The herds, the herdsmen and men in Nigeria

I have watched, read and listened; it’s been news report of grief, pain, sorrows, and trading of blames. The causalities have been on the increase, it’s close to averaging two dead per day and depending on whose figures we are relying on.

However the issues still remain virtually the same, very little is known about the true causes of what narratives have termed the Herdsmen Killings. But a fact remains that we are on our way to Mogadishu…one brutal step at a time. In many parts of Nigeria, it has gone all so sour; we all talk about peace, without realising the amount of hate in the open market free for grasp. Everybody has his/her version based on religion, ethnic cleavages, and economic leverage.

I am sure most Nigerians in other parts are unaware that we have gotten to the level where we get text messages and WhatsApp communication that bother from the mundane to the highly insane…

Whether it is in Enugu, Taraba, South of Kaduna, or Zaria, Zamfara or Benue, Adamawa or Nassarawa, the narratives are similar, neighbours have not been seen for weeks…many killed and burnt! Several even killed by their own in mob frenzy, as they are not given opportunity to state tribe, religion or anything.

How did we get to where we are? When did we descend to a state where we have to be careful of the kinds of clothes we wear, you dare not wear a kaftan if you are not a Muslim, and trust me it’s no use wearing a jeans and shirt looking like James Chuwang in an environ where you should ordinarily be Aminu Mohammed.

Most of us, or put rather politely some of us sit in comfort zones and watch as militias take over in the name of vigilante, commit arson, and look for justification forgetting that in the real sense these are acts of treasonable felony.

No one is being held responsible. There is a threateningly alarming increasing level and dose of distrust. Mr Buhari, his administration, security agents, the legislative and judicial arms have completely failed, not as a multiple result of a person, but a function of a complete failure of the entire security network and leadership and citizens apparatus.

But as a people, we are all even more concerned about Trump and Jerusalem, forgetting that even these places and persons have a far more enhanced level of comfort than our backyard here. Yet these places are feeling the heat. So we have failed, we just have failed to live as brothers and sisters because ‘maybe’ we are not?

God save Nigeria, but Nigerians need to save themselves. Do we really desire peace, or we continue till the last man standing. Only time will tell

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• Prince Charles Dickson PhD

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