Greetings!
The year 2024 has been a good one with a lot of positive happenings. However, amidst the good moments, there were bad ones too, and one of those bad events is something I can't forget in a hurry. It had me passing through sleepless nights and shook my faith so hard. You know, bad memories are often difficult to let go of, especially when they happen in a very strange way.
It was in the month of October, around 7:30 PM of a Tuesday, when I went to visit a friend. My elder sister called me and asked if I was free for a long talk, and I agreed. She went on to tell me what was happening at home concerning my aunt(around 37years old), who we are very close to. She told me my aunt had been accused of witchcraft. The whole thing sounded laughable, and I didn't hesitate to laugh out loud, but my sister frowned so hard and told me that the issue was very serious. She informed me that the case had been brought before the community's judge panel, and as she was speaking to me, they had already scheduled a date to visit a voodoo house to take an oath and swear to determine if the accusation was true or not.
For a very long time, I hadn't heard of such a thing, let alone to the extent they were taking it to.
Let me explain clearly:
The family that accused her is part of our very large extended family. They have a little boy of 8years or so, and according to them, the boy had been behaving strangely, like someone bewitched. When they interrogated the boy, he reportedly confessed that my aunt bewitched him using corn. Isn't this absurd?
I was so angry because this aunt is someone I hold dearly to my heart, and the situation must have put my dad and mom in a very tense position. I called my dad to see what was going on with the case and suggested we arrest the family that accused her. However, my dad said no because the community was already aware of the situation and handling it. He said there was no need to take other actions and that the only thing we needed to do was pray so that, at the end of the trial in the voodoo house, my aunt would be proven innocent. Jeez! That means even though my aunt is very innocent, the process of trial in the voodoo house had to be followed to prove her innocence. If she backed out, it would automatically mean she was guilty.
The worst part of the situation was that we are devout Christians and are well-known for our faith in the community. However, since the community had decided that was the way forward, it was difficult to back out. At a point, I became really scared due to the things I used to watch in Nollywood movies, where voodoos and priests of the voodoo house could be manipulated. Hey! That thought scared me a lot, and I wanted to beg for alternative solutions, but my aunt and my parents refused. They didn’t want to be put to shame because, by that time, the news had spread everywhere, and everyone was waiting for the day of judgment.
Guess what? On that day, they went as planned. I was on the phone constantly, calling to know what was happening. When it was time to perform the trials, the family that accused my aunt got scared and began to beg for forgiveness.
Mehn, that day was one of the biggest joyful moments in our house that year.
When I was told about the outcome, I got really angry and again suggested we arrest the family. However, my dad said no because the community was still involved, and we had to wait for their go-ahead before taking any action.
This is one of the reasons I can’t miss going home this season. If possible, I’ll go with my own soldiers to arrest all of them first. If the community insists they shouldn’t be arrested, then we’ll arrest the community! Lol.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to the Week 145, Edition 03 of the Weekly Featured contest in Hive Learners Community
Images are mine