OUR PEOPLE, THE ENEMIES WITHIN

BY Chris Tony Akhabue

Truth is like surgery. It hurts a great deal. Yet, it has the capacity to heal wounds.   Wounds of those willing to accept and administer it's healing potencies.

In the words of a famous French Writer, feminist and political activist, Simone De Beauvoir, she said and I quote, " the oppressor would not have been so strong, bold and powerful  if he did not have accomplices among the oppressed"

The above line aptly and succinctly, without ambiguities, logically and didactivelly illustrates our present quagmaric circumstance as a Nation in dire need of result oriented remedies.

Banditry and kidnapping for ransom collection have become the most pervasive and intractable violent crime against humanity in Nigeria today.

There is hardly a day passes without an  ugly reports of kidnappings and killings in and around the Country.

It used to be, before now, a very rare occurrence to read on the pages of  newspaper or seen on television violent crimes as we now have today.

It is now a dangerous adventure travelling by road for instance,from Benin to Auchi in Edo State or in any other part of the Country without first  consulting your pastor or your juju priest whether you will go and return safely without being killed by  random bullets intentionally fired into moving vehicles r be abducted by rampaging bandits. The other day, a young, promising Ambrose Alli University graduate was killed broad day light by a random bullet fired into the bus she was travelling in, to the school in a bid to collect her call up letter while the other co travellers were herded into the forest like animals  to be abused,  dehumanised and molested for ransom.

Last Monday, the 21st of June, I came to the painful conclusion that Nigeria is critically sick and in dire need of drastic remedy if we will ever make it back to the part of sanity as a Nation.

On that day I, and a colleague, the Publisher of the Democrat Magazine, went for a meeting in Aduhan, a suburb of Benin City in Edo State. Few minutes into the meeting which was held in the open, we sighted a line of moving motorcycles of about 12 motobikes  in all, each carrying a passenger who in turn carried big bags on their backs.

The villagers with whom we were having the meetings told us that those were the bandits we hear of. They drove towards Ugoneki direction and drove back some few minutes after and passed us where we were seated. The villagers told us that the bandits may have sited the Police Chechpoint  and may have decided to turn back in order to avoid the Police.

I and my Colleague were amazed at the boldness and audacious composure of the criminal elements. We asked why have the villagers not reported to the Police of the presence of the bandits. They asked us if the Police will deny they do not hear the rain of sporadic shootings that goes on daily within that axis when the bandits are abducting innocent road users?

While we were still talking, two Police Hilux Vans pursued after  a lorry conveying some items. From where we were seated, we could not hear what they were saying.  They ordered the occupants of the vehicle out. After some time, they allowed the truck to go. The villagers told us that the Police know who those people on motobike were and that they were not after those ones but after those that will grease their palms.

The bandits, Fulani herdsmen, the  Boko Haram members are becoming more and more bold  and audacious in their modus vivendi and operandi. 

 They have taken their boldness to new height. There are instances where they have sent video messages to Nigerians, their victims, of their intentions to Islamise the Country which is multi religious, vowing to  kill whoever dares  resist them. 

The fight against the plague of Fulani herdsmen, banditry and other allied virulent pestilence plaguing the Nigerian Nation is multi dimensional and somewhat intractable because of the support the criminal elements are enjoying from among the oppressed.

Not long ago, a detachment of Police from Force Headquarters in Benin City,  on a tip off , went after murderouss herdsmen in the  Edo Central senatorial districts of the  State. The espionage yielded bountiful result as some of the dangerous abductors were apprehended. On their way back  to the State Capital, one of the phones on the herdmen rang. The criminal was reluctant to pick the call knowing the implication of such action as it was one of the accomplices, the public enemy, that was on call. The Police Officer was said to have  ordered the criminal to pick the call and put it on speaker. It was heard as someone was asking the criminals to leave the bush because the Police were  around looking for them. On interogation, it was found out that a Personal Assistant to an Onogie of the area was the one giving such information to the criminals. The PA was said to have been arrested only for the Onogie to effect his bail the following day. The words of Simone De Beauvoire keeps reverberating in my brain, " the oppressor would not have been that bold, strong and audacious if he hadn't the sympathy and support from among the oppressed."

To the ordinary man on the street, the oppressor, being whatever name they come, have one thing in common. To kill, steal and to destroy.

So also their accomplice  keep increasing by the day. Some, for religious belief, other for political angrandisement while the majority of their sympathetic accomplices are for economic gains. 

Being that as it were, there are questions and more questions that seem to defile all logics.

I have always believed that life itself is war. That nothing good is ever given but won, never ever on a platter but most often times, on the theater of the battlefield. Even the human mind is a battlefield where all wars for good and evil emanates, fought, lost or won.

That is why the Bible admonishes that we keep our heart jealously for from it are the issues of life.

The question that keeps raging in my consciousness that seems to defile all reasons is  why the complacency of those who are supposed to deal decisively with  this ugly menance.

Our leaders, both political, traditional, religious, have, out of sheer greed, cowardice, naivety, self conciete or dilution have come to an unfortunately unproductive belief that," God will fight our battle and give us victory." on a platter of gold. 

As it stands today, it is no longer a fallacy but a fact universally acknowledged which even  heavens can  attest to, that a section of the country is stockpilling  arms and ammunitions against another section  without an iota of provocation. That the government of the day seems not keen in dealing decisively with the ungodly and murderous sect could be understood from a political vintage point.

 Justerposing this abysmal government's criminal negligence with the challant complacency of our religious leaders is appallingly unacceptable. 

To me, the political class may gain immensely and may have been, one way or the other, inducing the intimidation and psychological mutilation of the psychic of a section of the populace as to whip them into some form of ungodly submission. This is understandable because war is a biological necessity.

What I have not been able to come to terms with is the none challant and complacent disposition of our Church leaders. Those barcanising and desecrating the sanctity of the  southern part of the Country have vowed to turn the whole Country into an  Islam worshipping country either bend or brake, vowing to kill anyone, thing, or institution that stands  in the way of the realisation of this objective.

Like play, like play, this, according to history, was how it began in Turkey, a hitherto Christian Nation. They lost it completely due to complacency and lack of proper understanding of what was playing out before them.

I worship in a new generational pentecostal

Church in my  State. One day, the General overseer asked me to stay with him  to attend a pastors meeting that was scheduled to hold in our church that Monday morning. I think it was organized by CAN or PFN. I can not recall exactly. But what I may never forget was the essence of the gathering and it's out come.  Insecurity and threat to Christianity was the focal theme of the meeting. The floor was thrown open for comments, questions and answers after numerous talks that seems more or less like a  Bible school. There was no substance in any of the tones and speeches of the various speakers other than the promise of God's protection in times of trouble.

In that meeting, I looked at the direction of my General Overseer and gave him a signal that I wanted to speak. He obliged me with a nod of approval and I went for it. My question that day may have embarrassed my General Overseer and all the pastors in attendance with the exception of a very few whom I saw their nods of agreement. My statement and question  that day was this.  

That from their various speeches, that they have acknowledged that war against Christians was imminent. Secondly, that the foot soldiers propagating this needless jihad against the Christians were been sponsored by their leaders. My question was and still remain same till date is, why our great men of God are not also using their wealth to provide and prepare the Christians for any eventuality of war against Christians? I told them that Jesus Christ came to humanity and discarded the heavenly splendor and made Himself poor in order that we, His adherents, might become rich. But that laterday Church leaders have discarded Christ teaching by making themselves super rich that we the followers might become poorer. I actually heard some of the pastors roaring with laughter while others kept expressionless faces. I continued by saying that gold and silver they have in abundance but stalked away for their personal and family use only. At that point, the microphone was yanked away from me by the moderator. But I was fulfilled because I was able to ask the burning question plaguing my mind but unfortunately, none of the Pastors could answers my questions.

I am not in any way in support of any war because I am a living witness of the Nigerian civil war and needless to recount here the gory and urgliness of it's aftermath.

But be that as it may, the slogan remains, that those who make peaceful resolutions and negotiations impossible would inadvertently make war inevitable.

We are presently in a helpless and pitiable circumstance , grappling with the devils alternative. Which ever option we opt for, men are bound to die as hundreds of thousands are needlessly slaughtered already without course and unfortunately, many may still be and would still be killed  for nothing, simply because the oppressor is emboldened by the help of the acomplices within the oppressed.

If the government refuses to protect the lives and properties of its citizens as enshrined in the constitution and in allegiance to the oath of office they swore to uphold,  is it a sin against God and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria if we map out plans and strategies as Christians to protect ourselves in case of any eventuality.? Somebody out there may want to ask, why am I so particular about the safety of only the Christians. Yes, those of them who are already Practising Muslims in our southern parts have nothing to worry about because if there is an escalation of violence, the Muslims would not be murdered.

This I know because someone I know who happens to be a Yoruba practicing Muslim was kidnapped along the Benin Auchi axis of our den of lions that we call  high ways of uncertainties.  They were herded into the bush. They trekked, according to him, several kilometers in the bush for days until they got to their Golgotha or cavalry. Then the real trauma began. He said they were beaten days on end until, through the mercy of God, he spoke in Hausa language saying he was a Muslim. They asked if he was an Hausa. He said he was a Yoruba muslim born in the North. According to him, they separated him from the other kidnapped victims and  was given some preferential treatment like no more beaten and stuff like that. So, those  who are  Muslims may not have much problem should the unexpected  happens.

We are told that life is about the choices we make.

If you have the unfortunate misfortune to have a troublesome neighbor who chooses to fight as a means to resolving all of their differences, the peaceful neighbor has an option. Either he submits to the belligerent character and becomes his slave until death do them part or fight his way out of such eternal damnation and slavery. Whichever way though, there might be some kind of peace, forced peace, peace of the graveyard, or whatever.

My take here is that our Church leaders should come out square. Tell us to prepare for our self-defense and the methodology to employ or surrender to the insurrection of the marauders. Both ways, peace is attainable.

I would like to conclude here by saying that the best option now is not to provoke the outbreak of war by being offensive but to be prepared as it would be fatal to be caught unprepared. 

If we are prepared, we could stop the imminent pogrom or eventually win the Battle as God lives. Whichever way, preparation is key.