika had fled with the whole of Obialuju's wealth. Divinations were performed again and the gods claimed not to have anything to do with the deaths of Obialuju and Obinna, nor the desecration of Obialuju's corpse.
Chika was later found dead whilst Obialuju's corpse was said to be in the Ogbona forest. Ever since the priests had poured objects at the entrance of the bush, Obialuju's wails had kept the village awake at night.
The gods’ festival was carried out but Obialuju's wails didn't stop. Maybe he really is being rewarded for violating the gods’ orders.