A Chronicle Of Polygamous Brouhaha -4

This is the concluding part of a true life polygamous situation of man who had one wife but went in search of a Male child and ended up Marrying five women in the process....parts 1 and 2 and 3

......Helen told the elder she invited that they should take her daughter Rita to a particular shrine, where she will seat on the priest stool in that shrine and make a covenant with the deity that she’s now a wife instead of a daughter in that family in order to procreate. To enable her validate her stay as a “male daughter” position and secure her future and inheritance from the mother.

The implications of that is if she backs out from the deal and get married later, the elders will either die mysteriously or go blind. On her part, she will also die. 

She was discouraged by the elders not to go ahead with the method but use verbal declarations in case she develops cold feet later but Helen and her daughter were adamant and refused to listen.

They went ahead and carried out the rituals and sacrifices involved. Rita became a male child and had her first child a daughter. She was still expectant that she will give birth to another child but it never happened. She did not conceive again after five years and in the process met a charming man whom she fell in love with.

She decided to break the covenant so she can marry her prince charming. She approached her parents and the elders with her predicament but she was reminded of the consequences that will follow. It was fierce verbal battle with threats to lives. They told her that they are not ready to go blind or die yet.

After several months of tussle over the issue to break the covenant. The elders and the father vehemently opposed her decision. She made a lot of threats to them of what she will do but everybody called her bluff.

 She was angry that she could not have another child and she’s not allowed to marry any man especially now she has fallen in live for the first time in her life as she claimed. She forgot she was warned earlier of the consequences of breaking the covenant. Physically, Rita is a very strong woman that can knock a man down in a fight.


Nobody knew doom was lurking by the corner .That the refusal to undo the evil covenant will cause tragedy. On the date that seems wonderful, 25th of march , 1999 on a Thursday night, Rita and some thugs crept into the compound without anyone noticing around midnight when everyone had gone to sleep. It was the sound of fire, fire that woke some people up. Lo, and behold the compound was on fire which started from oga’s section.


Being an elderly man he could not escape the fire, he was trapped in there. A lot of things were destroyed and some people were burnt and later died in the hospital. 

Rita ran away with her daughter and up till today never returned. The dead ones were buried in tears.

It was indeed a tragedy that shook the whole village and never to be forgotten in a hurry. Please avoid polygamy because it has its deadly baggage. It’s not everybody that can survive it.

Thank you.