Fear Grips Ebonyi Community As 200-Year-Old Tree Seen As A Deity Falls

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Residents of 7b, Nnorom Street, Ntezi-Aba, Abakaliki couldn’t believe their eyes at the weekend when they discovered that the 200-year-old tree most of them worshipped had fallen without any visible force causing its fall.

The big tree had been a worship centre for some residents, while others had described it as a deity responsible for the protection of the people of the area. Sacrifices were offered at the tree, and it also served as a bus-stop for passengers leaving Ebonyi or going into the State.

When the tree fell, a 12-bungalow building was destroyed. Mr. Sunday Eze, owner of the destroyed building called on the state government to quickly come to their aid by removing the tree and possibly assist them with basic amenities and reconstruction work.

Eze, a businessman noted that his family members were saved from the unfortunate incident because they had gone to Church when the tree fell. According to him, the only person who was inside the house when the tree fell was not hurt.

“We came back to see that the tree had fallen on the building and completely destroyed it and since then we have been suffering as we now depend on the mercy of neighbours to survive,” he said.

The landlord who lamented how his family lost most of their valuables as a result of the incident noted that half of the building was affected by the disaster as the roof and the walls suffered irredeemable cracks.

He said he has written to the State Ministry of Environment on the incident even as he solicited assistance from government, well- meaning individuals and organisations.

Residents of the area also called on the authorities to urgently remove the debris of the tree from the building. For Mrs Eugenia Abah, the tree meant several things to many people.

“They see it as a deity and it’s for this reason that its fall has brought fear to the residents,” she said.

A traditionalist who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity noted that the tree cannot be removed without the observance of some traditional rituals. According to him, “The tree was the spiritual shield of the area which protects the residents from evil and misfortunes”.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident and different appeals from the people of the area, the state Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Paul Okorie noted that the state government was prepared to assist the people in removing the fallen tree and restoring sanitation in the area.