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.