I want to commiserate with the surviving families of today’s victims and pray God’s fortitude over them. It is indeed a dark day in our nation’s history.
It is with deep pain, a sense of loss and shame on our collective nationhood that I write to condemn the calamitous killing of at least thirty (30) Nigerians in Jos, Plateau state by a militia group. At least 30 Nigerian Muslims who were traveling back south from a Muslim New Year programme in Bauchi state were dragged off their bus, stabbed and hacked to death. It is also reported that several others sustained varying degrees of harm and are receiving critical care as I write.
There can simply be no motive or reasoning that justifies this senseless killings, and having to die in such a gruesome manner owing to one’s religion as has been determined by widespread report is truly tragic and ominous. In fact, escalating internecine and inter-religious conflicts which have caused the loss of lives and properties nation-wide threaten the very unity and sovereignty of this country, and the time for decisive action is now.
It is unacceptable that this crisis keeps defying security solutions thrown at it so much so that we question the availability of the political will and capacity to deal with it heads-on. Are we simply not doing enough or are the solutions treating just the symptoms and ignoring the cause. How much more lives would have to be lost for concerted effort to be made to forestall future occurrences? Indeed, what is the value of Nigerian live today?
I want to commiserate with the surviving families of today’s victims and pray God’s fortitude over them. It is indeed a dark day in our nation’s history.
I also must charge our political leaders and security chiefs to do more in safeguarding the lives of Nigerians. This is more death too many, and it has the potential to spiral into something so massive as to decimate the very foundation of our nationhood. Enough is enough. It is time for decisive action.
Pelumi Olajengbesi Esq., is a Legal Practitioner and the Principal Partner at LAW CORRIDOR PARTNERS, Abuja.