Ombatse - Shame Of A Nation By: Ahmad B. Kaita on August 13, 2013 - 4:34am Posted by mas danlafia. inShare No doubt, Nigeria is about the only country where life, the most expensive commodity worldwide is the cheapest. This crazy scenario could be deduced from the lukewarm attitude the Nigerian government has adopted in fishing out and punishing the culprits that perpetrated the dastardly killings of innocent security personnels in Alayko, Nasarawa State by a cult group, Ombatse, few months ago. Against the background of a constant mantra of reinventing the nation, one is left perplexed as to how the present regime intends to socially reinvent Nigeria against a constantly declining mental readiness and collapsing social structures necessary for the important process of social upgrade for a nation, particularly with no signs of seriousness to address this unfortunate trend. How else do one explain the eerie silence of a nation to a horrendous criminality like the murder of tens of security personnel on a national mission as was the case in the Alayko murderous misadventure of the Ombatse cult group. I’m sure John F. Kennedy did not have nations like Nigeria in mind when he made his famous declaration of “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Against such a spirit, many Nigerians who proved what they can do for Nigeria were sadly failed by the nation to have their sacrifices justified or even acknowledged, sometimes in ways that defy logic or even simple common sense. Nations with clear cut agenda to develop and protect the wellbeing of their people are always responsive to challenges that question the social/political/economic integrity of their people. A cursory look at recent cases worldwide would further expose the serious disconnect between the Nigerian government and its disenchanted public which agreeably is the major source of conflict between the public and the state stifling the Nigerian dream. Only recently, the U. K. stood still when one Lee Rigby, one of its soldiers was murdered on the streets of London. Incidentally, in what could be mistaken for a seemingly agreed low premium attached to life by Nigerians, off duty officer Rigby was murdered by two Nigerian immigrants. The whole of the United Kingdom stood still to mourn the unfortunate death of officer Rigby who died not as a soldier, but as an unfortunate citizen who happened to be at wrong place at the wrong time. Moments after the incident, the British Prime Minister was on hand addressing the nation on the unfortunate “national calamity” that befell Britain. He left no one in doubt that the British government will bring to book anybody responsible for the dastardly act. True to his words, Michael Adebolajo and his accomplice have since being arrested and arraigned for the murder of officer Rigby and would surely be out of circulation for a long time to come. Now that’s a country that people shouldn’t ask what it can do for them in return for their patriotism, commitment and sacrifice. Watching the pitiable images of placard-carrying family members of the slain officers that met their gruesome end in the hands of criminals exploiting the weaknesses and unpreparedness of our leaders to build a socially acceptable environment with minimum standards, one is left wondering why families have to resort to peaceful protest (as was the case during the VP Namadi Sambo’s visit to Nasarawa State) to demand for justice for their slain loved ones who lost their lives in the line of duty and whose only offence could be said to be nothing but simply being Nigerians. Just like officer Rigby, these officers were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. But unlike officer Rigby, they were unfortunate to be caught in this wild scenario in the wrong country. Is it not preposterous that while officer Lee Rigby received a befitting burial attended by the British Prime Minister and many cabinet ministers, most families of the Ombatse victims are yet to receive the bodies of their slain bread winners? I can understand the delay in honouring the memory of the Alayko victims by bringing to justice the criminals who murdered them, after all, Nigeria is a country where justice (in its real sense) is almost always delayed and in most cases denied. Even more disturbing is government attitude towards managing the pain of traumatic experiences like those of the Ombatse criminality. What is so scientific or cumbersome about releasing dead bodies to traumatised relatives for proper burial, undoubtedly the first step towards the healing process of the traumatic events. The way it goes, one may even assume the government is keeping the bodies for possible “eye witness account” whenever it gets ready to prosecute the cowards behind the ambush killings of these gallant officers. It is sad that nobody seems willing to appreciate the pains of the families of the Ombatse victims, not even those who matter the most — those who should ordinarily champion the crusade for honouring the memory of these unfortunate victims that seem to have lost out to the vicious forces of our national psyche — a psyche ruled by collective unconscionable ineptitude. A case in point was the sad attitude of the Director General of the State Security Service (SSS) Ita Ekpenyong who lost a considerable number of good officers in the Alayko tragedy yet, offered an unsolicited “forgiveness” for the murderers against sense of responsibility and respect for the dead and the grieving families left behind. Like many Nigerians, I was shocked when I read Mr. Ekpenyong declaring forgiveness for these bunch of criminals in a manner that depicts nothing but helplessness and hopelessness of the Nigerian situation. In his confusion, Mr. Ekpenyong convincingly mistook the crime as a personal tragedy suffered by him to even realise it is not part of his brief to forgive a crime committed against the state, especially a crime of such magnitude that could open another round of reckless violence by copycats.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 20:35:19 +0000
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