Mbotu was a very famous King of Old Town, Calabar. He was often at war and was always successful. All his prisoners were made slaves. As a result, he became very rich, but, on the other hand, he had many enemies. Particularly, the people of Itu were very angry with him and wanted to kill him. But they could not defeat Mbotu in bravery, so they decided to trick him. There was an old witch in Itu who could transform herself into whatever she liked. She offered to help and kill Mbotu. The people of Itu were happy, and promised to give her a lot of money if she succeeded in killing their worst enemy. The witch transformed herself into a young and pretty girl and took a very sharp knife with her, which she concealed in her bosom. Thereafter, she went to Old Town, Calabar, to meet the King.
The Old Witch
When Oyaikan, the witch, reached Calabar, there was a big play being held in the town. People were enjoying the feast. She went to the play, and walked about boldly so that people might look at her. The people praised her beauty. Word was quickly brought to King Mbotu. He was fond of beautiful girls, and ordered that she be brought before him immediately. When he looked at her, he fancied her so much that he at once decided to marry her. Oyaikan was delighted as she had never expected to get the opportunity so fast. So, she prepared a petite meal for the King. In that meal, she added a strong medicine which would send the King into a trance. Then, she went down to the river for a bath. When she had finished, it was getting dark. She went to the palace carrying the dish on her head.
The witch was immediately taken to meet the King. The King embraced her lovingly. She then offered him the dish, which she had prepared with her own hands. The King ate the whole dish and at once felt sleepy. They retired to the King’s chamber, and the King slept at once. At midnight, when there was complete silence, Oyaikan drew out her knife and cut the King’s head off. She quickly picked her bag and quietly went out. She walked through the town and went straight to Itu, where she narrated the whole incident of King Mbotu’s death to her own King. Soon, everyone knew that the witch had been successful and that their enemy was dead. There was a great celebration, and the King of Itu at once decided to attack Old Town, Calabar.
The King of Itu assembled his soldiers and took them in canoes to Old Town. He made sure that no one carried word to Calabar that he was coming. At the same time, on the morning following the murder of Mbotu, the people were surprised that he did not appear in the court at his usual time. So, his wife knocked at his door. But when no one opened the door, she called everyone and they broke open the door. Upon entering the room, they found the King lying dead on his bed covered in blood. There was a great shout out and the whole town mourned. While the people were busy mourning, the King of Itu with all his soldiers attacked Old Town, taking them quite by surprise. The people of Calabar were soon defeated because they had no leader. Many of them were killed and the rest of them were taken as prisoners.
