Sunmola Olowookere

“Whoever among you that dare to enter this land will die within seven days! You can try it and see”

These were the words of a middle aged woman to some young men who came to attack her as she performed some fetish rituals on her plot of land which was grabbed by the Omo Onile boys and sold off to them without the consent of the woman.

It was a scene to behold as she swapped trees, well and some arranged blocks on the plot with black and red shredded fabrics while some words like incantations.

It would have looked like a decoration  but the gourds and some other suspicious looking objects that were attached to it made the scenery to look menacing.

The young pups with their plaited hair and baggy sweatshirts and pants drove to the neighbourhood in a Lexus car with music blaring. What they met on ground however spoiled their gay mood.

They became apprehensive as they beheld the charm. They were afraid but they could not flee from a five million project. It was the proceed from their shady deals. Therefore, they camouflaged their apprehension with bravado as they accused the elderly woman of being fetish. However, none of them made any attempt to enter the land.

As they accused her, she was not ashamed in the least as she concluded her ritual by pouring some libations. The neighbours were shocked at the spectacle before their eyes but they did not know what to say. The woman was protecting her property as she knows best. She was a poor woman compared to the usurpers.

However, they all blamed the Omo onile boys that were causing chaos in the neighbourhood due to their greedy land grabbing tendencies. They would hijack undeveloped lands from the rightful owner and resell to someone else.

Then they will stay aloof when the two innocent people that they pitch against one another began to fight over right of ownership of the land. Sometimes, the two parties will become tired of the dispute and decide to share the land and live peacefully.

In this instance too, the omo onile boys were nowhere to be seen as the two groups faced themselves.

The woman told them “you think you can intimidate my family because you have money? I know you are yahoo boys and you are fetish but you will meet your match in me. If you dare, enter through the palm fronds and see what will happen to you”.

She warned them that the charm she placed on the land was a relic that she inherited from her father who was a renowned jujuman.

The boys had been alerted by some neighbours that sided with them that the woman was placing charms on the plot.

On seeing her handwork, they raged and ranted but they did not dare to step their feet on the plot. Neighbours tried to intervene but none of them would listen.

The woman bought two plots when she came to the area. She built her residence on one and kept the other for her son who was in a tertiary institution with the plan that he would develop it when he becomes gainfully employed.

The Omo onile boys, who ussually combed the area for any land they could grab and resell, noticed the plot that was untouched and secretly sold it off to the rich young guys for five million naira.