The past one week and still counting has seen the world take a detour away from the pandemic wreaking havoc on nations and its economies. The world and the media space have rather surprisingly been awash with stories spanning from racism to police brutality to rape and even down to genocide, as detestable as it may sound.
Nigeria, on the home front, is not left out of this pack, as we have had our own fair share of the tornado that is sweeping across countries rather ferociously.
The story of George Floyd, an African-American man residing in the United States who was killed by American policeman seeps effortlessly to mind.
The US has since been stirred up by nationwide protests over the death of Floyd in police custody.
46-year-old George Floyd died after being arrested by police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Footage of the arrest on 25th May shows a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck while he was pinned to the floor.
Mr Chauvin has since been charged with murder.
Coming down to the shores of the country, it has been a atrociously eventful past few weeks in Nigeria as we have had dreadful stories dominating the media space, getting unceasing bitter reactions from people on social media and off it
The Southern Kaduna killings where hundreds of people lost their lives to what is purported to be a genocide attack on selected communities in the state is one that leaves a gory picture in one’s mind, and speaks volumes of the evils in the land.
No sooner had that surfaced than we heard of Tina, the 16-year-old who was supposed to write her WAEC exams this year but was shot via a stray bullet by a trigger-happy policeman at the Iyana-oworo area of Lagos state.
The policeman was reported to be in a bid to disperse the crowd that was gathering thick and fast after he shot an uncoperating driver he was extorting, hence, shot in the air, and had a bullet hit poor Tina.
As though that was not enough, the story of Uwa came to the limelight, evoking a fresh outrage on social media.
Vera Omozuwa, an undergraduate at the University of Benin, was in a Redeemed Christian Church of God in Ikpoba Hill, Benin City where she was reading. Then in a flash, some men were reported to have made entrance into the church and raped her, eventually killing her by hitting her with a fire extinguisher.
And while the country was still licking her wounds over Uwa, Ada then happened. A 13-year-old girl whose story of being raped in Enugu flooded Twitter.
And in all this, it is worrisome and alarming not seeing protests on the streets geared towards justice for the men, women and children killed in Kaduna, the young life of Tina cut short and the reprehensible acts of the rapists for both Uwa and Ada. Rather we seem to be laid back, only expressing our resentments on social media, while giving plaudits to the Americans for taking to the streets to fight for the right of Floyd.
We see this happen over and over again, victims of criminal acts have justice eluding them, their perpetrators walk the street with impunity, and all we can do as a people is talk and talk and not walk the talk.
When it comes to standing up for what should be, we shy away, but when it comes to showering praises on people who do such faraway from our territories, we are seen to be the lead.
Nigerians, how mypoic are we to understand that just because it is not you today does not mean it won’t be you tomorrow? Thus, it becomes imperative we all stand as a people, borrowing a leaf from the Americans, and fight for justice for the victims of these heinous acts, consequently; holding the government accountable to its primary role of seeing to the security of its people.
This, in equal measure, would also help in serving as a deterrent to any prospective criminal grooming thoughts and hatching plans of rape, genocide and brutality in all shades.
If we do not stand up to fight for ourselves, I am afraid, the Americans can’t: they have their issues they are confronting with. The British can’t: they have their hands full. To wherever we turn to for help, we are bound to be confronted with a caricature of our failure as a people, a mirror of our self-centered disposition and a reflection of our moral decadence. Only we can save we if we decide to be we in what we should do.
Yes! The story of Tina is agog. No doubt, the story of Uwa is widespread, but what we know nothing of are actions towards ensuring that their cases are met with justice.
It’s high time we stopped talking, and get down to actions, seeing justice being accorded to these innocent people even in their demise.
The perpetrators are watching, our government appears to being one who won’t move its cheese except we do it for them, and I all this, we win if we stand up to fight for justice because you never can tell who the next victim would be.
We need to see past our noses, and remember “The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them.” – McMaster Bujold.
* Micheal Jacob is a certifed Life Coach, Psychotherapist (OLCA), and Emotional intelligence Professional from Pause Factory. He has featured on many media which include; BBC News, Max Fm, Women Fm, Hi-impact TV, Eko Fm, Rock City Fm, Sweet Fm, Happening Radio among others.
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