Ebuka, the son of King Okpala and the heir to the throne of Umutu ancient kingdom is the man under discussion.

EBUKA, FICTION BY MAXWELL O. OPIA-ENWEMUCHE

“It was an odd-sized casket, too small for a man, too big for a child. A flag was draped over it, a smallish one. It was carried by four men in uniform, though it was hard to tell for sure from a distance what uniform it was, or even if they were all men. There wasn’t room for the usual six pallbearers due to the small size of the casket since it would have made for a comical service to have all six jammed together, shoulder-to-shoulder, crowding around an under-sized coffin. So the extra pallbearers were in the ranks of many others in uniform standing beside a small open grave. The officiant wore a robe instead of a uniform and must have said something because there was a long silence, then a burst of laughter.”

The journey that brought us here today started in a small town known as Umutu in the present day Delta State in Nigeria. Ebuka, the son of King Okpala and the heir to the throne of Umutu ancient kingdom is the man under discussion. He was a prince with a difference who believed in the total well being of his people. His attitude towards humanity was all encompassing and he would do anything within his purview as a prince to ensure that they don’t shake hands with hardship.

There was a wave of insecurity that recently hit the neighboring town of Umuaja which shares boundary with Umutu. This insensitive situation was gradually building up with a projection that it would walk into Umutu. “My prince, the situation on ground demands urgent response in order to remain relevant and protect our business and associates around,” Chinedu, the Chief Security Officer said.

“What do you suggest that we do at this critical time?” Ebuka the prince asked like someone with enthusiasm to help. “We can start by training young men of the kingdom in the military art of war with the assistance of Oraka, the retired war general,” Chinedu suggested. “We can start by conscripting young boys of age into this local force with a sole aim of defending and protecting our business interest, especially the rubber plantation which is our cash cow,” he added.

“I humbly volunteer myself for this noble cause provided it will bring peace to the kingdom of Umutu. I don’t mind leading by example, not as an armchair prince,” Ebuka said with such audacity and conviction in his choice of words. “Enough is enough for these barbarians who think they have the monopoly to violence and unnecessary intimidation for resources,” he asserted with such anger as if he needed to decapitate someone’s body with immediate alacrity if given the opportunity. “There would be enough room to fight in whatever manner we adopt either as individuals or collectively,” Munachi suggested as he has fought side by side with Chinedu and has always returned home victorious. He knows that this particular onslaught against those barbarians at Umuaja boundary will not be an exception.

“Summon the youths of this kingdom in my name,” the prince issued a command to Chinedu to liaise with the royal messenger who will in turn communicate with the youths of the kingdom. The essence of this urgent call is for them to know that I am also part of the army that will charge Umuaja boarder.” “The presence of Oraka is also needed in order to induct the civilians into the art of warfare and true courage in the face of danger,” he added.

After the announcement in the morning, an onslaught of youths trumped to the palace in order to listen to the prince and know the next line of action on how to curtail and cut the barbarians at the border town into size. The prince should know that the situation on ground is terrible as most of the farmlands belonging to the indigent citizens have been abandoned for fear of the unknown and it is no longer a secret in Umutu.

Having received the mammoth crowd at the palace square, Oraka, the retired war general in the military was given the floor to address the would be organized force against the killers of joy ravaging the neighboring town that shares a common boundary with Umutu. The war general proceeded with such candour after receiving a tumultuous welcome into the midst of the confused civilians. His first comment brought both happiness and worries into the camp. He said, “If you’re here by yourself, consider it from now on that you will become part of history and your family name will be celebrated. However, if you’re here because others are coming and you want to join them, you will die without an honour unless you put your mind to this for the greater glory of the land.” With this statement, there was a wind of silence that swept through the mammoth crowd. A handful of the youths that thronged that day decided to quit for fear of losing their lives and losing the fight.

“May the spirits, air, fire, water and earth be kind to you as you walk away with your fear because in battle there will be no going back,” Oraka screamed. This further reduced the lot. Soon the training started with the prince at the forefront of it all. Shooting, stalking, physical combat and team operations were taught. More so, the dismantling and assembling of AK-47 assault rifles were also taught. All these training sessions were done systematically with the available hands who were trained to bring courage against fear in fearful situations.

There was a statement made by Ebuka, the prince, to the trained civilians who are now skilled in the art of warfare. “The essence of the training which you’ve received here is to help you think of your freedom as a people before anything else. The need to establish authority over illegally controlled territories from the barbarians and to foster unity among neighbours.”

There will be a showdown tomorrow when the trained civilians come face to face with reality to correct the anomaly dancing naked at the border town of Umuaja. It was resolved that prisoners will be taken and tortured ruthlessly in order to show every dissident voice what happens when a king is disobeyed.

As soon as the boys got to Umuaja, there was massive shootings beyond their imagination. Munachi was shot and he died on the spot, but this did not deter the gallant men who fought with everything within their reach and they succeeded in forcing them out of Umuaja with lots of casualties from both sides. The prince of Umutu even sustained a serious injury and is being nursed by the palace medical team. There was an assurance that he would be up on his feet to command another invasion as soon as possible.

With the siege in Umuaja dislodged, peace and tranquility gradually returned to the boundary town as people began to access their farms again. The hunger in the land gradually disappeared as scarcity like darkness gave way to a plethora of resources. Light has come back to Umuaja and adjourning towns. The people were full of praise for the young prince who led an onslaught that brought victory to the kingdom.

“My prince, you must take it easy as you’re yet to recover fully. Quit practicing with those guns and allow your injury to heal fully,” Chinedu suggested with such empathy that’s out of this world. You know the kingdom still needs you and cannot bear losing you. “Do you know that there would be pandemonium in the kingdom if such heart ripping news eventually filters into the ears of the people of Umutu?” the Chief Security Officer (CSO).

“This is exactly the same thing I have been hearing since I got this injury in the onslaught at Umuaja. We were completely outnumbered by five men to one of our own. God rest the soul of Munachi who took a bullet for me and bless the soul of Oraka who prepared us for the real battlefield. It was not a bread and butter party, but we did our best and eventually overcame the barbarians to sing the victory song,” the prince retorted.

Not more than two weeks after the much celebrated and widely publicized victory at the border town that the barbarians took over the food supply van coming to the heart of Umutu and communicated their demands through a video network locally set up for the purpose. Amongst their demands made was to release their members taken as prisoners of war and allow them to control Umuaja as a way of settlement. Umuaja is an agrarian town where all sorts of crops are seen ranging from cash to annual crops. These riotous groups that call themselves barbarians are full of violence when they dress themselves with red clothed masks upon a white sleeveless. They speak of spilling the blood of the innocent which the red on their mask represents and destroying the purity of so many souls which the white sleeve represents.

With these evil demands, the killer squad, ably trained by Major Oraka who is retired but not tired, will embark on another mission with the purpose of taking over the van full of food supplies and ultimately kill the members of the barbarians group if they resist to surrender. This was the clear cut instruction from the king as the prince insisted that he will embark on this mission too in order to put an end to these set.

At the battle ground, bullets were flying as bodies kept dropping with a thud as though a calm and fearful reminder that every one must drop someday either today in the battle field or outside the battlefield. However, while the bodies are dropping, the trained civilians who are now skilled in battle are encouraged to fight more. The attack became so violent that the prince was shot on the head and as Oraka saw it, he screamed, “Oh my God! This is end of King Okpala’s dynasty.” Although they eventually got the group of barbarians, the prince was no more. They returned to Umutu with a long face and a requiem had to be conducted immediately in line with the customs of the kingdom. The requiem and associated ceremony was to be conducted while the trained civilians wore their uniforms in full capacity. An odd-sized casket was used for this purpose, but was elegantly decorated with a flag which draped around the casket.

The officiant who wore a robe instead of the usual uniform looked at the depth of the grave and remarked thus, “Did the gravediggers dig the grave so deep that when the deceased is finally laid to rest, his spirit will not possess the required strength to climb out for spiritual night parties?” This statement threw the entire gathering into laughter. Although the environment got some onslaught of excitement after the joke, the people were still looking morose because of the monumental loss that the kingdom of Umutu has suffered.

“The grave wasn’t ready until sunset, so the whole event was rushed and disorganized, except for the very last part. The grave was a massive affair, more of a crater than a grave, and it took until dark to roll the casket down to the bottom. If any prayers were said, they couldn’t be heard over the dull thudding of the clouds raining down on the casket far below. It was an odd sized casket, too big for a man, too small for a dream, but just right for a dynasty.”