In today's inbox:
UFO ROUNDUP
Volume 8, Number 21
June 11, 2003
Editor: Joseph Trainor
E-mail: Masinaigan@aol.com
Web: http://www.ufoinfo.com/roundup/
CENTAUR CAUSES PANIC
IN NORTHERN NIGERIA
"Women in Maru," a large town near the Zamfara River in northern Nigeria, "have been found to remain inside in the evening for fear of a strange creature which chases them."
"The News Agency of Nigeria has learned that a mysterious creature, said to be half-man and half-horse, usually appears in the early hours of the morning or the evening."
The creature fits the description of a centaur of Greek mythology, the most famous ones being Centaurus, Chiron and Sagittarius. However, the Nigerian version is distinctly African. It was described as having close- cropped hair, a goatee, horse-like ears, with a man's torso sprouting from a horse's body where the horse's neck usually is. The creature had two human arms and four equine legs, and, from the human neck down, it had the black-and-white striped coloration of an African zebra.
"The appearance of the strange creature has crippled the socio-economic activities in the town, especially at night as people prefer to stay home from 4 p.m." until sunrise the next morning.
"The creature is believed to have appeared in different locations" in Maru "and is causing much anxiety and fear among residents, particularly women."
"When contacted about the issue, one of the sons of the Emir of Maru, Alhaji Isa Maru, said the rumour was strong and 'we are still trying to get to the root of it.'"
Maru is located about 600 kilometers (360 miles) north of Lagos, the capital of Nigeria.
(See the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report of May 18, 2003, "Strange creature forces Maru women indoors." Merci beaucoup a Robert Fischer pour cette article de journal.)
(Editor's Comment: Africa has certainly had its share of "creature sightings" this year. First it was vampires in Malawi. Then it was Larry the Were-Hyena, also in Malawi. Next came the Invisible Man of Zambia. And now a centaur in Nigeria! Will the Dark Continent play host to any more visitations in 2003? Stay tuned.)
|
