I’m Salawudeen A. Abdulrahman, a student of politics, I was born and brought up in Ebiraland and I have witnessed several unjust security cracks down of innocent’s sons and daughters of Ebira since the creation of the state (Kogi) under various successive government.
By the grace of God I was also brought up to believe in the sanctity of human life, and I have lived the greater part of my life in the service to humanity. I dream humanity, I preach humanity and I talk humanity.
I must write this because a story that must be told never forgives silence. I am putting this down because history teaches us that evil triumph in any society when good men remain mute and hurdle.
I am writing this article because I know that the greater part of hell will be surely reserved to those who maintain their neutrality, silence or better still satisfaction in times of great injustice, conflict, inequality, oppression and moral crisis.
And finally, I make this write-up as it were because I know that if the world is full of misery and heart-break, pains, sickness, oppression, it is because we caused it.
However, four outstanding events have afforded my decision to defy the current security threat and pen an article of this kind. These include as follows:
• The 2002 extra-judicial killings as a result of the reaction of Ebira people against the illegal local government creation.
• The 2008 bloody invasion by rampaging policemen in Ogaminana
• The declaration of dusk-to-down curfew on February 2012
• And the recent JTF brutality at Idoma, Obehira in Okene L.G.A.
It is no more learnable to posit that in any society or state of the world, the security agents are entrusted with two fundamental functions. These include:
• Maintenance of law and order within the society,
• And protection of life and properties of the citizens within and against any possible external aggression.
Adversely, Nigeria which is perhaps, always on the left side of any ideal system has also taken her position on the primary aims and objectives of establishing any security agent in any part of the world.
Since the creation of Kogi state on August 27, 1991, Ebira people have being suffered for numbers of pervasive roles of Nigerian security agents in butchering good numbers of innocents’ Ebira people, (elders and youths, male and female even toddlers). The Nigerian governments (central, state, and local) always with the attitude of turning deaf ears to this kind of delicate and heinous acts which according to some legal practitioners described as the root cause of the present never-end insecurity challenge confronting the said Nigeria nation.
The first instance was the illegal local government creation during the regime of the then governor, Prince Abubakar Audu in 2002. I called it illegal because of the following argument put forward by Lat. Ahmed Tijani Ahmed (then senator of Kogi central), it goes thus:
“The state government's violation of the constitution which prescribed lawful ways of local on the matter led to the riots in the state which claimed the life of
over 10 people”. According to Senator Ahmed, "the genesis of the problem is the
purported creation of additional local governments in Kogi State by
the Governor, Prince Abubakar Audu", adding "this procedure which is
unconstitutional having regard to the provision of section 8 sub
section 3 of the 1999 constitution triggered off the filing of a suit
at the Kogi state High Court of Justice holding at Okene."
The court, the Senator said, in its considered ruling on the
application ordered the parties contesting the creation of additional
local councils in government creation, and its total disregard for a court injunction
the state to maintain the status quo.
However, in total defiance and disregard of court order and without
waiting for the decision of the court of Appeal for the
interpretation of the relevant sections, Abubakar, he alleged, went
ahead to create new local governments which are one sided and with
out following laid down rules even in the state House of Assembly.
The Bill creating the new councils, Ahmed told the press, was
proclaimed passed by the speaker on the instruction of the state
governor without going through the second and third readings as
demanded by law.
Besides, he added, the eastern senatorial district of the state which
had nine local governments before the purported creation of the new
councils now has 23, whereas the central and western senatorial
districts which had 12 local government councils before now have the
same 23 which the people of the later have rejected”.
Audu vehemently allotted 14 out of these 25 to themselves, 6 for Kabba and 5 were given to Kogi central (the major pioneered of the state) respectively. This indeed prompted reaction in Ebiraland. Some concerned youths started protesting across the area. Idoma, which is also the victim of the recent JTF cracks down received a highly demonstration. As the protest intensified in the area, a directive was handed down to security agents from the state government to clampdown the protesters because the governor described the agitated groups for equity and justice as a “smokescreen” to unleash terror on their perceived
political opponents. Unfortunately, protesters were shot and this informed the youth in the area to re-enforce and burnt down a police truck. This however, struck the attention of the security agents to started killing and arresting people in the area. About 20 people were killed and not less than 200 people were arrested. Amongst those that were killed are Abu a.k.a Qaida, Abdul a.k.a dash, Segun, a fresh graduate of UniIlorin and other vibrant youths in the area. The governor justified these killings by saying “the ongoing joint police and army patrol in the area was to ensure the protection of lives and property, and he advised the people to be calm and go about their normal activities”.
He said the disturbances in Ebiraland on account of agitation for
more local government areas in the Central Senatorial District was
unwarranted as a committee had already been set up to examine fresh
demands. He also warned that his administration will be firm, using all lawful
means to deal with anybody linked with the unfortunate incident at Ebiraland. But the conflict was finally put to rest by revoking all these purported local councils as the youths and some serious-minded leaders of Ebira then stood firmed on their ground by resisting it to the later. Amongst these faithful leaders are late. Sen. A.T Ahmed, the then Chairman Okene local government Alhaji Mamman Yakubu kan amongst others.
The second instance was in 2008 when the Nigerian police, in broad daylight, unleashed terror and humiliation on the innocent people of Ogaminana under the 2nd regime of the recent out-stead Governor Ibrahim Idris. The cause of this horrific event was confidentially and vehemently explained in the Punch, Wednesday, 12 Mar 2008 and Ebiraview news report. It goes thus:
“According to reliable source, trouble started when some youths clashed with the security agents while intercepting six trucks carrying iron ore concentrates from Itakpe Iron Ore Mining Company. The youth were said to be protesting the alleged cannibalization and illegal sale of the privatized company’s equipment by the new owners. They also accused the Federal Government of not taking care of their community’s interest in the agreement reached with the buyer.
Unfortunately, the effort to prevent the iron company from being stripped of its assets went awry. The clash between the protesters and the Police guarding the vehicles resulted in the abduction and subsequent killing of the Police Corporal, Raphael George. In reaction, the Police went back to reinforce and descended heavily on the weak and the helpless left behind in the community after the real culprits had disappeared.
Despite the claims by the Police that the number of casualties was exaggerated, the scenes of the invasion bore telltale signs of a mindless attack. There was also no indication that the violence had any political undertone. Rather it was another instance of abuse of power by men in uniform, thus reliving the images of the victims of Odi and Zaki Biam. This is surely barbaric and criminal”.
Sporadically, the Ogaminana attack can only be described as a direct replica of Odi and Zaki Biam bombardment. In fact, it even more disgusting because the former was under military while the later was under civilian.
The attack claimed the lives of about 30 people includes toddler. Over 70 residential houses were burnt including shops, stalls and vehicle, also rendered about 5000 people homeless. Majority of which were women, the elderly and children. According to ebiraview news report, the victims fled to neighboring communities of Obangede, Eika, Kuroko and Lokoja, the state capital.
Curiously, the Kogi Police Command has remained largely unrepentant. Is the Police Force reminding Nigerians that it has not weaned itself from its colonial orientation which was to subjugate indigenous people? Even the present government has not responded, despite its rule of law mantra. No doubt, youths should not have carried their protest to that unacceptable level. The aggrieved ought to have channeled their grievances through civilized means”.
Yet, the security agents acted cowardly for failing to employ their intelligence network to apprehend the culprits. It is condemnable that the Police whose statutory function is to “protect lives and property” and “maintain law and order” have turned their guns on innocent taxpayers. There would have need for immediate inquiry into the violence. The unruly policemen should not be allowed to go unpunished. But unfortunately, nothing was done to this sober reflection up to the movement of compiling this article.
The third incident was early this year when dusk-to-dawn curfew was imposed as a reaction to mysterious killing which the cause is yet to be made clear to the public. According to some elites described this measure as a deterrent to the rising spate of assassinations and attacks on prominent locals. I vehemently object this measure and described it as ‘off on a wild goose chase’. According to Ohida, a public affairs analyst in his article titled “Ebira Land And Recurring Acts of Self-annihilation” said: “The major target of the assassins and their sponsors are certain traditional rulers and grassroots political leaders perceived to be too influential or principled and whose continued existence is believed to be a stumbling block to the interests and ambitions of the murderous group”.
However, my major concerned in this event is the Dusk-to-down curfew that was imposed which I described as a wrong step in tackling the mysterious killings across the central district of Kogi state. You might differ with me here, but by the time I finished this analogy, no doubt that you will definitely bounce to my ground. Let go there. The first day of the curfew was the day the decision was taken. Luckily enough, I happened to be on vacation from school and personally witnessed this memorable event in Ebiraland. According to a police (name withheld) said, the movement were restricted from 7p.m to down specifically for Okada riders which they claim to have involving in perpetuating the act of mysterious killing in the area. At about 6:30pm in the same day, policemen who have been witch-hunting and humiliating our people seized this opportunity to storm the roads around Ogaminana and Okene police stations. In fact, to my surprise, before 7pm about 200 motor bikes were ceased despite the public’s ignorance of the restriction of movement because it was the first day. Thus, the same operations were repeated the following day which raised the number of ceased motor bikes to about 500. The police went further to quickly moved all these ceased vehicles indiscriminately to Lokoja (the state capital). Upon seen these innocents and helpless young and elderly citizens who solemnly depend on the service of their motor bike to sustain themselves and their families without waiting for the so called irresponsible leaders of Ebiraland stood helplessly peering at the police throwing their bikes into the trailer. In the first instance, I thought there would be a reaction from our leaders against this dastard act of the security agents but to my dismay, nothing happened until the Okada riders association expressed their grievances to Ohinoyi of Ebiraland (HRH, DR. Ado Ibrahim) before action were taken. The scenario did not end here.
However, the reaction of this association prompted the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland to call upon the area commander and commissioner of police which both pleaded unaware of the incidence. The police were later ordered to return the entire ceased motor bikes to the owners with immediate effect. But to my surprise, the security agents denounced this order to re-convey these vehicles back home, because they said the money spent to transport the machines to their head-quarters must be pay back with the cost to transport them back home. The helpless citizens have no options but to took to their faith and paid the transport fair before some could get their bike back.
Now to justify my earlier claim that the imposition of dusk-to-down curfew was “off on a wild goose chase”, despite the existence of the said curfew, the cases of assassination of the prominence members of community linger on. Can we now say the measure is the right step in deterring people from the act of killing in the area? As the movement have being restricted for the public particularly the Okada riders from 7pm to down (which they accused of perpetuating the act) and the killings continue, does this not exonerate them of this accusation?
The fourth event is the recent JTF brutality at Idoma, Okene LGA, which sent about 15 people to their early grave. What then the thesis of this horrible event?
Recently there was a report from Nigerian dailies that the Nigerian Army killed some suspected dreaded Boko haram members at Idoma in Okene L.G.A of Kogi state few day after they uncovered bomb factory in Kabba which according to Maj.-Gen. Alphonsus Chukwu, Brigade said though no arrest has made but in the case of Okene, he told newsmen in Okene that nine Boko Haram members, a soldier and an official of the State Security Service (SSS) died while three SSS officials were wounded. He said that a combined team of the Army, SSS and Police tracked the suspects to their hideout and invaded it, killing some of them while others escaped, and recovering items such as hand grenade, two pistols, improvised explosive devices and five magazines of AK 47.
But community group- group- Ebira Unity Association (EUA), have recently turn down their claim that the people that engaged in gun battle with the military personnel around Obehira Idoma section of Ebira land were not members of the Boko Haram sect. It said that they were members of an armed robbery gang that operated from two jeeps. According to reliable source said “After the incident, which involved casualties from the security agents, the soldiers and the policemen entered houses to drag people out and shoot them at close range”. About 12 people were killed. Amongst those that were killed innocently are Mr. Salihu, a store owner who trades in educational items at Okene central market; a Hausa business man who ran a bread-making factory in Idoma-Obehira; and a pregnant woman who was hit by stray bullet amongst others.
Unfurtunately, the actual place (Kabba) which the security agents reported to have uncovered bomb factory remains calm and nothing has been done to the area, not even arrest an ant therein. Since then, humiliation and intimidation mounted in and around the central district of Kogi by the security agents. The security agents claim that all the people that were killed are the suspected members of Boko haram because none have come to claim their corps. But the community debunked this claim and described it as a cover-up put forward by the agents. That, when the families of the corpses went to the headquarter to claim their bodies, they were force to sign that their people are members of Boko Haram which they refused to the later. According to a reliable source, mass burial were later conducted as the corpses started busting as a result of indiscriminate handling by the security agents.
Conclusively, no doubt that the above historical facts to a great extent vindicate the impunity acts of Nigerian security agents in Ebiraland and Nigeria in general. Hence, all these memo of mine are not just for formality but to bring to the notice of the public the status of a common Anebira on the scale of the security agents in our land, such that, our people can be kill and label as thus: smokescreen, armed robbers and Boko haram. There is need to voice ourselves out so that immediate action should be taken in halting this inhumanity and dastard acts of men in uniforms in our father’s land. This also serves as a sober reflection for our people so as to enable us change our attitude of self-annihilation and destructions before the others. And once again, a story that must be told never forgive silence.
Penned by: Deen Adavize A.
From KSU.
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