S.O.S ALIEME

My candid question is ‘for how long will condolence visits and condemnation solve the problem of wanton killings in Nigeria.  You realize that anytime we experience these killings which has become a routine in Nigeria, you will hear the government paying condolence visits to the affected community or condemning the heinous acts on media. I do not think this is the rightful way by which security of lives and property can be secured by the government.  Instead of joy and spiritual reflection, many communities across Northern Nigeria especially in Jos are marking this Easter in grief, uncertainty, and under the shadow of recurring violence.

The attacks in Jos and surrounding communities resulted in the loss of innocent lives and displacement of residents at a time when the inhabitants are supposed to be celebrating the joy of the risen Lord. The painful reality is that these incidents are not been taken serious by the government whose duty is to provide security for lives and property of the people. These ugly incidents have been a recurring pattern of attacks during Christian holy seasons, raising questions about the effectiveness of existing security arrangements. The recurrence of these attacks during sacred periods raises serious concerns about the adequacy of security measures and the ability of authorities to protect citizens at such critical times.

Jos is more than a local tragedy. It is a mirror of Nigeria itself, a preview of what can happen when the nation fails to define belonging in civic, rather than ethnic, terms. The city sits on a symbolic frontier between the Muslim North and the Christian South. Every clash there reverberates across national polity. The Jos residents affected by the attacks insist that celebrating Easter is not one of their priorities for now, as they continue to mourn their loved ones slained by the attackers. The ceaseless bleeding on the Plateau.

Just as it happened on Christmas Eve in 2023, residents of Jos are once again faced the prospects of a bleak Easter celebration.  Unfortunately, killing in Jos appeared to take an identified pattern.  It is either happening during the approach of a festive season, or at the beginning of the farming season or harvest time. As usual, residents have limited their movements especially from 7p.m.

Giving an account of what happened to her family, a young girl wept uncontrollably as she spoke of how her entire family was wiped out and her house burnt down.  She recounted that they normally knock on the door of each household, and soon as doors are open they kill the innocent villagers instantly. It has come to a point in time in Nigeria where every community must make extra efforts or arrangements to defend itself. I do not seem to see any light at the end of the tunnel because we are just back to the scenario of December 2023 when the same kind of movements of senior military and police officers, visitors from the federal government, and those coming on condolence visits did occur, same thing is happening now. The question is, between 2023 and now, has there been any change in strategy, change in preparedness, change in trying to curb these killings?  The answer is NO. So for me, it does not matter that you just wait for it to happen.  I do not think there is hope for anyone in this country, except for the highly placed few individuals.  This is very sad.

Suggesting to Nigerians to start defending themselves will be wrong constitutionally.  And what could likely happen in that situation when people start to defend themselves? Nobody knows, the consequence. In this era of politicking, sentiments are so much high now.  So the government cannot just say that people should start defending themselves.  The security agencies too will now go around arresting the same people.  Is the government going to issue them some kind of licenses for the weapons they are going to use to defend themselves or do they want the people to defend themselves with bare hands?  It is a big and delicate issue.

So this is a black Easter for our people. No Easter celebration for them this year. It is when you are alive that you celebrate and right now Nigerians are mourning the death of our dear ones and our people are on the run for their lives, with thousands displaced and property worth billions destroyed. There is anxiety and fear in many places in Nigeria. Because of the spate of insecurity around these areas, it was gathered that when it rained, infants, pregnant women, and the aged all slept in nearby bushes.  For God sake, there should be peace to celebrate in order to celebrate wholeheartedly.

Even for other communities that have not been affected, certainly the apprehension is up high that sooner or later, it may be the marauders knocking again. The losses cannot be quantified. However, the remote consequence of this is that it has displaced people from their farmlands and this will have grave effect on food production in Nigeria. It has created a sense of fear for people to access their farms. The Northern part of Nigerian appears to be covered with agrarian communities that depend solely on agricultural production. The future survival of the people is not sure, the food security is in danger. The federal government should consider the issue of making the decision by enacting the law that open grazing is completely prohibited so as to help the poor masses. Also, the weapons of destruction should not be condoned in any society. The issue of securing lives and property lies solely in the hands of God and government in power.

God Bless Nigeria!!!