The Men Who Wrestle with God

By Alilu Aminu Kayode

THE MEN WHO WRESTLE WITH GOD is written in Nigerian setting and reveals what powers and desires can do to man.

To Satisfy their desires, four chiefs of Aneile Kingdom: Ebiloma, Abalaka, Ocheja and Idachaba conspire among themselves to displace the Supreme Heavenly Powers and dethrone King Onuchowgu, the annointed one.

The Chiefs seek the collaboration of Ogecha, the Chief Priest of the Kingdom and the battle line is now drawn. It is humanity versus divinity; mortals against the immortals; the terrestrial against the celestial and the physical against the metaphysical!

Aneile is boiling in calamity. Innocent women, children and youth are dying. Famine, diseases, evil, oppression and injustice now torment the land, yet the chiefs are adamant to wrestle with the powers from the above. They are sure of nothing short of victory.

Can any opponent be underestimated in a battle? Will the order of things still remain the same at the end of the battle? Is it going to be the case of a dog wagging the tail or the tail wagging the dog at the end? The world has never in history recorded a battle as awe-striking as this!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: May 3, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456779252

Alilu Aminu Kayode

Alilu Aminu Kayode is a lawyer and author, director and lead actor of award-winning stage plays. He is very passionate about literature and highly revered by his peers for his writing prowess. He lives in Abuja, Nigeria, with his family and works at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja.

Book preview

Contents

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

CHARACTERS

PROLOGUE:

ACT ONE SCENE ONE

ACT ONE SCENE TWO

ACT ONE SCENE THREE

ACT ONE SCENE FOUR

ACT ONE SCENE FIVE

ACT TWO SCENE ONE

ACT TWO SCENE TWO

ACT TWO SCENE THREE

ACT TWO SCENE FOUR

ACT THREE SCENE ONE

ACT THREE SCENE TWO

ACT THREE SCENE THREE

ACT THREE SCENE FOUR

ACT THREE SCENE FIVE

ACT FOUR SCENE ONE

ACT FOUR SCENE TWO

ACT FOUR SCENE THREE

ACT FOUR SCENE FOUR

ACT FIVE SCENE ONE

ACT FIVE SCENE TWO

ACT FIVE SCENE THREE

ACT FIVE SCENE FOUR

ACT FIVE SCENE FIVE

ACT SIX SCENE ONE

ACT SIX SCENE TWO

ACT SEVEN SCENE ONE

ACT SEVEN SCENE TWO

ACT SEVEN SCENE THREE

ACT SEVEN SCENE FOUR

ACT SEVEN SCENE FIVE

EPILOGUE

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the Greatest of the greatest,

THE ALMIGHTY GOD.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I sincerely acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of my family, my boss – Mr. Salihu Aliyu Gusau, my mentor – Mr. Sola Owonibi, my friends – Jummai Joseph, Barr. James Ugbeda, Oladejo Olawumi, Mr. Williams Gomez and other numerous contributors towards the success of this publication. May GOD bless you all.

CHARACTERS

NARRATOR

KING ABUTU ……………………….old king of Ujayan

THREE CHIEFS OF UJAYAN

FOUR ELDERS OF ANEILE ……….old elders of Aneile

OBAJE …………………….old commander of Aneile army

EDIME …………old assistant commander of Aneile army

KING ILEMONA ……………………..old king of Aneile

TWO CHIEFS OF ANEILE …………old chiefs of Aneile

OPALUWA ………………………..uncle of King Ilemona

UKPAHIU ………………………old chief priest of Aneile

KING ONUCHOWGU……….new king of Aneile & successor of Ilemona

QUEEN AJANIGO ……….wife of king Onuchowgu PRINCES OKPANACHI & ATULUKU…sons of king Onuchowgu

EBILOMA…………………………………chief of Aneile

OCHEJA …………………………………chief of Aneile

ABALAKA ………………………………..chief of Aneile

IDACHABA ………………………………chief of Aneile

OGECHA ………………………………chief priest of Aneile

ENEMAKU ……………………..friend of king Onuchowgu

EJURA ………………………………….wife of Enemaku

ANIBE……………………….. servant of king onuchowgu

OMALE …………………….. . Aneile elder and talesbearer

ADUKU …………………… Errand boy of Aneile Palace

ATEBO ……………………Priest of the royal ancestral shrine

PROLOGUE:

There is blackout on stage. Background choral singing and drumming can be heard graduating slowly into war song with more rapid and louder drum beats.

Moments later, spotlights brighten the center stage revealing a shrine – like spot upon which lie still, three horrible looking masquerades dressed in attires of assorted colours and adorned with cowries and shells of snails, oysters and tortoises .

As the drum beats gain momentum, there is a sudden loud clinking of metallic object accompanied with a rhythmic yell of terror repeatedly done three times.

The masquerades simultaneously jump up, look left, right, forward, bend, pick up scepters wrapped in red clothes dripping blood-like liquid and raise them to the sky. Instantaneously, three gun shots explode back stage. Lights fade out.

Silence engulfs the stage as the NARRATOR appears.

NARRATOR:

GOD is the Supreme Being who presides over the spiritual administration of the universe. Every one bows to His dominion. He is the Custodian of our destinies and the reason for the peace and prosperity in our lands. But where men throw caution into the wind and trample on common sense and begin to wrestle with GOD, it is awe-striking and calls for a great concern. It becomes a battle between the physical and the metaphysical; the mortals and the immortal; the terrestrial and the celestial; the fallible and the infallible. One may jump into a hasty conclusion as to whose side the pendulum of victory shall swing but alas! No victory is automatic and none comes on a platter of gold. Those who must win a war must not underestimate their opponents. GOD must beware of men who dare to wrestle with Him so that the order of nature is not uttered on sheer errors of underestimation.

The land of Aneile is a living example of where men dared to wrestle with GOD! What are their intentions? What is their success or failure? Let us journey to Aneile to find answers to these and many more questions. But to get to ANEILE land, we have to go through a once powerful land called UJAYAN.

UJAYAN loves fighting war and wins every war she fights. One day, the king by name KING ABUTU calls his chiefs and warriors to his palace.

[Lights fade out and shine on the palace of king Abutu decorated with ancient ornaments, animal horns and skin. The King sits on his throne with three of his chiefs sitting on a bamboo-made bench at his right hand side, while the warriors stand facing the King on his left hand side, bare-chested putting on black shorts and protective charms and amulets all over their bodies with some of them holding spears while others brandish swords .]

KING ABUTU: My chiefs and warriors, the cat that enjoys catching rats does not fail to search for more when the old ones become rotten. The people we caught from Ochadamu Village are dying like fowls. Remember it is only few moons to the annual ritual of sending slaves to fight the Opo Spirits in Ebili forest. You all know the consequences of failing to perform this ritual. And you all also know that the few sick slaves we have cannot bear the arduous task of engaging in spiritual warfare with Opo spirits. Therefore, we need fresh and healthy slaves to carry out this mission.

CHIEFS: (simultaneously) you have spoken well your highness.

FIRST CHIEF: Your highness, which land do you suggest the warriors attack this time around?

KING ABUTU: Aneile!

SECOND CHIEF: (surprised) Ah! Your highness, a chilled pap does not hurt the tongue you know.

KING ABUTU: How do you mean?

SECOND CHIEF: Aneile is a peace loving village that looks for no trouble and deserves none.

KING ABUTU: (laughs sarcastically) the antelope is a cool, gentle, calm and docile animal that moves in peace and forsakes trouble spots but does that stop the hungry lion from consuming its fleshy thighs?!

THIRD CHIEF: You are right your highness. But your highness, even a mad spirit has a lucid period when it lets go innocent passers-by. Life is about weighing options; when it is absolutely necessary you go for it but when it is for luxury and devoid of any necessity, it is better to let it go; that is the mark of a man of reason. The people of Aneile lost their royal family including their king to a mysterious fire outbreak in the palace. The villagers are also facing famine due to poor harvest this year. It will not be fair to attack them knowing their present predicaments. We should direct our venoms to other lands.

SECOND CHIEF: Well spoken.

KING ABUTU: (furiously) what concern has a hyena over the predicament of a lame rabbit that cannot run for safety? Or have you also forgotten that it is the death of the cat that gives room for the rats to make merry in the household of an old woman?!

FIRST CHIEF: Your highness, I absolutely agree with my colleagues. There are villages out there that have been so much intolerant of us as a people that at a mere mention of our names, they spit. Those are our enemies. So why don’t we stop warring against our friends and reserve our strength to strategize against our enemies? Aneile is a friendly land currently facing hard times. It is not the right place to search for slaves. Let us look elsewhere my lord.

KING ABUTU: You said Aneile is facing hard times? Have you forgotten that few moons ago Aneile captured over four dozens of Ejule sons as slaves in a fierce battle between the two lands?

SECOND CHIEF: Your highness, Ejule made the same mistake we are about to make now by attacking quiet and peace loving Aneile but somehow, the gods came to their rescue and turned the battle against Ejule.

KING ABUTU: Hear yourself! Are you saying Aneile is harmless and at the same time indomitable?!

SECOND CHIEF: Your highness, what I am saying is that a sluggish old woman that goes about in peace and talks to nobody could cause irrevocable harm if dared unjustly because no one knows what strength she conceals under her tattered wrapper.

KING ABUTU: We are no cowards like Ejule warriors. If the lion would lose a battle, it cannot be to a dog. Aneile cannot stop us. Warriors!

WARRIORS: Onu jaaaashii!!!

KING ABUTU: (on his feet) Rise up and get ready for battle.

WARRIORS: Your highness, we are ready!!! (Sing war song as they disperse)

[The chiefs gaze at one another disappointedly as lights fade out and shine on the NARRATOR.]

NARRATOR: That was how King Abutu refused to heed the counsel of his chiefs and sent his warriors to Aneile. In Aneile on the other hand, the warriors are ready to defend their territory.

Lights fade out on the Narrator and shine on ANEILE warriors who sing war song as they enter into a kingless palace where the chiefs are already seated and waiting. The attires and adornments of the chiefs and warriors are similar to those of UJAYAN save for white shorts worn by the warriors and deeper costume in terms of colorations and charms. The warriors are led by their commander named Obaje.

OBAJE: (Squats) Elders of ANEILE, Ujayan warriors are already at the mouth of our village. We are going there right now to put a stop to their advancement and tell them that though the wasp may have been soaked by the rain, but that does not give the ear the effrontery to sweep its comb.

FIRST ELDER: (on his feet) calm down warriors. It is true that the fact that the crocodile’s teeth are sore does not give the fowl the audacity to scramble for food in its mouth but it is also true that the hunter who rushes at his game on a slippery ground loses not only the game but also the traces of its footprints as well. Be patient young ones.

SECOND ELDER: And remember, a man who climbs a delicate tree hastily crashes down heavily.

THIRD ELDER: Besides, no barefooted man hurries to get past a thorny jungle.

FOURTH ELDER: And do not forget that it takes caution to chase a viper in dry vegetation.

OBAJE: Elders of Aneile, we