By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

Traders at the popular Ochanja Main Market in the commercial city of Onitsha were left in shock when they witnessed a horrific kind of movie as a technician working in the area reportedly discovered a live snake inside a loudspeaker brought to his workshop by a local pastor for repair.

The pastor reportedly took the large speaker to a technician after it developed a fault during church activities.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident happened at the market’s electronics and sound equipment section when the technician was inspecting the equipment.

He was said to have opened its rear casing to examine the internal components, only to discover a live snake coiled inside the speaker and immediately raised alarm.

The discovery, last weekend, attracted traders and customers from nearby shops, many of whom gathered around the workshop in shock.

An eyewitness said: "The technician initially expected to find damaged wiring or other electrical components when he opened the speaker.

“The pastor brought the big speaker for maintenance, saying the sound was cracking and cutting out. When the technician opened the back, everybody thought it was burnt wires or a blown capacitor. Instead, a thick snake was sitting right inside the cabinet.

“The unusual discovery caused confusion in the market, with some traders expressing concern over how the reptile got inside the speaker.

“Some people suggested that the snake could have crawled into the hollow speaker cabinet while it was kept in a dark or exposed area, others raised allegations of spiritual or ritual motives.”

The situation was eventually brought under control as the traders reportedly removed and killed the snake using iron rods.

Meanwhile, the pastor whose name could not be identified at the time if filing this report has explained that the snake may have entered the speaker through one of its openings while the equipment was kept at the church premises.