WE ARE STILL ALIVE, AND WE ARE RISING
by
Abubakar Sulaiman Muhd
14/06/2013
It is roughly a complete two years form now with the
sparks of the insurgency that messaged through Kano state from the environs of North-eastern
states, which later catapulted into a full-blown turmoil.
I just
seated ruminating over a terrace of phenomena when it dawned on me important to
trawl through the memories of the hard and trying time we found ourselves since
from the inception of the insurgency, least we can evaluate the situation and
learn some lessons.
As
intelligent human beings we should not fold our hands eyeing the situation
unleashing hardship, tribulation and the massacre of our fellow citizens to
continue unchecked, with impunity whereas ogres at the top are taking the
advantage of the situation to fiercely
fawn on us. By this we can create
consciousness as to know where we are heading to.
I
remembered the Friday of the last two years when Kano was put in chaos by the attackers.
People were at first jubilant to see the drama they have been hearing about
unfolding at their close. We first regarded it as fleeting scene of a tragic
plot that would come and pass like a supersonic game. In that afternoon, people
were there at the places of monster jubilating the violence and fright that
swooped over the police. This was a history, gone were the days when the
security men after been attacked would allow the civilians who come by accident
to passby or coming to witness the scene go without a pinch from them unfailingly. Now the security exhaust their
frustration on the innocents civilian population whenever they are been
attacked. Beyond this, they are audaciously capable of going rampage in the
society to hunt and kill whoever they jolly wish. Women, children and old ages
are not excluded.
The
dark situation is extremely disturbing and niggling which sometimes makes me
ask: are we living in a thick forest of barbarism and lawlessness. In the eons
of history, long, long time in the past when there was nothing a scrape of education
and civilization?
Anybody
can justify a living witness when he comes out only to see anarchy moving
around everywhere in our human streets. Regardless of the principle of rule of
law, the law enforcement agent themselves are violators of the apparent and
glaring laws in the full view of the public. But I excuse them because even the
government’s officials in bowler hat and red cap are transgressors of the law. Upon their perpetration they seem to appear
agog of their offence as if it’s something worth of medal. Yes it is something
worth of medal of ignorance. Out of complement, I give them a trophy for their
barbarity. They are bruits for they feed from their bruitish demeanour.
It’s
just a cry without tears to remember the unsympathetic and barbaric killing of
a pregnant woman in my neighbourhood, whom the security personnel opened fire
at, after they had allegedly suspected her compound to be a den of militia.
That day, the helpless woman passed away leaving behind her husband, a nursing
baby and the entire family members in an untold agony.
It has
been equally sad how the security operatives harass and intimidate civilians in
the street – maltreat a husband before his wife, a father before his son and a
mother before her daughter by subjecting them to the humiliating and disgracing
labour and corporal punishment such as caning, whipping and frog-jumps – a kind
of humiliating exposure to every responsible man which is only suitable to the
monsters.
The
most disgruntled, disgusting and disenchanted was the merciless killing of
thousands civilian population in Baga township and the criminality of arson and
other grave felonies committed by the state security. The aggression has been
condemned by the international community, civil right groups and other private
individuals with an atom of compassion and humane sipirit across the world.
These grave violations of human liberty in the name of peace restoration are
only the few examples that can easily be recaptured, for many have disappeared
in the welter of thousands cases. Undoubtedly, if everybody is to be ask, many
people have the experience to tell.
Also
the extra-legal imposition of State Emergency in the state with frenzy uproar
proved to be entrenchment of fundamental human rights, for it degenerates the
living condition of people into dilapidation, famine, diseases and
malnutrition. The state is using the State of Emergency as a weapon of war to starve the
people, deprive them their social right and to disallow them access to medical
care and finally killing them out of negligence.
Looking
at the situation critically, it patently shows that Nigeria is fighting a war from
within where the state deploys its heavy arsenal with military missiles, tanks
and artilleries to crack down on its own citizens. At the same time employing
other tactics of war to render people
homeless, internally displaced, starvation, sexual violence against women and
girls, human right abuses and other form of aggression that constitute war
crimes, crimes against humanity and crime of genocide. This latter
categorization of crimes are seen by the international community beginning with
the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
and Rwanda
and later made permanent according to the Rome Statute 1998 of International
Criminal Court as such.
In
every civilized state, officials provide an action plan of which to increase
non-violent approach to conflict resolution and reduce the incidence of human
right abuse in conflict situation. But in Nigeria the scourge keeps upsurging.
If it
proves that the president harbours grudge against a particular group, ethnic,
region or belief which makes him to unleash all power and forces at his
disposal against them, Mr. Bowler Hat should know that he cannot annihilate history.
As hundreds are always being killed in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, thousands in
torrent are always being born in Kano,
Jigawa, Katsina, Sokoto and many other places.
According
to Lisa Hajjar an American sociologist professor on terrorism and commentator
on Middle East affair, she once wrote that
armed struggle can never end using force and crack down. I much doubt if it
proves contrary because US should have finished her task in Iraq, Pakistan
and Afghanistan
within a blink of an eye. That is why USA put negotiation forth to the militant
after several years of bleak military action.
Mr. President
you cannot fool intelligent Nigerians with your superficial dialogue proposal
while behind the scene you are arming your troops to maim, to injure, to kill
and of course marvel at their brutal misdeeds.
If we
dive into history we can ask where Pharaoh is, the infamous ruler of Egypt who
oppressed his subjects at every turn of his whim. Where is Hitler for now? We
saw Azazi’s end of dream. Where is your boss, the former president who ordered
the killing of Muhammad Yusuf and his followers? They are all dead, cadavers.
This reminds me of an experience with Nelson Mandela in his prison cell when a
warder knocked at his door and found no response. On the second knock he woke
him up and said that: Mandela you don’t have to bother yourself with sleeping
here, you will have a long, long sleep. In response Mandela said that: we will
have a long, long sleep all of us.
I
recommend for the removal of troops from the townships of Kano and other places for economic recovery
and reintegration since they are not in good faith of their duty. All they are
after is a handout- stretching their hands grabbing a pittance of five, ten to
twenty Naira as a bribe. Here in Kano
the security men hide in a corner to launch ambush on the vehiclists who are
late to round up their businesses. But our governor like many other officials,
have barricaded himself in a strong wall with heavy armed guards like a mafia
manger inside the company safe – tethering himself to a confine not knowing the
real state of affairs. But our determination to shimmer in the hot sun in
search of livelihood is the sipirit behind our forwardness, unlike them sitting
in the offices furnished with air conditioning system, seeping their drinks and
glancing through the papers.
It’s just a blow not a death. We only suffered
grossly economic-wise; we are recuperating, resilient, energetic and
optimistic. We are still alive and we are rising. As we didn’t know this in the
past few years so will the next posterity in the few years to come for they
will only read the document in library archives and history books. The longest night ends with dawn. The war may
someday end, but not because soldiers killed all the enemies in the North.
After all when the fire had died down we would take
the president and his accomplice to the ICC to pay the price of their misdoings.
