Amidst wailing, crying, sobs and gnashing of teeth, the late Sunday Joshua, a security guard at a popular hotel, Gwallameji, Bauchi State killed for allegedly stealing a mobile phone was on Saturday buried at the Christian cemetery.
It will be recalled that on May 26, 2020, a TECNO torchlight phone reportedly got missing within the premises of New Trafford Hotel and Suites where late Sunday was on duty as a security guard and was accused of stealing the said phone, an accusation he vehemently denied.
In the cause of trying to extract truth from him, he was allegedly beaten and injured in the process after which he was dumped in the generator house where he was picked by the police, rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead.
The burial which had dragged for a long time was attended and officiated by well-known clergymen in Bauchi led by Archbishop Charles Yohanna, the member representing Bogoro constituency at the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Honourable Musa Nakwada, family, friends as well as many other sympathizers who converged at the cemetery as early as 8am.
The remains of the late Joshua were conveyed from the morgue of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) Bauchi, to the Christian Cemetery in Yelwa in a procession led by members of the Boys’ Brigade at about 10:21am.
Mother of the deceased, Orpha Joshua, could not be consoled as she wept while the coffin was committed to mother earth.
While delivering his homily at the funeral, Rev. Evans Bingila, of the Lutheran Church of Churist in Nigeria (LCCN II), Yelwa, harped on forgiveness, urging family and friends of the deceased, particularly the youths not to take the laws into their hands trying to ‘avenge’ Sunday’s gruesome murder.
The clergyman took his message in the Bible from Exodus 21: 24 – 25, reading, “it is written that if a man slaps you, you can slap the person back; if he removes your tooth, you can also revenge. If we are to follow this teaching in the Old Testament, there would be no peace in the world. It means we will keep killing ourselves”.
Rev. Bingila added that, “In fact, the suspected killers of Joshua would not have been alive if we are to take laws into our hands. But let us listen to what Jesus commanded that you have heard it being said in the past, an eye for an, tooth for tooth, hand for a hand but this is what I (Jesus) have said revenge belongs to me”.
In his short speech, Musa Nakwada, who represented the Bauchi State House of Assembly at the funeral, called for patience over Joshua’s murder, saying that the leadership of the House is in the picture of the happening, as the family of the deceased have met with the Speaker, Abubakar Suleiman.
He said that, “I am representing the House at this funeral. A lot of people have spoken and I would ensure that I report to the House”, assuring that as lawmakers, the State Assembly would ensure that justice was served in the case of murdered Joshua.
He, however, appealed for calm among aggrieved and grieving family and friends of the deceased by allowing the law to take its course. In his remarks, the representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state, Archbishop Charles Yohana, explained that the Christian body had earlier paid a condolence visit to the family and the LCCN II Yelwa, where the deceased was a devout member.
He said that, “I want to plead with the youth to allow the law to take its course in the whole matter. The word of God, as the clergy had early stressed, could be hurting, but Jesus commanded us to offer the other cheek when we are slapped as Christians. We as Christians would not disobey God’s commandant knowing that one day we will also taste death”.
The Clergyman added that, “God is the Judge and since he is the one that commands us not to take revenge but must believe what he said that vengeance belongs to him. God is the only one that can handle the issue without human intervention and we will see his intervention soon”.
He then called on the state government to ensure the protection of lives and property of citizens to ensure that the peace in the state is maintained.
During the burial program, there was palpable tension among the youths of the area who were clamoring for justice and threatened to resist any more to pervert the cause of justice in the case.
It will be recalled that on May 26, 2020, a TECNO torchlight phone reportedly got missing within the premises of New Trafford Hotel and Suites where late Sunday was on duty as a security guard and was accused of stealing the said phone, an accusation he vehemently denied.
In the cause of trying to extract truth from him, he was allegedly beaten and injured in the process after which he was dumped in the generator house where he was picked by the Police, rushed to the hospital and was confirmed dead.
Information from the Bauchi State Police Command revealed that all those arrested in connection with the case have been trying to charged to court for culpable homicide.
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