JUSTICE AT LAST
Who
could tell the actual reason the grief-stricken family had chosen to ‘abandon’
his remains? Several months had eventually come and gone, yet no one could tell
for sure where his grave would be dug. The deceased’s body that pathetically
lay in the morgue could now best be described as debris since the corpse had
been relegated to the background by the embalmer owing to lack of payment by
the supposed bereaved family.
Mr. Seun Adegoke left the sinful world
four months back. His abrupt mysterious exit was attributed to various evil
acts allegedly committed by him. He was struck by thunderstorm in the early
hours on a Sunday when he alongside his family was preparing to go to their
place of worship.
The 56-year-old Mr. Seun was till his sudden
death happily married to Titi, and the marriage was blessed with four children.
The couple could formerly boast of five children – 3 males and 2 females – not
until two years back when their first child Kelvin, 24, was brutally killed by
an auto crash; Kelvin was in his final year in a university when the ugly
incident transpired in a broad daylight while returning from the campus for a
semester break.
Before the said chap departed, series of unforeseen
deaths had occurred among the members of the Adegoke family at large. Mr.
Seun’s immediate younger brother died at 51 in his farmyard barely three months
to Kelvin’s exit. Prior to that, one of his (Seun’s) younger sisters who was
married to a business mogul equally lost her first male child via
electrocution; among others too numerous to mention. The killings were
occurring serially that anyone in the family could be the next; hence, people
within and beyond began to wonder what could be the cause of such untold and
dreaded incidence.
“Seun, my brother.” called Mr. Biodun
Adegoke as he was seated in a single leather cushion.
Mr. Biodun was Seun’s elder and only surviving
brother; his other two male siblings had passed away in cold blood. The duo
were seated in the latter’s home lounge in the late evening on a Saturday. It
was exactly the night that preceded the day Seun was murdered by thunderstorm
right in his matrimonial room. The former who lived a few meters away had
thought it wise, albeit deceitfully, to visit his younger one towards
discussing some pertinent issues bordering on their family’s ongoing crisis.
Seun sat directly adjacent to him in
another single upholstery chair. “Egwo mi.” Seun answered tenderly, fixed his
gaze on Biodun’s.
‘Egwo mi’ meaning literally my elder
brother.
“What is actually happening to our
family?” said the 64-year-old Biodun.
Seun was calm, couldn’t utter a word.
“Someone dying every minute of the
day.” Mr. Biodun rode on. “This is getting very worrisome by the day.”
“In fact,” said Seun. “I am tired
myself.”
“If you are tired,” responded Biodun.
“I am fade up.”
“Hmmm…” sighed Seun as he sat confusedly
in his seat.
It would interest, perhaps shock you to
acknowledge that prior to this moment, Mr. Biodun had already brainwashed most
members of the family, stating that Seun was the brain behind all the
misfortunes taking place in their family. The false campaign occasioned by hatred
was occurring unknowingly to the accused, and no member of the family was
convinced enough to openly level the allegation against him. Seun got to know
about it just a few days before he passed on but little did he realize that
Biodun was the sole sponsor of the campaign.
Some members of the family were at a
point apparently convinced that Seun was a ritualist because the latter was a
well-to-do trader and remained the most successful among them, though they
pondered why he would use his own son (Kelvin) – who was obviously promising –
for a ritual. The lingered scepticism was outrightly buried on the very day the
man in question died; based on their custom, it was only persons who indulged
in atrocities that could be killed by thunderstorm.
“What do we do about these atrocities
taking place right under our noses?” Mr. Biodun proceeded as he was seated in
his seat. “Or, do we wait until it becomes our turn?” He added hesitantly,
frowning.
“God forbid!” Seun exclaimed, became
more perturbed.
There was abrupt silence.
“I
think you are right.” concurred Seun. “We really need to do something about
this.” he said, paused. “And very fast.”
“Thank
God you are now reasoning with me.” Biodun appreciated.
“But,” quoth Seun. “How do we go about
it?”
“Don’t worry,” replied Mr. Biodun. “I
think I have a solution.”
“You do…?”
“Yes.”
“So…?”
“I will get back to you first thing
tomorrow morning.” responded Biodun.
It was that following morning he promised to
return to Seun’s house that the latter was struck by the thunderstorm. He
actually made it to his house at the early hours of the day as pledged, only to
meet his corpse on the tiled floor surrounded by his wife (Titi) and children
who were hit off-balance.
On that fateful day being Sunday, Mr.
Seun’s remains were deposited in a nearby morgue. Owing to the mysterious
nature that surrounded his eternal departure, everyone far and near – including
his immediate family – seemed to be convinced that he was really the brain
behind the various misfortunes that befell the Adegoke family. In view of this,
upon the directive of Mr. Biodun who was now the only surviving elderly man in
the family, the corpse was seemingly forgotten in the morgue.
Worse still, no money was further
deposited to sustain the required embalmment, thus the dead body wasn’t given
the due attention it deserved. The wife of the deceased, Titi who would have
done so was persuaded by her in-laws to stay away from the corpse until the
necessary traditional rites have been conducted. Four months had passed, yet no
one could say what the corpse’s fate entailed.
Two weeks down the line, something
terrible but revealing transpired; Mr. Biodun Adegoke was struck by
thunderstorm right in his wretched sitting room. Before he gave up the ghost,
he confessed to his wife and six children coupled with other members of the
extended family that rushed to the scene, that he was solely responsible for
all the evil occurrences in the family. According to him, he was the one who
projected the thunderstorm that killed Seun so that everyone would believe he
(Seun) was the brain behind the misfortunes as he (Biodun) had falsely alleged.
Thereafter, Mr. Biodun’s remains were
thrown to the evil forest whilst Mr. Seun’s were eventually given a befitting
burial by the family.
FDN Nwaozor
Executive
Director, Docfred Resource Hub - Owerri_____________________________________
Twitter: @mediambassador
http://facebook.com/TheMediaAmbassador
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