WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR PROBLEMS AND WHO WILL TELL MR. PRESIDENT ?

President Muhammad Buhari visited the Kuje Prison after the attack on the correctional facility

Written by Oladotun Oladele

 The legendary music maestro in one of his albums, reminiscing over a situation that is supposedly beating the intelligence of every right thinking person, retorted and possibly soliloquized of about what could have transpired in a moment of inspiration, sang a song titled, "A wise man who died at the back of the house of a foolish man, E get as E Be, Oni bo Se Je" (Orlando Owoh) The events which are taking place in this great country have continued to leave very well meaning Nigerians and law abiding citizens of this great country in utter bewilderment. The incessant problems which have been bedeviling this great nation is something that many Nigerians as it makes or breaks in the news is just one bad story after another too many.

When will all these carnages stop is one question that have beaten the imagination of all and it had also left everyone dumbfounded. Nigeria is not a circus center and to be very candid the people of this nation are not smiling. The solutions to our problems are actually not far fetched and these problems are not actually overwhelming.

As a nation, from the time the nation embarked on granting amnesty to terrorists in the name of repentant murderers I guess that was where we began to slip into the anarchy that we found ourselves. No one wants to die but if some people choose to kill others and they were apprehended and justice was not served on them, then it is very likely that it is the begin of more and more chaos.

There have been many attacks and our armed forces looked helpless when actually they are not helpless. There have been Manny conflicting reports about the soldiers who had been combating these enemies of the nation which had resulted in many deaths. The only thing which would have actually brought reprieve was if these people were speedily tried in law courts and summarily executed.

Many judges avoid having to preside on these cases all because they know that there are sponsors who actually know where they live and their lives are in danger after they have given their judgements, hence it is a question of who wants to die in Nigeria. To be honest no one wants to die hence these men are kept in prisons which end up been attacked and these terrorists gets back into the society and continue their nefarious activities.

The legislative arm of government are all afraid because they have all read of the various attacks carried out in Nigeria and everytime all the attacks have been successful and these terrorists end up freeing all their people. Terrorism is fast becoming a lucrative business in Nigeria despite all the formation of armed forces we have because the money that are needed to buy arms are all gotten from ransoms paid for people who are kidnapped.

Most recently, there was an attack on a train that was traveling from Kaduna to Abuja, from the foregoing, the terrorists were asking for release of their leaders who were arrested in active combats of committing crimes and they were in custody in the correctional centers awaiting trial. These same men must have been reasons for the jail break which have just taken place and definitely, they have left sorrow tears and blood which is their regular trade marks.

In this great nation, so much blood had been shed and to be candid, the armed forces have had their worst share of the carnages because they have been attacked in many quarters and many lives have been cut short. It is a known fact that Nigeria commands and boasts of tbe most elite personnel of the armed forces in the world. We may not have all the sophistication of the developed countries but our prowess as a nation with our armed forces are still a thing to thinker about even for these criminal elements.

We all know and believe that these armed forces are quite capable in putting a stop to these menaces of terrorists in different shades, sizes and names from Boko Haram to bandits to kidnappers one real name for them are Enemies of the States. That is what they truly are. One major problem that exist would be who shall or can the informants trust with information. These people do not come the spirit world but they are all here with us.

Many have tried to make this nation ungovernable and they have tried to set it ablaze with so many inciting incidences of killings, burnings and there is the belief that these terrorists are pampered. There are communities that have to negotiate with these terrorists so they can live in peace but these peace are always shortlived because the money that are collected by these terrorists are used to stockpile arms. Many well meaning Nigerians have warned of a time like this but their voices were drowned because the person who tell the truth is never a friend to a pack of liars who are always advisers to government.

We should not continue to live under the fears that today we are alive, we have no assurances of seeing the light of another day because of the nefarious activities of these evil people. The courts are filled with many undispensed cases of undecided and adjourned cases of these terrorists and at the end they get bursted out of the prisons that we call correctional centers which can't correct these people. A few years ago, some states passed death sentence for convicted kidnappers, but it is sad that even the notorious Evans who had been sentenced to death eventually got a life sentence after he appealed the judgment of the court. One fact is very sure, he would eventually be set free based on recommendation by prison warders for good behavior even as it is, the notorious murderer and kidnapper is living large even in prison.

Owo Killings 

Owo Killings 

One fact is certain, except for an executive bill, because it is so sad that many convicted murderers are still in prison and someday they will walk because justice delayed will be justice denied. For want of prosecution because despite all evidences provided by the police in many cases against glaring kidnappers and murderers including a church leader who burnt his worshippers alive, the death sentence have not been signed by the governors of the states. 

If only there would be speedy dispensation of justice. Though we are not in a military regime but we have a peculiar problem in this nation and it definitely requires peculiar solutions. Some years back, in Plateau State and even up till this day there is blood letting in that state. In some South South states there have continuously been wanting and unbridled killing of Nigerians by blood thirsty individuals. The okija shrine is still there too and it's account of many lost lives.

This government must demonstrate a will to actually stop all these mayhem. Take these terrorists to a special tribunal irrespective of what the world will call it, if they are found guilty of all the crimes of terrorism, just summarily execute them. Many countries are still executing people for crimes and if only this would happen then I have strong faith that the armed forces would be motivated because they know their lives matter and these people who had killed their fellow colleagues won't go Scot-free but would get the full weight of the law.

Unless there is that demonstration of will, terrorism will continue to thrive in this nation. Crime is fast becoming a way of life. Fraudsters and fraudulent activities are now the order of the day, people now embezzle money with reckless abandonment and they are still walking our streets flaunting all their ill gotten wealth. Things have gone so bad to the point that we now hear a new judicial jargon called "plea-bargaining". Things went so bad when some convicts were released under flimsy excuse of ill-health. No wonder a woman who embezzled N188billion got 6months which she served in the hospital. 

Evans and his kidnapping gang

Rev'd King

No one wants to die and many people are ready to rather sell their country, conscience, colleagues to be ambushed after they have shared the loots from the kidnapping and other acts of terrorism. There are still so many unresolved kidnap cases including terrorism in this nation and all these things continue all because people know if they volunteer information they would end up been killed. Who wants to die in this great country?

With all the attendant problems that people are going through and they still are hanging on with hope that someday the tides will turn. For many, they are not waiting for any tide to turn and they have lost all hope because the only bridge out of poverty and squalor is to sell their people of colleagues out. They Connive with kidnappers and terrorists and many families have had their hopes dashed because of the deaths that had happened after these evil people come calling.

If these government will allow the execution of those who are really guilty of crimes of murder, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and all crimes that is worthy of death, we won't be long before we leave these times of sad tales of man's inhumanity to man. We are no savages and we are no barbarians, if some people choose to be savages and barbarians then they should get full weight of the law. Those who were arrested for killing people during the robbery at Offa in Kwara State are still there, I won't be surprised if they are broken out of prison after all, it is not angel who are guarding the prisons.

It is sad that as a nation, we will remain at this point of self pity and possibly foolishness until we actually re-enact the capital punishment for these heinous crimes. One question one need to ask is, "who advocated for thee abrogation of the capital punishment in the first place?" As a nation we are blessing and President Buhari needs to bring this back but the main question is, Who will TEll Mr. President?