Earlier this morning, my father called before I do. It was unusual, for I call first every morning to greet unless there’s an emergency; they call first. His voice confirmed to me that something’s wrong and I was anxiously waiting for it. Before I could ask what it was, he asked if I am aware of the demise of Abdullahi Garba. A neighbor, good Samaritan, a son, husband and a father of five. ‘InnalilLahi wainna’ilaihi raji’un (from Allah we’re and to Him is our return)’ was my response and that proved to him I have no knowledge of it. As expected, I asked whether Abdullahi suffered an illness (he hardly fall sick), but my father, standing in front of Abdullahi family’s residence along with number of men waiting for the arrival of the deceased remains told me in a voice I can never forget that, the deceased was brutally stabbed to death when he intervenend in an argument between some hooligans that escalated into a fight during sallah celebration yesterday in Jos.
The Sad Truth.
For all of you reading this, all of you who have never been to Jos, all of you admiring our rich whether and the Irish potatoes we’ve, I am sorry, but this is the reality with some communities of Plateau State’s capital city of Jos North and sadly, including mine! Youth, individually or in group, killing humas like chickens and destroying properties anytime a fight breaks between two rival groups in same street or otherwise. They never differentiate between the innocent and a rival, kids and the old, male or female whenever they storm a community with their wrath or confront one another during festive periods. Last sallah, barely three months ago, at least two people were killed and many innocents injured in the Jos Meseum. Nothing was done about that.
The Perpetrators.
Before his death, Abdullahi was asked by a police while on the hospital bed if he knew who stabbed him and, his response was “I even know his mother’s parlor.”
Who are these killers? Another sad answer: our ‘brothers’! By Allah we know them. Yes, we know those amputating and crippling our sons, we know the killers of our sons – they are also the sons of that communities mostly teenagers living with us! It’s only in some instances that they come with invited friends. Although we’re doing the best we could, I can’t be a fool to continue hiding and denying the realities in our communities. It’s happening, we need to speak out and loud for intervention from able stakeholders. We’re trying but not hard.
As I write this, I received not less than two calls from Jos about the SUSPECTED killer of Abdullahi. One of those calls was from my mother. I know the kid: a teenage boy who once lived with his parents next house to ours. The story of how this boy transformed to a thug is long but the last time I saw him, I can’t deny the fact that he can take someone’s life. After all, number of his friends were involved in such. I am only worried about his mother because I know how innocent she was when she came as a bride tothe neighborhood and how hard she tried raising them. But no matter how much I feel for this woman, I’d be happy if her son is sentence to death should he turn out to be guilty for the crime he’s accused of. I care more about the people in their entirety than a single woman.
Irritating.
More painful is, these hooligans, these killers most time go free without any charges or trial. The story is simple:
1). they run away, to the south, and return some few months or years after and the community would welcome them – nothing had happened. Nothing would happen. Only for the victim’s family to be crying inside hoping the wrath of God decend upon him ‘cos they can’t do anything as a family!
2). they’ll be captured in the beginning, by the community [the vigilante] like everyone is serious about it, handed over to the police but sadly, you’ll after some days see them moving around with their cigarette or weed moving wildly threating their “sa’idawa” (those who were brave to handle them to the police).
As a member of a youth organization in Jos, I learnt that two to three factors most time leads to the release of those wild animals into the fold of humans:
1). The police, in one occasion told us that they get tired keeping and feeding the bastards without anyone (from the community) showing up again. What a silly excuse. Where’s the court for God’s sake?
2). Parents and friends of the accused seizes the opportunity of the vigilante not been serious about the case to fill the pockets of the police, to “bail” them. Or, even if the vigilante seems serious, the family of the accused may hire a lawyer and, I don’t know what happens in the court but you’ll later see that animal back to the human fold untouchable.
3). The family of the accused may try hard for a consensus between between them and that of the victim. And since we’re Muslims, we believe in predestination, we can all forgive and forget. After all, it’s something that must happen and we must be ready to live with it. Madness! Madness!!
My Appeal.
Before I drop my pen, I will like to remind us with all sense of seriousness, that the danger in this, should it continue happening unchecked, people may likely begin to take the law into their hands: we’re likely to begin seeing jungle justice. God forbid.
With this, I am calling on EVERY stakeholder in Jos and the Plateau; the State Government, the police and other forces, the human right groups, every peace loving citizen; every parent, the leadership of the vigilante and the Youth Forums, the media, to stand up and make the killing of Abdullahi Garba a begining to the end of this aberrations bedeviling the communities of Jos and environs. The time is now please. The killings, the violence is extremely folly and disturbing. We need help.
Misbahu writes from Jos
