Long ago in the land of
Bojuri, a small village not far from Ogbomoso, a land of the mischievous and mysterious,
a land of strange happenings. A land where evil is raw, lived a king, Amotekun.
He was a fearful and wicked king.
Amotekun as his name
implied was a cannibal of a king who ate children during the period of famine.
He never went hungry. Whenever Amotekun walked in the streets of Bojuri, people
fled from him.
He wasn’t concerned, he believed it is better to be feared than
loved. While the king’s family merried in his ‘wisdom’, the chiefs and the
villagers begged the king to desist from his evil ways.
‘You are the king of
this village, you and your family must never go hungry’ said Banje, the queen.
‘It’s the duty of the people to keep their king alive no matter the cost’, she
continued.
Amotekun had been able
to avoid backlash from neighbouring villages due to his political relationship.
The few storage barns were instruments for gaining favour from them.
In the twelfth year of
Amotekun’s reign, the rain ceased to fall and an inevitable famine was
impending. Some of the villagers started leaving with their families or else
they become prey to the wicked royal hood. Two months later, the famine started
and you could barely see a child in the village, then the youths started
missing. While people grew leaner, Amotekun and his family were chubbier.
‘I barely see any kids
in the moonlight again’, Amotekun spoke to Otun, his right hand chief. For fear
of Amotekun’s wrath, he replied; ‘children are too weak to come outside and
play because there is no food for them to eat’.
Amotekun liked to think
of himself as a small god. He even claimed to be a direct descendant from Esu
himself and all the wisdom he had were given to him by the deity. Indeed he was
powerful as many charms to invoke him had been futile. He was a powerful god.
One fateful evening,
Amotekun decided to stroll and enjoy the fresh air of nature along with his
entourage. It wasn’t long before he saw a beautiful girl humming a song walking
on the street. Unlike most girls in the village, she wasn’t skinny. Her white
linens were spotless, her lips beautiful, oval big eyes and pointed nose. She
was about 13years old and was growing into a very beautiful woman.
While the king’s guard
fantasized about such a beautiful girl, Amotekun admired and imagined her
eaten. He could eat her raw.
‘Eku irole’, the girl
greeted and walked passed. Nobody had ever greeted Amotekun that way. He was a
god. You either fled or you prostrated bellied to the floor. She must be a
stranger he thought. Her greetings, her health and outfits were a testament.
‘Come here girl’ barked
the king. ‘What village are you from?’
‘I am from Ilu
Mafojuri, a village so far but so near’, replied the girl.
‘I have never heard of
such a village so I doubt it’s one that can stand the test of time’ said the
arrogant king. He wanted to know if he could get away by feeding on this girl.
‘It’s the biggest
village around and Queen Eje is my mother’
‘Who’s Queen Eje?’
queried Amotekun, ‘I don’t know her so she can’t be important. What is your
mission to this village?’
‘I am just passing by,
I have never been away from my village so I decided to explore the outside
world’ said the girl innocently.
‘Did you tell your
queen you were coming here?’ Asked the wicked king.
‘No, I didn’t’
This is a chance to eat
a delicious meat thought Amotekun. ‘Would you love to see the palace and add to
your exploration?’ asked the king.
‘I would be most
honoured’ replied the girl.
‘So be my guest’ and
that was how Amotekun lured the girl to his palace.
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