by Zara Mustapha

– Warning: No chicken was forced to speak to our correspondents while putting up this bizarre story.

We’ve heard bizarre stories but this might be the oddest of them all. An unidentified chicken in Makurdi apparently thought simply crossing the road was no longer fashionable choosing instead to dazzle residents by speaking… in Arabic!

Rumours spread in Makurdi, the capital of Benue that a chicken on its way to the market to be sold mysteriously developed an ability to speak taking witnesses by surprise.

Reports say the chicken’s sudden ability to speak had residents around the ‘A’ division police station beside Wadata Market, fleeing in different directions as the incredible news spread.

The incident allegedly happened on Wednesday at about 12 noon close to the Wadata Central Mosque located few meters from the divisional police station.

Daily Trust reports:

A woman in the area who gave her name as Aishetu said “I have not seen the chicken myself,” she confessed. “I heard that police have taken it into custody and that is why the station is so crowded. Everybody wants to see it talk,” she said.

The incident initially created a tense atmosphere for motorists plying the route as they hurriedly reversed to the opposite direction while buyers and sellers in the market ran helter-skelter for safety fearing it was a renewed hostility between farmers and herdsmen who ceased fire barely a week ago.

Reports say policemen had to take extreme measures to disperse the curious crowd who apparently wanted to see the mystery chicken address the crowd.

However, spokesman of the police, SP. Daniel Ezeala dismissed the claims saying “How can a fowl talk’” he queried. “There is nothing like that because it is unnatural for animals to talk. It is the handiwork of mischief makers who wanted to displace traders and loot their wares in the market,” Ezeala said.

Ezeala’s such a killjoy. Just when we were getting a kick out of this incredible story he comes with a logical theory – who believes reasonable stuff these days? How residents of Makurdi believed the chicken-speaking story (apparently developed by some mischief-makers) in the first place is still beyond us. We guess we’ll have to stay with the ‘Why did the chicken cross the road?’ riddle for much longer.

 

Editor’s note:  The chicken pictured above does NOT have anything whatsoever to do with this case; it’s innocent… we think.