OUR COMMON ENEMY
Abutu Richard@richardabutu760441
11 days ago
We are not our common enemy.
Last night, Orduen and Tordue had a quarrel. It was a bitter altercation between them. Orduen carried a club, Tordue carried his; they were ready to go all out against each other, but some youths intervened.
Their fierce argument was as a result of land. Orduen believed that Tordue had encroached into his farmland. Tordue had maintained that he hadn’t trespassed. This conflict has lingered for some time now and Tordue seems to be bent on keeping the land.
This has made Orduen mad and resolved to get back the land by all means.
The two young men went to bed nursing bitterness against each other. Orduen had sworn by Takuruku and Adzor that if Tordue doesn’t leave the land, evil will befall him. Tordue returned the curses in the name of their gods. Gods are just, they will decide who truly deserves the ills that will befall.
At 2:06 a.m., a loud shout was heard. Orduen woke up. The noise was persistent. It was coming from the direction of Tordue’s house. “Alas, Takuruku has answered,” he thought. He was jubilant, but his joy will soon transform into a bitter cry.
He heard a bang on his door. It wasn’t a knock; the door was pulled down by a heavy blow. He ran but, speedily, he couldn’t wait to comprehend what was happening. The people who broke his door down descended on him with rage, but he was fortunate to escape their onslaught.
After running for a long distance, he looked back and saw his village in flames.
It seems no one else escaped but him alone. What was happening? Who are these men that have come to take over the land? They didn’t only kill men, but women and children. These are bandits. They are heartless and cold. They don’t care about Takuruku or Adzor, they have no fear for gods or God. They only care for wickedness and how to perpetuate it.
In the meantime, security operatives and the press have come to the village and seen the destruction done. Tordue escaped too, but he lost a limb. But scores of people were killed including their siblings and parents.
Now Orduen and Tordue have to care for each other. They have to rebuild their ruins. They have a common enemy and it’s not one of them.
Their common enemy is not the land they fought for. It is these marauding bandits.
You see, we as Nigerians have a common enemy and they are strong as long as we fight each other over trifles.
Richard Abutu #HighOnWORD
