Ime Akpan
Edo State-born John Lucky never dreamed that he would leave his motherland to become a sojourner.
But circumstances forced him, his wife and children to flee, just to save their lives.
Lucky narrated a heart-a rending story of his travails after he lost his mother on February 18, 1983, subsequently his father on November 20, 2014.
According to Lucky, it was his grandmother who raised him in another town after the mother’s death.
He said the only time he went to his village after the demise of his mother was during the father’s death and burial.
But after the funeral, Lucky who is married with children, was told that he would inherit his father’s properties if he accepted to become the chief priest of a secret cult which his father headed.
“I had only one sister when my mother died. My grandmother raised me after I lost my mother.
“When my father died, as the first child of the family it was mandatory that I attended his funeral. After the event, I returned to my grandmother’s village.
“After my father’s burial, I was invited to the village on December 24, 2014. When I got there, I was taken to a place where an altar had already been set. I met many people, some draped in flowing red and black robes.
“They asked me to sit on a chair that was vacant. I obliged. They began to reel out the conditions to become the chief priest.
“First, they made it clear to me that my father had made me the heir to the headship of the cult and it is on the condition of taking over as the chief priest that I will inherit his property.
“Again, they said I should offer my wife as a sacrifice.
“Fear gripped me. I told them I would not do that; one I am a Christian and my Christian faith forbids me to shed blood; two, I love my wife and I can’t afford to lose her and three, I need my wife around to raise my children.
“They threatened that I will not have peace in the village should I fail to do their bidding. Since they were more in number, I mustered all the energy in me and stormed out of the place,” he said.
After the encounter, Lucky said he continued to receive death threats from the cult men.
On a friend’s advice, Lucky reported the matter to the police but the police took no action.
“A friend of mine advised me to lodge a complaint with the police. I did but the police said I had no proof of the allegation. They told me to go home and resolve whatever issues I had with them,” he said.
Lucky said he returned to where he was staying with his family but the death threats continued unabated.
“My wife too was also not spared of the threats. I started talking and when they sensed that I will reveal their secret, they sent people who attacked me physically. Having survived that attack, I ran away” he added.
Out of fear, Lucky said he advised his wife to relocate with the children while he also left home.
“I moved from one place to another, staying with friends. At a point I realised that I had gone round all my friends; adding my problems to theirs was not a wise thing to do. I asked myself how long I would continue to live like a fugitive. I didn’t know what else to do than to leave home,” he said.
