LAST Thursday, March 27, the whole country was looking forward to a long weekend signposted by public holidays declared by the Federal Government in commemoration of the Moslem feast of Eid-el-Fitri. It was just two or three days to the end of the Ramadan fast, which was running at the same time with Lent, the fasting period observed by Christians.
In preparations for Eid-el-Fitri, many Nigerians were criss-crossing the country in journeys undertaken to celebrate the long weekend where they wished and with loved ones. Most got to their destinations. Many others did not; some got involved in accidents but the the mishap that arrested the attention of the whole nation occurred in Uromi, Edo State, when 16 of such travellers met their untimely end under gory circumstances whose details are yet to be satisfactorily unravelled by the security authorities. May The Almighty God grant repose of their souls.
What is in the public domain is that 16 hunters journeying to Kano were intercepted and subsequently lynched in Uromi by local vigilantes. In the aftermath, the politicians, in and out of uniform took over, making all sorts of statements that have done little to help the course of justice for the murdered and the murderers. It seems as if the most important thing, which I believe it is for any civilised society, justice, was patently ignored while sentiments dominated statements being made by one public official after the other.
Before proceeding further, I wish to state clearly that the killing of the 16 hunters was by no means justifiable as it indicates a malfunctioning system of law and order, whereby people take the law into their hands. However, it is disturbing that once again, the Police was reacting after a major crime had been committed. Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, called for calm in Uromi and ordered an “impartial” investigation.
Why couldn’t the Police Force he heads get intel on Uromi and indeed, every other crime-prone area and prevent the mayhem? The whole of Nigeria knows that the Uromi-Ubiaja-Auchi axis of Edo State has been plagued by kidnappers and bandits for years, just like many other parts of the country. At a time, the security situation was so bad, under Buhari, that many state governments launched security organisations to further protect their people.
Thus, Amotekun was born in the South-West states, while the South-East states responded with EbubeAgu. It was in response to the escalating spate of kidnappings in the area that the Edo State Government decided to strengthen its vigilante operatives to back up the failed national security system. Despite all these, justice continued to elude the citizenry, serially falling victim to kidnappers and marauding herdsmen militias who have successfully helped inflict famine on us by driving farmers off the farms and grazing their cattle on their crops.
According to a Police statement: “The IGP has directed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Sadiq Abubakar, to take over the case and ensure a thorough, impartial, and expedited investigation.
“The IGP assured the public that the Nigeria Police Force remained committed to upholding the rule of law and will not tolerate any form of unlawful killings or extrajudicial actions under any guise.”
Gas! How many thorough, impartial and expedited investigations have been carried out into similar cases of herdsmen attacks in Delta State, Oyo State, Osun, Ondo and others? Till date, the bloodbath going on in Benue State without let or hindrance can only occur in a failed state. How many investigations, impartial and expedited, have been ordered into the killings in Benue?
Where investigations were ordered, what has been the outcome? How many arrests, prosecutions and convictions?
Then, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa weighed on the Uromi killings, saying the “incident could have been avoided if the appropriate authorities were notified and involved in ascertaining the identity of the victims.” Is General Musa saying the “appropriate authorities” are unaware that the Uromi-Ubiaja-Obajana-Auchi axis is a den of kidnappers?
I really wonder what the CDS was aiming at. I think he should just let the Police do their job. In fact, I wonder if the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States will be so distracted as to make a statement on an incident like the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020, despite the outrage that followed the incident. Similarly, I do not imagine the First Lord of the British Admiralty issuing statements about homicides or mob actions in Birmingham from London. It just shows how the dysfunctions in our system have so badly impacted the security system that issuing political statements has replaced thorough investigations.
As it was done during the Buhari regime, I implore us all to start making calls for a brand new security architecture that can protect us and our children. Not the present one that is malfunctioning. Let the managers of our affairs be put on notice that someday, someone will have to pay for the innocent blood being shed by kidnappers and bandits nationwide. Those who will pay are the ones who ought to do something to end the bloodbath but are either uninterested or distracted. TGIF.
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