My father once told me a story about a river god named Adofi in a small village called ossisa inside delta state, a state situated in the southern part of nigeria.
According to the people of ossisa, Adofi is a powerful water god, and ADOFI chooses his own OBI (can also be called chief priest). It is believed that Adofi possess whomever it wants as the Obi making him psychotic, whomever Adofi finds worthy enough (good, kind, selfless, and brave) he chooses as his Obi.
When the man is possessed he becomes psychotic and escapes from his bonds mysteriously ( then they bond psychotic patients with ropes or chains) and he starts walking through a path, by this time the villagers already suspects he is possessed so the youths follow him through the paths clearing it for him as he points to different direction (this paths when he becomes the Obi becomes his personal path passed by no other except him). The path usually leads to a dark path of the forest covered in water. The man walks into the water and stays inside for three days, on the third day he emerges from the water with a dry white garment and a half shaven head (only the hair on the middle is left and a white feather can be seen hanging on top of it.
Most people stay to watch him to see if he is faking it or if he is really possessed, because many people pretend to be possessed by Adofi but don't last inside the water for up to 3 minutes. But when the true Obi come out with his complete attire the villagers comes out and starts jubilating.
The Obi has rules to obey, he is to only drink water fetched directly from Adofi (the river) and the pot used to fetch it must not touch the bare floor, so when his servants fetch water for him to drink it must be from the stream of Adofi to his mouth, he must not sit under the roof of anybody, when he goes to visit his friends his servants carry his own chair and he sits outside. The Obi must not lie, kill or commit any criminal offense.
Every new year the Adofi festival holds, during the festival different livestocks will be brought to the Obi's palace (usually chickens) by the villagers as gifts, the lives stocks are usually plenty (over 50). As a villager or tourist you mustn't wear any jewelry to the festival such as gold or sliver necklace, Adofi forbids it and if this rule is neglected by anyone there are repercussions.
This festival is mostly done to celebrate Adofi and for the Obi to call on him three times, if after the third call Adofi is still silent then it means the Obi has done something wrong or has disobeyed Adofi during the previous year and this will lead to the immediate death of the Obi.
In the morning of the festival the Obi dances out in front of his palace and picks up each of the livestocks giving them each to different gods as sacrifice in a particular way, like he picks up a chicken raises it up and moves to the shrine of justice and says " O god of justice god of the weak I bring sacrifices unto you if I have ever lied to anyone or judged anyone wrongly let Adofi not answer me when I call. He goes on like this until he is done with all the gods. He rests for a while and at sundown he starts his journey to the river to call on Adofi. The women separates themselves from the men and starts singing Praises to Adofi they also beg Adofi to answer the Obi, they move with the Obi singing and crying to Adofi.
By this time the river is filled up with villagers and tourists, the Obi dances into the water and starts calling on Adofi. He calls for the first time ADOFI!!! and if Adofi answers him the villagers starts celebrating but if after the third call ADOFI!!! and Adofi remains silent then the Obi drops dead.
The way Adofi answers him is quite unexplainable but a wonderful experience my dad always says you will feel it when Adofi answers him the whole place will seem as if its falling down or shaking the rivers will increase their current everywhere seems to be glowing. When Adofi has answered you will know he has answered.
Many will ask if Adofi still exists because he has not chosen his Obi since the last one died of old age but I believe Adofi is still searching for the one who is worthy.
Will adofi ever find a worthy obi in the times we are in now?
