The
place of violence in compelling reckoning is fast assuming a worrisome
dimension. We condemn the act but inexplicably dignify the perpetrators, as
long as they securely control the resources with which they are able to get the
cooperation of the police, evade justice and even get the clergy to ceaselessly
and fervently cover them in prayers.
Gani
Adams, Government Tompolo, AsariDokubo, and AyiriEmami: all share something in
common. They all command or once commanded
an informal army that made loud enough statements to the authorities as to what
they wanted. Similarly, AbubakarShekau and TerwaseAkwaza, though presently at
large are both forces to be reckoned with. Agents negotiate with the Federal
government on behalf of Shekau’s Boko Haram.
Terwase
Akwaza, also known as Gana, a notorious kidnap kingpin is an acknowledged force
in Benue state and environs: He is known to have severally communicated directly
via telephone with Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State who had earlier granted
him amnesty in a bid to placate him into giving up terrorism.
The
big question is -if these individuals had not taken this route, would they
still have been able to enjoy the privilege they presently do? Except for the latter two, the rest of them
presently walk free and are known to have become exceedingly wealthy from
government patronage, as rewards for their guts and bravery. Recently,
Nigerians woke up to the introduction of a new super star, Mr. Chukwudi Onuamadike,
also known as Evans.
He
is said to be Nigeria’s smartest criminal ever, having evaded arrest for over
seven years. He is also said to be the first person to ever demand and collect
a ransom of over one million dollars for and from a single victim. I watched in
awe as he was being paraded upon his arrest and how dignified he looked even in
captivity.
My
first quiet observation was that he was being accorded so much respect, maybe
because of the magnitude of his exploits. Members of the police excitedly posed
for snap shots with himas would be done to a pop star. Our concern now should
really not be on why violence occurs but rather on why it is becoming an
acceptable alternative to achieving success.
The
chief reason in my opinion is the exclusionist rhythm of society against the
deprived. A friend of mine, Mr. Edi Lawani has always maintained that if the
rich fails to share in their riches with the poor then the poor will share
their misery with the rich. A society that scorns the have-nots and does little
or nothing to ameliorate the sufferings of its people unwittingly cultivates an
army of potential nuisance, prostitutes, criminals and terrorists. People will
always seek to extend frontiers, remain in the social circle and possibly
dictate societal pace. A feeling of being left out therefore begets thoughts of
extra measures to keep up. We may just be experiencing a class war (between the
privileged and the frustrated) taken too far.
It
is not enough to condemn acts of violence where it is apparent the audience is
inattentive, given that most are preoccupied with trying to survive. In a
society characterized by deprivation, survival of the fittest as a way of
living is to be expected. Violence of all forms therefore becomes rampant as
the deprived and greedy strive to make ends meet.
I
have also listened to some people make a case for Evans, wondering how
different he is from dubious politicians and heads of financial institutions
that are known to have looted treasury, shared ill-gotten wealth among
themselves and then gone on to take full advantage of the weak prosecutorial
process to extricate themselves from any blame or at worst endure slight
sentences in a manner that smacks of mockery to the judicial system.
There are also people who are quick to point
out how glaringly the Federal government is trying to sweep under the carpet
the recent incidents of recovered funds from particular locations as they
failto name the culprits, the BabachirLawalgrass cutting saga and several other
cases in that manner. The reluctance, sluggishness or lack of will to prosecute
Hon.FarouqLawan, a former member of the House of Representative, alleged to
have been involved in a bribery case is palpable. These incidents if anything
have done more damage to our psyche and invariably encouraged criminal acts
from amongst the citizenry.
For
many others that are unable to engage in brute activities, prostitution and
homo sexuality offer a means to get by. Sexual acts,by the way are a
sublimation of violence, something many entertainers have decided to exploit to
the max. It is common place to behold songs, videos and movies with extreme
sexual themes just in a bid to compel reckoning. Interestingly, it has worked
for many as far as commercial gain is concerned; for such is the level of moral
decadence that has befallen our society.
I
must not forget to acknowledge that ritual killings as one of thedark recipes
for instant wealth has continued unabated. Regrettably, not even the frequent apprehension
and prosecution of culprits has served to deter this practice. The involvement
of supposedly men of God who should know better in this act defiles reasoning.
Recently, in
the course of my advocacy for a violence-free world, I had visited the Bishop
of Sokoto Diocese, Fr. Mathew Kuka, who alluded to the notion that violence is
increasingly being deployed by people across board to attain certain
advantages, pointing out that many members of the ruling class have had to ride
on violence to get to the top and that most have paid more of lip service to
the campaign against violence than commit to genuine actions that will achieve
normalcy.
Finally,
the above submissions must be understood against the backdrop that violence is an
act of aggression that deliberately disrupts normalcy as to cause discomfort
and or psychological damage to others. Implicated in violence are the
victim(s), the aggressor and the consequence. Violence is not limited to brute
force, since other acts like hate gestures, lewdness, obscenity and implied
assault on people’s psyche and sensibilities also constitute it. Violence is
NEGATIVE and has no justification what so ever, for indeed, even the illusion
of opportunism diminishes with the inevitability of general good.
CallyIkpe
is a culture activist, veteran broadcaster/veejay, event manager and
coordinator of the Violence-free world initiative.
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