By Chinedu Agu
Dem say for one corner of Imo bush,
Near where evening breeze dey hush,
Stand one den wey no be place for man;
Tigerbase, wey craze pass tiger wey don mad.
Dem tigers no dey roar for forest;
Na inside uniform dem hide their chest,
Eyes red like kerosene lantern wey leak,
Teeth sharp like story wey elders no fit speak.
For night, dem parade as protector,
For day, dem turn to predator;
Anybody wey near their gate dey pray,
Because Tigerbase na place wey shadow get leg.
Dem get one chamber wey I fit call Golgotha;
A cross no dey for church matter,
But na where dem tie human beings
Like sacrifice wey no get sin.
Groan dey fly for air like harmattan dust,
And rope dey preach sermon of pain and rust.
Me sef don go prison before, no be small time,
I land for Owerri Prison, government and Magistrate lock me for no crime.
But as I sidon dey count wall, I hear plenty cry for night,
Na victims of Tigerbase full every corner, dem eyes don lose light.
Dem say shrine dey the backyard too,
Palm oil, mirror, feather, and small juju;
Where Tiger craze dey dance for dark,
And silence dey beat drum for ritual mark.
Rumour talk say deep for ground,
Where even breeze fear to make sound,
Lie one hollow wey I fit call the Arimathean’s Tomb;
A place wey body fit vanish like perfume.
For this Tiger kingdom, one name dey reign:
Kill-and-Bury, na so storybook explain.
A name wey waka before the man,
Like him shadow dey do road work for Ohaji/Egbema.
And over all dem wild animals,
Oga Ola sit for him bamboo palace;
Him throne na rumour, him crown na fear,
Him judgment no get appeal anywhere.
People dey miss without footprint,
Lawyer no dey see detainee,
Call no dey go, trace no dey show
Na only family cry dey blow.
Women whisper their ordeal soft,
Voice crack like pot wey fall from loft;
For Tigerbase, dignity dey cheap,
Tears dey soak pillow wey no fit sleep.
Bribe dey flow like rainy gutter,
Anybody wey no pay go suffer;
Justice dey shiver for corner dey cough,
As Tiger craze dey chase am off.
But one day, breeze carry the tale,
Media pick am, town begin yell;
“Wetin be dis kingdom of wild beasts?
Who crown tigers as human police?”
And so Tigerbase, or Tiger Craze,
Turn moral lesson for market place:
When animal begin dey behave like king,
Humanity go lose him precious wing.
For land where power don turn to fang,
Every silence dey carry gunshot twang;
And when justice dey bleed for cage,
Even tiger go fear human rage.
● Barrister Agu na lawyer wey dey fight for common people, he be former secretary of NBA Owerri, and una fit contact am for im telephone number +2348032568512.
