As was customary for teenage girls to leave for the stream for pots of fresh water just after the first cock crow, this faithful day marked a turning point in the lives of the villagers. Barely after they had arrived, panic and pandemonium broke out at the stream, the girls shouted and wailed while running as far as their legs could carry them back to the village.

All activities came to a grinding halt; there was speculation about an imminent invasion by a neighbouring village. This was bad news as there was no preparation in place to counter any looming attack. Or better still, perhaps the village had come under attack by wild beasts, there were differing assumptions until the girls arrived into safe hands to recount their harrowing ordeal. To the greatest dismay of many, it was an entirely different picture from what were being painted, it appears even worse than expected. They had seen three spirits in white flowing gown. This was a very bad omen, to see spirits in broad daylight.

The chief priest and the cabinet of chiefs were jointly summoned up for an emergency meeting by the Eze under the shade of the great Iroko. Fear and anxiety seem to overtake everyone, it appears the gods are angry and had decided to appear in person to torment or even destroy the entire village. The concern now was how to appease them to go away. Meanwhile, all 15 girls between the ages of 11 and 19 that had presumably seen the purported spirits were isolated and locked away in a hut to avoid contaminating the people. They were to be taken to the evil forest and abandoned to their fate as soon as the dust settles.

The chief priest consulted the oracle, the response was very disturbing. The gods had blessed the land abundantly over the years, men had planted seeds and harvested far more than they expected, the village had prospered much more than it’s neighbours and yet the people have not honoured the annual sacrifice of new yam festival for the past 50 moon, as was the customs. So the gods are very angry with the land. The land is cursed; the punishment shall be as follows.

Strangers shall come to invade and to reap from where they have not sown, they will change your ways, dominate you, and teach you new things for their own good but to your detriments. Just before the priest concluded, they sighted three albino-like men dressed in white flowing gown, they were individually riding on two legged iron horse. The ongoing meeting was interrupted, there was a stampede, and the panic-stricken men ran helter skelter for refuge except for the chief priest who held up an amulet while supplicating. These sudden apparitions soon approached the great Iroko through the dusty path.

They arrived, alighted and slowly walked up to the priest smiling. One of them started saying something, but the sound appears to come through the nose. The other one behind held out his right hand for a handshake, the priest mistook this for an impending doom; he fell to his face and wept like a baby, asking for mercy. The strangers were completely dumbfounded and knew not how to communicate to the people that they were actually missionaries on a mission of peace.

Stone, Forest and Woods were Missionaries designated by a foreign Crown to the village; they had arrived in the company of so many others by a steamer to the coast. Much later, there was speculation that the men were actually sent over to serve out their prison terms for crimes committed back home. Communication channel was inexistent at the beginning but was progressively established over time. Woods had a dramatic encounter with the Eze, although he was able to drive home his point. They needed a piece of land to erect a structure, to serve as a place for religious worship. The Eze was at first reluctant to grant the request of these complete strangers, he was being careful not to destroy a kingdom built and secured by the ancestors, his royal highness needed time to consult and come up with a decision. On departure Woods handed a gift of a small square mirror. The Eze was completely amazed to see his replica in this little brilliant object, without wasting further time he ordered his guards to show them the best land next to the village stream, they can have as much as they needed to build whatever they intended to put up.

The youths were fast to embrace the English men, they helped clear bushes, fell trees needed to build the structure. Forest, an architect had a drawn out plan for the edifice. The only time they spotted white flowing gown was during their arrival to the village afterwards they wore khaki shorts and shirts, for footwear they had a pair of matching brown boots with metallic helmet for hat.

It took nearly two weeks to erect the enormous one storey building of nearly 200 square meters, the look transformed the entire village for good. Nothing like this had ever been built, was so huge and beautiful. Inside was a big hall, where masses were held, then a smaller chamber for bedroom and even a much smaller but comfortable one designated for administrative purposes.

The missionaries were initially welcome with open arms by the villagers; they soon became obvious threat to the customs of the land. They talked against idolatry and encourage people to do away with them and come follow their own chi. they attracted mostly the youths including those from the neighbouring villages, they started teaching people to speak in their own tongue. Several months later they had employed several young men as servants. They were given identical clothing as their masters.

Not before long the strangers started settling disputes among members of the congregation. The hall was also serving another purpose other than for worship. It was also a makeshift tribunal to settle scores, Stone was the presiding judge.

In the cause of time, the tribal leaders were slowly degraded to puppets. On one peculiar occasion, the Eze’s Chief adviser was forcibly taken from his home by guards, arraigned before the tribunal for questioning the real intentions of the missionaries; he even went as far as to suggest they be banished from the land. He was convicted and sentenced to 72 Hours in the mission’s cell with 48 strokes of the cane. This was very disturbing and humiliating particularly for a titled man, even the Eze was very angry about the illegal tribunal and the sentencing, his authority was fast eroding, while the strangers were consolidating power, soon there were many local young men recruited as guards. To be continued.

Ike