In Maiduguri, a tree with engraved name of God turns spot to a Mecca of sorts

Two letters “Allahu Akbar”, meaning “Allah is great,” are clearly engraved on the tree but was never noticed for several years. The house is located at Bulunkutu area along Kano Road. A young girl whom many people described as “intelligent,” noticed the unusual writing on the tree and suddenly exclaimed: “Oh come and see the […]

Two letters “Allahu Akbar”, meaning “Allah is great,” are clearly engraved on the tree but was never noticed for several years.

The house is located at Bulunkutu area along Kano Road. A young girl whom many people described as “intelligent,” noticed the unusual writing on the tree and suddenly exclaimed: “Oh come and see the names of Allah on a tree!”

Her remarks suddenly attracted thousands of people, including women and children as well as the old, to catch a glimpse of the rare finding. “This discovery has made residents from far and near to troop to this area to see the strange tree,” Bashir Umar, one of the visitors, said.

Auwal Saleh, the son of the owner of the house where the tree is planted, told Kanem Trust that he noticed the inscription about two months ago, but did not tell anyone for fear of being branded a liar.

“I was the first person who noticed the writing but kept it to myself because I didn’t t want anything that would result in tension,” Auwal said.

“The inscriptions were not clear before, but as you can see, it is now visible,” he said

According to him, the tree has existed for over 40 years, but nobody noticed the inscription.

“However, during Ramadan (Muslim fasting period), we used to notice light at the top of the tree around 3am. Another thing we noticed is that when you peel the back of the tree you will not see anything but when it peels itself, you will see the signs on it,” Saleh said.

The mother of the girl who was said to have noticed the signs on the tree, Amina Mohammed, said she was overwhelmed by the ingenuity of her daughter.

“We never noticed anything on the tree until about some weeks back when those signs started manifesting. The tree has been there for many years before my daughter discovered the writing and informed me,” Amina, who was highly elated, said.

“I have never seen this type of ‘wonder.’ I only heard of it. But here I am, today, witnessing it. All I can say is that this is really a sign of Allah,” she said.

On how she feels seeing people trooping to their house to view the wonder-tree, Amina said, “It is gratifying, seeing people coming to look at the tree because we are sure God has reasons for showing his signs on it.”

“Before now, our family was not known, but with these people visiting from all nooks and crannies of Borno and beyond, we are now seen as a privileged and special people. People are always talking about us,” she added.

A recent visit by this reporter showed that the environment of the house has changed, as many people were seen trooping in and around the vicinity of the tree.

Some said they visited the place just to confirm the claim while others visited to appreciate God more, and many others to seek spiritual intervention in their affairs.

“I am optimistic that if I pray here, God will answer,” Mariya Aliyu, who said she wanted to have children, said.

Babagana Mohammed, a resident of the area told Kanem Trust that he was excited seeing the signs on the tree. “Allah has many ways of showing His superiority over all beings in many ways and this is one of His signs” he said.

“The state government should assist the owner of the house to turn this place to a tourist centre,” Babagana opined.

“It should not be allowed to rot, at least, it will be a source of revenue because people would also be coming from outside the state to see it. If properly harnessed, they will also make people to appreciate the work of Allah,” he added.

Security guards deployed to the place by the state police command always face an uphill task controlling the crowd. This was more evident during the first few days of the discovery.

Also, children of school age have turned the ‘wonder tree house’ into a place of visit during break time. They always gather close to the compound and discuss its significance.

“Allah has clearly stated in the Qur’an that he will make his signs glaring for people to see so that they can appreciate him,” Isma’ila Sulaiman, a student of El-Kanemi College of Islamic Theology said.

With the influx of people to the site, some photographers have taken advantage of the development and are making brisk business as they take shots of the tree and sell the pictures.

“I paid N150 for two snap shots close to the tree because I want to take it to my mother in Damboa to see,” Yagana Bulama, one of the visitors, said.

Also  when the signs were first discovered some residents alleged that security men deployed to the place were collecting a token of N50 before allowing people to go into the building; an allegation which the leader of the security men who does not want to be named debunked.

Ustaz Aminu Muhammad, a cleric in Maiduguri, who commented on the tree said there was nothing unusual about it.

“This is not the first time Allah’s sign will be seen in an odd place because He is everywhere and does what He likes at the time He pleases,” Ustaz Mohammed explained.

He says Allah’s names and signs have been seen on many things like fish, snails,  trees and watermelon, among others.

“It is one of His ways of showing His superiority over all beings,” he reiterated.   He however cautioned the visitors not to glorify the trees which according to him, will offend God.

A botanist, Malam Jamalu Maikudi, said there was no scientific correlation between the strange tree and the writings on it.

“Nobody can dispute what is on the tree but it will take a lot of studies and laboratory tests to authenticate how this thing (engraved words) found themselves on the tree,” he said.

For now, the house where the tree is standing is a beehive of activities from morning to evening. “We hope something will be done, probably a fence to separate the main house from the tree so that we can have space to live in serene environment with our families,” Usman, one of the family members, said.