By EMMA IHEAKA, Owerri

The authorities of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, students, and the people of Owerri, Imo State, may be heading for a spiritual showdown over the killing of a python.

The Chief Priest of Owerri, Reginald Ejiogu had earlier delivered a letter to the Management of the institution claiming that a python killed at the campus belongs to the Owerri ancestry.

He gave the college a 7-day ultimatum to come for appeasement, failure of which a calamity would befall on the institution. Vanguard learned, however, that the institution is opposed to the demand for appeasement, even as the ultimatum elapsed on 28th July 2021.

A source in the college told Vanguard that the institution is banking on the power of prayer to ward off any attack from the Owerri ancestry powers.

It was further learned that the management had convened an emergency meeting of leaders of religious groups in the institution to inquire if their firepower would be able to repel any attack from the ancestors of Owerri, to which the religious leaders insisted that the college should not yield to any appeasement request.

To this end, the institution had already held week-long prayer sessions to fortify the college against any attack.

Students of the institution had killed a python, that was said to have swallowed two goats on the campus a fortnight ago.

Two days after the python was killed, the Chief Priest of Owerri, Reginald Ejiogu raised the alarm that the institution had killed the ancestral python of Owerri. According to him, nobody kills the python and goes scot-free without appeasement.

The priest recalled how road construction workers had killed the mother python many years ago and refused to come for appeasement. He claimed that some of the workers began dying, while their equipment broke down before appeasement was performed.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the college, Tony Ololoh, upon introduction by our correspondent, claimed that the network line was breaking, even when it was certain the network was clear.

Several other calls put across to his phone line were neither answered, nor returned as at press time. (Vanguard)

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