“Be Careful down there, spirits, witches and native doctors dominate the village and its environs” I was cautioned. My first day at Ugaga village, Yala, Cross River State validated so many of these warnings, at least so it seemed. The village has two play grounds known as Ogras, a big playground and a small one. One thing I noticed is the care given to tombs, many were elaborate, tiled and towered some feet high.Entering the vast playground, a plain riddled with erosion welcomed us, here and there giant trees spread their canopies. Roots of mammoth sizes up from the ground formed seats. The villagers explained to me how these giant trees located where we stood breath at night. They breath loudly as men do, heaving and sighing all night.The trees though spectacular shared intrigues with small mud houses on the playground. The houses are so small one cannot stand within them, this was another reason to ask sets of questions. Why are they there? One of them housed invincible bees, agents of warfare, called out in time of distress. They attack only encroaching enemies. Another hut provides condiments for cooking potent drinks which can confer protection from physical weapons. This same mud house produces spiritual clouds which shield refugee seekers from the eyes of enemies. During unrest every villager must enter the big playground, the enveloping cloud protects any within the grounds. Interestingly this seemingly impossible occurrence happened a few months before my visit, marauding fulanis got a taste of both physical and spiritual touch. The village is further Protected by a herd of native cows roaming freely, these animals are somehow programmed to attack any human entering the village with evil motive. With a menacing look it takes a strong heart to maintain eye contact, I couldn't. During the week I received again one of the earliest cautions, moving around at night draws perils. Witches lurk around in the dead of the night looking for victims. With some magical stone having potential to initiate one at an instant the witches hunt. Torches and lanterns lose their rays when a witch is close by unless alligator pepper is added to the gloves of the lantern. For a month or so I joked about this but at night applied the highest caution. “ What if I get the stone but refuse to do the wishes of my initiator what will happen?” I asked. “You will die” was the answer. You don't tell anyone neither forbid any instructions the witches hand down. The villagers told me not to worry since only a handful if any witch survived a purge about a year ago. There is a long dos and don'ts with spiritual or should I say superstitious attachment. When cooking yam one is forbidden to use a knife to check how soft the yam is. Another thing I noticed is the fear exhibited by villagers, spiritual instructions are respected to the last. Not being from Ugaga I threw caution to the winds, knife at hand I turned yams when cooking. My safety was due to the term 'foreigner’ attached to me, maybe the gods know this, sure they do if they can sustain such fear within villagers. Here African tradition is respected and cherished, one of the few places church and European lifestyle have not corroded. You feel a sense of what life must have been years before the coming of Britain, good food, respect for elders, hardwork and neighborly love persist. If there is a place that retains real communal living, it is Ugaga. Language is a barrier (except using English when conversing with younger generations), however, a few months are required to master Yala for a serious fellow. Picking one or two words each day and watching actions accompanying them causes retention. The major issue with Yala language is isolation, the language can only be spoken within a given local government. This puts off interest to learn since one may not have the chance to use the language after leaving Yala. Resembling one of the languages spoken in Benue State, but differ greatly that conversation is impossible, this is the only nearness it has with any other place within Nigeria.