Once upon a time we would rush out at the sound
of human click sounds – imitating the very fascinating Zulu ‘X’ sound –
and the accompanying moo. It was interesting to watch how little petite very
handsome curly haired Fulani boys controlled these gigantic white sluggish
mammals with horns; Ah Yes, the horns! That they valued the life of the animals
under their charge didn’t really stir up debates. Instead we were impressed
with their smooth carved crosiers; along with the little daggers they wore
around their waists like Navy Seals in full combat gear. Also, very inspiring
was idea that these little dark handsome curly-haired bundles of calm
confronted wild beasts in the wild regularly with their daggers to protect
their mammalian wards.
I suppose the wild beasts in the wild grew more
ferocious for soon, during the harmattan when the human click sounds
accompanied by the moo passed by, in the stead of daggers we saw machetes not
on their waists but held on their hands seemingly nonchalantly but at a ready.
Then we heard on the news that they now carried riffles to protect themselves
and their charge from the ever-evolving dangers of the wild. Logically
following this projection, soon they may need RPGs and grenades and the likes and,
in a few years, when the issue of Nigeria comes up at the UN General Assembly,
President Trump and Kim of North Korea will have to shut up because their
quarrel will be petite in comparison.
Collectively, from the developing world of Europe
and North America to the underdeveloped of South America, some of the far and
middle east and indeed Africa, we have all managed to make a pleasant mockery
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. All other inalienable right every
human is entitled to just by being alive is pinged on the right to life. To
pull off the hinge is to render quite redundant the door functionality of a
door. If only humans beings who are alive are referred to as humans – dead ones
are referred to as bodies or corpse -, and If every other right of a human is
only valid because that human is alive, It therefore logically follows that by
the wanton disregard and disrespect for the dignity of human life, so
passionately and fantastically exhibited throughout the world today, we all
have passively and actively destroyed the hinge on which all other rights
revolve.
Ironically, while this rubbishing of all Human
Rights in other climes have some sort of not justifiable in any sense but at
least dignified push behind it, Nigeria chose to align herself with the less
dignified kind of genocidal tendency; – the ones that have an undertone
reference to animals. Nigeria is proudly in the company of the likes of the
Rwandan genocide – with their Cockroaches reference; but since we are the giant
of Africa, why not choose a more gigantic animal – say Cows? Just why not? As
if that is not enough disgrace, families and boarder communities continue to
deprive people of their right to life in Ebonyi state over land disputes and
sundry matters, the Izzis and Ukelles are killing themselves
over something that happened before they were born; then kidnappers, cultists,
ritualists, careless officers of the law, robbers – both armed and not, mob
action/jungle justice and herdsmen graciously join in compounding the situation
for us.
It was remarkable to read a leader make subtle
comparison between the life of cattle and the life of a human being. The
Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria was alleged to have
elusively said that the murder of more than a hundred innocent persons in
Plateau State was a reprisal attack for cattle rustling in the town and even
threatened – sorry, cautioned that there would be no peace in the area
because of this great crime against humanity – cattle rustling. Instinctually,
my first reaction was with great deference to his fundamental human right to
speech and opinion, how dare he make a subtle defence of the inhumane murder of
human beings right in their houses and compare it to the killing and rustling
of cows, and even daring to justify his stance by saying there will be no
peace. And I am sure many other southern Nigerians shared similar or even less
agreeable sentiments. Eventually, this news was found to be inaccurate. The
sudden proliferation of hate speeches and fake news mostly born out of
stereotypes and prejudices is both unhealthy and a catalyst for disintegration
and possibly annihilation. But this is an issue for another day. Today’s issue
is that just like clockwork, Nigeria reacted. And this is what I have a problem
with.
Whilst we moan, whimper, sniff and scream about
the evolving tactics of protection employed by these curly haired shepherds,
why is the government and security agencies tasked with the simple duty of
protecting and securing lives of Nigerian Humans, not livestock, not learning
from their positive cum negative – depending on your perspective – flux of
protection? Or is that asking for too much from agencies whose sole task is
securing our lives? Why can’t we learn to value human life like they value
cow life? The curly-haired handsome fellows are being proactive while
the rest of us – citizens, security agencies and indeed the political
class/elected government are impressively reactive.
Soon after the news of the mass killing broke,
the federal government as usual condemned the attack and as usual promised to
bring the perpetrators to justice, and as usual promised to prevent a
recurrence, members of the ruling and political class issued statements
condemning the attack, the Nigerian Air Force deployed a Mi-35P combat
helicopter and an Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft
to Plateau State, the Commissioner of Police was replaced, and of course social
activists protested and were as usual harassed by security agents. The impressive
list of reactions goes on and on and on and all combined does absolutely
nothing to comfort the grieving in Plateau State, resurrect those potentials
cut short who just happened to be on the wrong end of a bullet or a machete, or
even from experience prevent a recurrence. In fact, a week after the initial
attacks, and all the reactions and follow-up politicising of the event, it was
reported that another attack, with the same MO,
in the same State, and by the same suspected handsome curly-haired fellows
killed Human Rights again. And in a swift reaction, the Chief Executive of the Plateau
State adjusted the already imposed curfew from 10pm – 6am to 6pm – 6am.
Human Rights are not passive, they are active.
They are neither good nor bad, they just are. They are beyond the scope of
morals or ethics or religion or I dare say even human judgement. Since their
conferment is not reactive or a result of any human effort or dependent on any
human factor, it is safe to aver that the drive to safeguard them be commensurate.
Like the developing world, think-tanks and intelligence agencies should come up
with -if they do not have already- operational preventive plans and measures
for all foreseeable conflicts and attacks that are proactive; and if they
cannot, they should bloody well say so, so that we can task persons both within
and without our social entity to do so.
We cannot continue to wait for attacks to claim
innocent lives and then go on a show of force to quell reprisal attacks or
prevent the emotionally wounded to express their natural emotional frustration
and revenge tendency. The hurt will result in a vicious circle of attacks and
counter attacks that can breed hate and, well it just goes downhill from there.
While the hypocrisy of persons, especially Christians rejoicing over reprisal
attacks is glaring, it is also emotionally understandable but out rightly
condemned. The murder of Zayyan Gwandu, son of the Commissioner of SARS –
Haliru Gwandu Abubakar for example is not only crazy but also senseless and
irrational; and would remain this way until someone convinces me that he was
among the group of first attackers. And even after then, it would be illegal to
deprive him of his right to life haphazardly without due recourse to legal
procedure. One can understand the lack of faith in the security and legal
system in Nigeria as one of the major reasons why mob action and unjust jungle
justice is prevalent.
Also, professional conflict resolution experts
should be employed to help intervene in these cases and their recommendations
be implemented.
