Monsters in the Plateau

It was supposed to be the start of another dramatic week in Nigeria, occassioned by the hospital arrest of the ‘our’ President for over three months and the sudden darkness assisted ‘reappearance’ of the still invisible commander-in-check of Nigeria. However, something else that is far from being dramatic that can best be described as horrific stole the headlines of all newspapers. Yet another crisis in Plateau state? Oh no! Not again. This particular crisis can be described as the worst in recent times going by the estimated recorded death of over 500 people in just 24 hours.

One may not be wrong to say that as things are presently, we have more monsters residing in Plateau state than the real human beings both among the rulers and the ruled. It is important to note that the situation keeps getting worse going by the frequency of occurrence increasing every year and unfortunately, it is as if nobody is really interested in stemming this ugly trend. Even when the whole nation (in my opinion, it has really become a national problem and embarrassment) have not yet recovered from the effect of the crisis recorded in January which also left hundreds of people dead, another crisis erupted yet again. The question on the lips of everybody now is if peace can ever be restored to this state that used to be one of the most peaceful, but now one of the bloodiest battle fields in the country.

It has definitely become a case of one crisis too many because the major casualties are said to be women and children. Only God knows the number of innocent children who have gone with these senseless crises that is often visited upon Jos and other surrounding villages. A lot of people who would have been of great help to the country have been cut down in their prime by some irresponsible and wicked people who obviously are not educated to do good things. From the crisis in 2001 till the most recent one, it is very obvious that there is a group of people hired to kill and maim all in the name of religion, ethnic sentiments, or politics. I write this because I know that it is only God’s mercy that has kept me from these incessant crises knowing that I could have been a victim as well. I left this same city just four days before the crisis of November, 2008 after attending a week long conference and from the reports that I got, about 15 people were killed where I stayed. Must the unfriendly government we have wait until they have killed the best people before acting? How on earth did Nigeria get to this point that most of our political office holders are this irresponsible and inconsiderate? I remember how the Federal government and the Plateau state government were shamelessly fighting each other over who has the constitutional right to set up a panel to look into the last crisis. What is the result of the two committees set up?

While many future leaders of this country are being killed in these violent clashes that are always sponsored by some blood thirsty people who need the blood for their wealth to increase, the people who are supposed to be responsible for the security of lives have started showing again how irresponsible they are by trading blames and disagreeing over the number of people that died. How else can you define irresponsibility or shallowness of the brain than this? Is it not disgusting that some people will capitalize on the grief of others to settle scores with their perceived foes? I was really angry when the State government said that over 500 people died and also accused the Nigerian army of complicity based on the fact that they failed to act on an intel they got about an imminent violence and the only thing the army and police could do in responding was not only to cook up a ridiculously low number of 109 deaths (even when foreign media channels confirmed that over 500 people died) to cover up for their obvious incompetence, they also resorted into insulting the state helmsman, Jonah Jang who is also not a saint.

I tow the line of people blaming the Nigerian Army because the Army has done more harm than good to the nation in the recent past. Or do they think we have forgotten the shameless role the Army through the dishonourable Chief of Army Staff, Dambazau played in smuggling our sick President into the country? How can the Army spokesperson (who unfortunately is my friend’s father) claim that they have performed creditably when under their watch, over 500 people were killed by mercenaries in just one night? I keep on praying and waiting for a time that our security agencies will be alive to their responsibility and refuse to be compromised. For the Nigerian Police, I think the only thing they are reputed to be experts in is collecting 20 naira and killing those who refuse to give them. They are as good as non-existent.

One however needs to commend the effort of Mr. Darkness for his effort in the recent disheartening events that we have witnessed in the country. Firstly, he was summoned by some political jobbers and opportunists who people say are only good to be used as cooking ingredients in the kitchen aided by the indecorous Chief of Army Staff to snuggle the President into the country as if the President is a contra bound commodity. Then the Plateau monsters, who saw how effective Mr. Darkness was summoned him to carry out their dastardly and inhuman act, or how do we explain many deaths in a single night. I think we should start praying that we only have days and no longer nights if that will deliver us from these monsters that are now trying to take over every thing in this country.


Dayo Nigeria
March 14, 2010.