Ude has farmed on this land for over 10 years now following the demise of his father without any challenge from anybody. He has also farmed on it since he was a child. He knows the boundaries very well. The land is indeed very fertile and it has been sustaining him since he does not have any other job; he took to farming. He interplanted palm trees, cassava, plantain and banana on it. It is indeed a vast land...the only inheritance from his father.
On this fateful day, Ude visited his farm as usual to inspect some heads of palm trees to see if he can see the ones with ripe fruits for harvest. The market day is fast approaching and he must make some money from the sale of palm oil and palm kernel.
When he got to the extreme of the land, he observed something unusual on that part of the farmland... an encroachment. His cassava was harvested, some palm trees uprooted and banana suckers removed. Trenches were also made. Who could have done this!!! Ude was speechless. He couldn't shout or wail about it. His eyes was filled with tears. It was a big destruction on his farmland.
He took time to survey the extent of the damage and left. On getting home he went straight to the house of the village head. There, he laid down his complaint about what he saw on his farmland, massive encroachment and destruction of his cash crops. Immediately he finished, the village head told him that his uncle had just left his house few minutes ago in company of a young man. That it was indeed his uncle that sold that area of the land to an estate developer for building of a hospital; the first in their village.
Enraged with anger and hate, Ude told the village head that the entire land belongs to him exclusively and that his uncle has no stake whatsoever there. He requested the village head to summon his uncle for a native arbitration so that the whole issue will be sorted out.
On the day fixed for the arbitration, the uncle narrated how Ude's father had approached him years ago for financial assistance to raise enough money for his medical treatment abroad and decided to sell the entire land to him. He produced copies of the receipts issued to him by Ude's father. He also produced bank documents showing funds transfers he made as payment for the land. He rounded off by calling notable members of their community who also signed as witnesses for both himself and Ude's father. In fact some of those witnesses were present to corroborate his story.
Ude was taken aback. So papa actually sold this land to Uncle Joe even when I told him that we can obtain a loan from the bank and use it as collateral. Tears and anguish filled him up. He couldn't protest. He simply got up and left.
As if that was all, one month later the uncle sent emissaries to inform him to cease from farming and or harvesting anything from the farmland starting from the next farming season. Ude simply fainted.
Thanks for reading my blog.
Thanks to @agmoore for providing the water fall image for use via the LIL @lmac gallery.
This short story is a five-minute freewrite inspired by the prompt: more conflict. Join the @freewriters community to receive daily prompts, hosted by @mariannewest.
What a loss to the young guy who was still trying to survive. After working so hard in planting all those crops, someone else came up to claim it without pity. Though it had been proven that ude's uncle's is the legal owner of the land at least he should have had mercy to give the young guy has farm produce. Nice piece
You have a point there but it is likely that the young man had given the uncle more money for the land to probably build quarters for staff hence the need for the uncle to tell Ude to hands off from the land.
It's ok.
What a tragic story! I would faint also, if I found out my land had been taken away from me.
Yes o, quite pathetic but that's how life is. Money is in play. The young man must have paid his uncle handsomely for the land and may have also told him that he needs more land to build quarters for staff, !LOL