© UnknownThe mystery tree in Krachi
The tree was one of the six that were earmarked to be cut in order to clear the area for the construction of a lorry park.
The contractor, Alhaji Rabiu Swalley, told Daily Guide that he was supposed to uproot all the six trees on the site so that the place could be leveled by the tractor. When the trees were being uprooted, it became extremely difficult when the workers got to the third tree. It took them over a week before it could be uprooted last week Thursday.
Alhaji Rabiu explained that since it was almost nightfall, they left the tree and returned the next morning. He then directed his labourers to cut the branches and the stems in order to clear the place for work to proceed. The workers therefore cut the branches as directed but could not cut the stem before they took a break and went to the mosque for afternoon prayers.
When they returned from the mosque, they realized that the hitherto uprooted tree was firmly grounded in the soil once again. The incident caused fear and panic among the public, especially Alhaji Rabiu's men, since they uprooted it themselves. They have therefore suspended work on that part of the site.
While uprooting the trees, they saw hundreds of nails and pins nailed into the tree, which people alleged were part of rituals performed by people who engaged in spiritual activities. Two of the workers on the site who took part in the uprooting of the tree have suffered some mysterious ailments.
Gariba Naira, one of the workers, told Daily Guide that when they were uprooting the tree, something itchy fell on him and whenever he scratched it, it turned into a boil.
He therefore consulted a priestess in the area who took a fowl and other things from him but he did not have peace. He visited another priest who also performed some rituals. The priest passed an egg over him several times while reciting some incantations, and he (Gariba) now feels better.
Another worker, Yusif Amda, also noted that he had been having nightmares after uprooting the tree but said he had taken to the reading of the Quran, an act which is alleviating the problem.
Daily Guide gathered that the tree, which was over 70 years old, had been a venue for many people when they needed to perform some rituals as directed by shrines, hence the numerous pins and nails found inside it.
Residents who were around the place said even though they saw the tree uprooted, they never saw the actual time it moved back into its hole. The people have therefore decided to distance themselves from the area. Others speculated that it was the headquarters of all the witches in the area.
Others have also said the various nails and pins inside the tree represented the various powers of some people; hence those spirits did not want to allow it to be uprooted to end their powers. Traditional custodians are said to be consulting the gods in the area on the matter. The contractor also said he would consult his elders and Allah, hoping that all their efforts would avert future calamities. He added that until something good came out from all these consultations, he and his men would be scared to go to that side of the site.
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