From suicide to paradise?

AN incident marking a disturbing trend tied to extremist ideology and associated with terrorist groups surfaced again recently. It was in the city of Kano, Kano State. A man simply identified as Suleiman Muntari reportedly set himself ablaze along the Panshekara Road in the ancient city. His reason for the self-immolation: ‘paradise’.  Said a witness to the dastardly act, Saminu Isah: “He said he wanted to go to paradise. People thought he was joking, but before anyone could stop him, he had already poured petrol on himself and struck a match. Within seconds, he was on fire.” However, a few of the residents who witnessed the gory scene felt that Muntari was under the influence of drugs. They claimed that he appeared to be disoriented, mouthing strange, incoherent words. “He was not in his right senses. You could smell something strong on him, and he was staggering and shouting strange things,” said a resident of Panshekara Road, Aisha Salisu.

Perhaps help could have come Muntari’s way. Residents and onlookers, sensing that he was about to claim his own life, attempted to stop him. Even when he had already set himself ablaze, they dragged him into a nearby drainage filled with water in a frantic bid to put out the fire but unfortunately, the flames had already inflicted severe injuries on him. Said one Ibrahim Jafar, a tricycle rider who was also a witness to the horrific incident: “It was like a horror movie. Some young men tried to help by dragging him into the water, but the fire didn’t stop immediately. His skin was peeling.”

Extremist ideology steeped in religious fanaticism is dangerous, but the case is even worse when drug addiction gets into the mix. Only recently, 12 people died while 18 people sustained injuries when a female suicide bomber detonated an explosive on herself in a fish market located in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State. According to the state police command, “A suicide bomb attack occurred on Friday, 20th June, 2025, at about 2130hrs, at fish market area in Konduga town, Borno State where a female suicide bomber, who had an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) strapped to her body, infiltrated a crowd of unsuspecting civilians and detonated the device, resulting in the unfortunate loss of lives and multiple injuries. Upon receipt of the distress call, a joint response team comprising personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Military, EOD-CBRN Unit, and other security agencies swiftly mobilised to the scene to forestall further attacks and manage the emergency.” It is evident that religious fanaticism is at the core of the suicide missions that have over the years gained traction in northern Nigeria. As analysts of the situation have pointed out time and again, suicide bombing is largely influenced by indoctrination and drug abuse. Right-thinking individuals have no trouble realising that the promoters of terrorist persuasions constitute a potent threat to human existence.

One major fuel that burns this extreme ideology is hopelessness. In many parts of the North and Nigeria as a whole, governance has hardly ever responded to the yearnings of the populace, making appreciable difference in their quality of life. Unemployment is rife and sheer despair is written on many faces, particularly those of young people who almost inevitably seek refuge in substance abuse. It is difficult to recruit meaningfully engaged persons into extremist ideologies, nor would anyone want to willingly end their lives if they had an existence that brings succour. Governments, therefore, must shut the door against this cruel and consuming persuasion by making existence more meaningful for their people. State governments have a lot to do in this regard. There are too many unemployed and unemployable people walking the streets. For many of these people, becoming recruits of extremist ideologies is a fait accompli. After all, their existence is rather meaningless. The governments must create an enabling environment, for the youth, and get people profitably engaged. One way to do this is to focus massively on creating skills acquisition centres for the army of unemployed youths. This will not only curb the spread of extremist ideologies, but it will also curtail the tendency for self-immolation.

Believers in dangerous ideologies suffer from a mental instability that denies them a meaningful appraisal of their existence. Thus, as a way of crippling the growth of negative thinking, government, especially at state and local levels, should carry out enlightenment campaigns. Countering destructive thinking is crucial to curbing suicidal tendencies. It is a venture worth investing in. With the growing number of Nigerians who do not attach any worth to their existence, the country may begin  to witness a frightening surge in suicide numbers if remedial measures are not expeditiously implemented. People who throw away their lives under the misguided belief that they are going to enter into a comparatively better hereafter need to be shown the error of their ways. In this regard, religious leaders should make moderation their watchword. They should not engage in undue beatification of the hereafter at the expense of the here and now. When these leaders mythify the goodies of paradise so extremely, and at the expense of the beautiful life that lies ahead of humanity under a good government, they unwittingly popularise extremist ideology and ease the mission of the ideologues. An implosion in the number of people in a hurry to exit this life for an uncertain hereafter will be bad for the society.

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