AMANSO, THE TYRANT.

A Must Read Short Story

Once upon a time , a man called Amanso lived in a village called Onwumerem. In the village, women outnumbered men as a result of war between them and Amaukwu-umuaya. The war broke out few years ago, when the Onyishi of Amaukwu claimed that their boundary between the people of Onwumeren was tampered with by one of onwumerem farmers. The war lasted for two months before the government brought it to its abrupt end. The only male children of onwumerem spared are those whom were living at their neighbouring villages and those whom hid themselves in the course of the war. Amaukwu warriors did not spare them. They killed their men and took away their women especially those who were beautiful. When the war ended, they were compelled to release their captives so that they would reunite with their families. It was at this juncture that Amanso, one of Onwumerem greatest warriors whom went on recess in the verge of the war, came back. Everyone was happy when he came back. To them, God has brought another saviour in the likeness of Amanso to guard, protect, guide and lead them. As a great warrior, they made him their King, breaking their tradition. It was suppose to go to uchebuakpa's lineage. But none of them protested. They accepted it with faith since they meant well for their entire community.
Few weeks after his coronation, he changed drastically. He became, literally, a thorn on the flash of their happiness. He grew so wild and intoxicated with the power and authority bestowed to him. He made obnoxious laws and forced them on his people. Nobody could object to his decisions for fear of molestations and victimizations. In less than three months after his coronation, he lost full legitimacy of his subjects, but no one could tell him for fear of being subjected to one punishment or the other. Amanso, just as the name suggests,
did not observe the laws, customs, mores and tradition of his people. He could be said to be a norm-breaking character in that he never accepted the tradition of his people, which he suppose to be a custodian of. No wonder his people lost confidence and legitimacy in following him.
To help him carry out his nefarious acts, Amanso appointed a five-man committee, one from each of the five villages that make up the town. He entrusted them with the responsibility. They helped him to garner and disseminate information. In return, he paid them peanuts. He also set up task force group that would be in charge of executing laws and orders in the community. Many a time, this group harass, molest and maltreat the less privilege when they could not meet up with the King’s demands. King Amanso, among other instructions, has instructed that yams and some other farm produce be brought to his palace every Eke market day.
The King’s demands became too unbearable that some farmers were starving their households just to make sure that they keep to the King’s insatiable demands. Most of them fought blindly to thrash out anything that could make them not to pay their obnoxious homage to the king every Eke market day. Amadi, for instance, fought with his wife when she suggested that they should stop taking half of their harvest to the king. “ you are a witch! Maybe you want me dead so that men would be doing press up in front of our door every morning”, Amadi said. “Daddy! Why are you talking like that? I'm only saying that the amount of food items we do take to that tyrant is too much unlike other farmers. If we should continue like that we would forever be his slave. ‘monkey dey work, baboon eye chop'”, Amadi's wife advised. “Woman, listen and listen good. I was not here when you called king Amanso tyrant. O one told me that you said so, even. Please spare my life of yours is no longer precious to you. Grasses have ears, remember. I would not want to call the King’s attention to this house negatively. I am the farmer, not you. The yams I take to him are mine, not yours. If there is anybody to complain, it’s me. So I beseech you to stay off”, Amadi said. “But Daddy, other farmers do not take as many tubers of yams as you do to him. They know they have their own families to Carter for. Please understand me. I am not saying that you should stop giving him gifts. What I am saying is that you give him half of our harvest. Even in the Bible, where we are advised to be paying tithe it’s not a half of our farm produce. They made it clear, ‘out n’uzo iri'. To God, not even to our fellow human being,”she added. Amandi bounced on his wife when he could no longer listen to unending utterances on the matter. Many men whom were the king’s ardent supporters do fight their wives whenever they try to stop them from carrying out what they were forced to accept as their civic obligation.
Few months later, the king became so extremely prosperous that he employed some women whom helped him to sell most of the gift items at their market every Nkwo market day. Amanso never ceased to unleash unending tortures, maltreatments, suffering, agonies, anguish and exploitations on his subjects. This lasted for a century till God visited the community himself to liberate them through uchebuakpa's son. Mmeri is uchebuakpa’s first son, whom he sent to mission school in Ibadan 11 years ago. Story had it that mmeri was awarded series of scholarships in his school days. The earlier missionaries molded him positively to take up challenges of life. He was admitted to study law at university of Ibadan. He performed beyond everyone’s expectation. His outstanding performance geared him towards his series of achievements, morally, academically and financially. Apart from being bright academically, he is outspoken, humble and industrious. He always have passion for mentoring, teaching and monitoring others. This made him man of people among his fellow students. Many of his lecturers take him as their personal assistant in that he used to help them to do one or two things such as garnering lecture materials, invigilating their quizzes and examinations, and many a time in marking their scripts and recordings. Another quality that endeared to his lecturers is that he is not biased nor partial. He doesn’t divulge official secret to anyone. Through out the years he had worked closely with his lecturers, he has never for once tell any student any of their exam question neither did he award marks to anyone because he knew the person. He believes in merit and equity. If any student has to be favoured, all other students should be favoured too. He hates with passion the words favouritism and nepotism. Anyone who meets him will know hebis down tp the earth. Two weeks after his graduation he was called back by the university governing board. He was made a lecturer immediately. He was so happy. Everyone was happy for him. All he lecturers he worked under enjoyed him because he is up and doing. He us a type that has virtually time for everything. Many lecturers relied on him for research works and materials. Where he gets his materials still an untold secret . There is no topic you Will like work on that he cannot get resourceful materials von. Two years later, he was called to bar. He is a renowned lawyer and has never lose a case. Many prominent men in the country hire him and he became famous in a twinkle of an eye. He has applied for resignation as a university lecturer due to the fact that the is always busy in his chamber preparing for one case or another, but the governing board of the university could not let him go. To them, Mmeri has the potentials take the institution to the greater height, and allowing him to go will amount to mayhem as regards to academic Excellence of the noble institution. They retained him, with freedom to be coming to his office in school at least two days in a week. In two years time, Mmeri has become extremely rich. He invested his money wisely and ensure there is constant flow of income. It was at that point that the news of Amanso's exploitations, tortures and humiliations to their people came to him. He sent a letter to Amanso to stop him from his diabolic acts, but he turned a deaf ears. Amanso instead released the locusts of dehumanization, suffering, suppression and oppression to his people more thanever before. When Mmeri heard that instead of taking his advice, he intensified his diabolism, he started planning to travel home. The last straw that broke the camel’s back was Amanso's decision to lock up Uchebuakpa, Mmeri's father for sending stupid message to his wayward son in the city as he called it. On hearing this, Mmeri left the city with five mobile police men . Before that he has already prepared court proceedings; arrest warrant , so that his arrest will have legal back up .On the eve of that day, Amanso was carted away by the mobile policemen. On hearing this, the villagers came out in large number to thank Mmerichukwu for exonerating them for awhile from the iron hand treatment of Amanso and his chiefs. They carried Mmeri on their shoulders and sang songs of praises to him round the whole village. It was that night that Mmeri invited all the villagers to his father’s house tomorrow. On the appointed day, Mmeri killed two cows, five kegs of palmwine, enough food was ready , kolanuts and other things you an think of. They offered them to their guests and he narrated his ordeal in the foreign land, and how their prayers and little support helped him to grow as he is now. He asked them to join him to praise God for his love, care, protection, guidance and grace upon his life. He ended by encouraging his people to start having passion for education. He further maintained that it’s only education that can solve their problem. He promised to train 100 bright students up to university level. The villagers are happy about his achievements and his timely intervention to release them from the shackles of Amanso’s evil exploits. They ate and drank to their fill and departed.
Amanso was later prosecuted and tried in the Court of competence jurisdictions in the city, from where he was advised to resign with immediate effect since the prosecuting council has a litany of evidence against him from which it was known that he really unleashed all the charges levelled against him. He was sentenced for life imprisonment. On hearing this, the villagers sent for Mmeri to report home immediately. When he went home they surprised him with their demand to make him their next king. He thanked and asked them for a favour, and they promised to do anything of his choice. He started thus: “I am so happy you found me worthy to be your next king. It means we all know what is good for us. I am happy we have begun to think good for our unborn generation. What I want to ask you is this, please understand me. I am not saying that I am bigger than the post you want to confer on me. But I am thinking of my father. How can I be your king in his presence? It’s not done. Please let’s give it to him. Meanwhile, I will be backing him financially and legally to carry out the duties of a traditional ruler. This is all I want to ask you, please.” They applauded him and accepted his request. Two weeks later, they fixed back to the city and ensured he maintains all his promises to his people. He built ban upstairs for his family with a well built compound for social gathering, in preparation for his father’s coronation. On the appointed day people from all walks of life came to his father’s palace to grease the occasion. It was awesome. In appreciation for his kind gestures to all and sundry in his village, they made him one of his father’s cabinet with the name ‘ohamadike 1 of onwumerem’. Uchebuakpa proved to be a good leader. He has all their legitimacy. Ever since then, normalcy has returned to onwumerem community.