The Man-Eating Lions of Udi Hills

By Mr Charles Emeka Eke

The Fear of the Lions is the Beginning of WisdomWhen the Lions came the first time, everyone thought they were mere hungry animals. Ten people dead ten days later and with armed soldiers scampering in all directions at a mere sight of the Man-Eating Lions, folks suddenly realized these were something far bigger than famished animals. Inside the beasts were the spirits of three long dead wicked Witch Doctors who were out to avenge their lynching by rampaging villagers of Udi. Again the fight between the Traditional African Religion and the White man's God is rekindled in this Man-Eating Lions of Udi Hills. Two days after the traditional October first march pasts by schools in Enugu in commemoration of Nigeria's sixth Independence Anniversary, the staff and students of St. Patrick Primary School, Coal Camp were still enjoying an extended holiday for coming 10th among the schools in Enugu. It was well past break time but the kids were still playing near the foot of the hills when the Lion came. One minute there was happy noises of children playing football and all manner of games, the next, there was complete pandemonium. The new headmistress had caused to be erected some barbed wires around the school compound especially towards the hills. Somehow though, the naughty students had managed to pry a certain area lose in order to access the thick forest for their suspicious activities. The kids very close to the fence were the first to notice the carnivorous animal bouncing down the hills. Their spontaneous screams of fear reverberated down the entire play ground as the whole school children began a race for dear life towards the school building. Some stumbled and fell but got up frantically and continued with their flight screaming at the same time. Others crashed into each other but never for once stopping in their effort to escape.The more agile and daring ones headed straight towards the school gate and off into the streets of the greater Coal Camp. The miners had never known such panic before. But while every kid was running for dear life, Chika, a young girl in primary five, who always behaved as if she was an imbecile with certain faculties missing stood rooted in the middle of the play ground not making any efforts to escape like everyone else. Instead she was waving her hand frantically into the air crying-'Mummy, mummy, mummy.'Initially, the big charging Lion missed her completely as its attention was on the crowd running towards the classrooms. But when some brave kids who were safely in their class rooms upstairs started throwing stones at the rampaging Lion, which coming at a speed close to two hundred kilometers per hour, the big hungry animal regretfully made a u-turn and started back up the hills.Hard Chika kept her traps shut and her shouts of mummy, mummy, mummy to herself, maybe the Lion would have missed her completely. But the now very angry carnivore became attracted by her after it had gone twenty meters past the crying girl. It changed course instantly and that was when Chika now thought it wise to start running. But her tiny legs were no match to the big fast animal which crashed into her with all the strength and speed it possessed.The little girl stood no chance. The force of the heavy animal would have even felled an object four times her size and weight. She went down without a struggle as the over 300 kilograms animal went for her throat and tore her to pieces. By the time the miners in Coal Camp who had heard the commotion in the school compound came running with their weapons and mining tools, the fast animal was already gone past the barbed wires with the body of the dead girl dangling across its mouth. In seconds, it had disappeared into the thick forests of the Udi Hills. Even though the brave ones among them ran frantically after the Lion and its victim, they knew better than to rush foolishly into the forest in search of them. Nobody wanted to be a hero on this particular day.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1482603187
• ISBN13: 9781482603187
• Release Date: February 2013
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 168 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.4" x 6.0"