For many who know her, Mercy (real name withheld) from
an Edo State community had long been dead and buried by
her kinsmen. But strangely and miraculously, she is still
very much alive.
The story of Mercy is one wrapped up in mystery...
Before the mid '90s, the tall, dark and beautiful lady was
living a normal and healthy live in a community in Edo
State, where she was said to be involved in a business with
which she took care of herself and members of her family.
Mercy, as she is now named, was said to have at times
travel to Onitsha, Anambra State to purchase some goods
which she sold at home. Loved by all, she was reportedly
leading a happy and fulfilled life.
But one day, according to a report by a female relation, who
pleaded anonymity and equally refused to give the name of
their community for fear of people projecting them in bad
light, Mercy got missing from her home.
According to the lady, there was confusion in their
community as Mercy who was not used to traveling except
on business trips, which she did not embark on at that
time, could not been seen for days.
Confusion then made way for apprehension. Having waited
for days and yet their daughter could not be found, leaders
and youths of the community set out to look for her.
First, the police in the area were alerted on the search for
the lady and they swiftly spread their dragnet to see if they
could get a clue of Mercy's whereabouts, but all yielded no
fruits.
Having been satisfied that finding Mercy was beyond the
police, the community decided to look for her in their own
way.
But the result was the same, there was no trace of their
daughter anywhere and they left her case to fate, believing
that one day she would come home alive on her own. But
that was not to be.
In Mercy's community tradition forbids a missing person to
be presumed dead until after a stipulated time if he or she
was not found.
Within this window of time allowed by tradition, there was
still high hopes that Mercy would come back home
alive. But as this period elapsed without Mercy being
found, the community went into mourning because their
daughter had by the dictates of tradition died.
So, burial rites were reportedly performed. Although her
body was not found, but as far as the community was
concerned, Mercy was dead and buried and her name on
the community's register marked with red ink.
But years after, in 2014 to be precise, something
happened. Mercy who had long been 'buried' in her
community in Edo State was found roaming the streets of
Aba as a mad woman .
How Mercy was found
The lady, who told Mercy's story, was the one who found
her. She said she was in Aba late last year on a business
trip and went to see some of her customers within the
Ogbor Hill area of the commercial city when she saw
somebody who resembled Mercy.
She said two things crossed her mind, either she was
seeing a ghost because Mercy who had long been 'buried'
way back in Edo years ago had not been to Aba before, or
she saw someone that resembled their 'dead' sister.
But out of fear, the lady could not make further enquiries.
When the lady went back after that business trip and
narrated to her people what she saw, opinions were
divided.
While some people were of the view that she saw
somebody who resembled their sister, others believed she
might have seen a ghost, yet another group encouraged her
to sermon courage and approach the mad woman when
next she visited Aba and sees her.
So, on a recent visit to Aba, the lady again was heading
towards the Federal Housing Estate along Opobo Road,
Ogbor Hill to see her customers.
As fate may have it, on getting to Emelogu junction, she
saw Mercy coming in the opposite direction.
Instead of dodging as she did in the first time, when Mercy
approached, she called her by the name for which she was
known back home.
The mad woman recognised her and stopped. Both ladies
greeted themselves and engaged in a lengthy sisterly
discussion to the bewilderment of onlookers.
After the discussion, the lady gave Mercy some items she
bought for her and reportedly told people around that she
would take her case back to their community so that her
people could come and take her home.
But checks by Oriental News showed that since then,
nobody as promised has come for Mercy who is now
domiciled in front of a disused factory building on Opobo
Road, adjacent St. Dominic's Catholic Church, Federal
Housing Estate, Ogbor Hill, Aba.
When this reporter went to take her photographs, Mercy
charged at him, calling him a mad man and threatened to
deal with him if he ever took her picture.
A resident of the area, John Ndudi described Mercy's case
as pathetic.
He said if her people have been looking for her all these
while and she was eventually found in Aba, they would have
braced all odds to reach her irrespective of her current
condition of health.
For the relations of Mercy who had looked for her over the
years believing she was dead and performed a 'burial' for
her, she is not dead and may recover from her present
state of mind if proper care is extended to her, many in Aba
believed.
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