LIKE many other citizens, 75-year-old Yahaya Mota Nakuna of the Nakuna community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State recently had first-hand experience of what it means when the devil comes visiting to steal, to kill, and to destroy. It was harvest season and members of the community were busy working on their respective farms. Suddenly, a wave of attacks by terrorists came like a whirlwind, leaving many families devastated. Corpses lay everywhere even as homes went up in flames.
For Malam Nakuna, in particular, it was a spectacularly tragic experience as he lost all his children and those who had come to assist him in harvesting his crops. Nakuna was forced to watch as the terrorists killed his children one after the other. They beheaded the first victim and shot the others dead. Speaking to newsmen, the bereaved octogenarian said: “We did not know their (the terrorists’) exact mission because when they asked us where the vigilantes that operated in the area stayed, we answered them honestly. If we had known what they were on the farm for, we would have taken to our heels when they arrived. At least, that was what we had been doing to keep safe these past years.”
Nakuna was on the farm with six of his children and four other helping hands but at the end of the ordeal, he was the only one that lived to tell the story. Certainly, with this horrible, tragic experience, there can be no doubt that bandits, now officially recognised as terrorists, have taken their murderous activities a notch higher in the beleaguered state. This incident is too bizarre, too shocking and too distressing to even talk about. It is doubtful that there can be any worse incident than to make a parent witness the callous execution of their child, let alone witnessing the execution of all their children in one fell swoop. It is a terrible experience that no one should even wish his enemies. It is ghastly and dastardly. It is horrendous and horrific, and it has taken a lot of courage for citizen Nakuna to still be alive after that terrible incident. We are, to say the least, devastated by this incident.
Like many other states in the country, Niger State, which is actually Nigeria’s largest state in terms of land mass, has been a mass killing field in the last few years. This incident reads like a page from a horror novel. It is benumbing to realise that some people have the power to terminate life without the slightest challenge in a country that has a government in place. Ordinarily, the terrorists behind this horrible incident should be dealt with without further delay, but Nigerians are well aware of the slow, plodding and hesitant approach of the Federal Government in dealing with these outlaws, and so are not expecting any miracles. Yet, with these killers on the prowl, no one knows who the next victim will be.
To be sure, it is quite understandable that some people are no longer sure that the authorities are not complicit in the wanton and horrendous acts of these criminals who kill for no just cause. The government has long shirked the duty of protection and safety that it owes citizens. We believe and affirm that whatever stands as an obstacle between the Nigerian State and its statutory duties to its citizens ought to be removed without any hesitation. It is crucial that savagery like this, which was hitherto unknown in this country’s history, be eliminated forthwith before the country’s reputation plunges beyond redemption. There is a veritable risk of the entire Nigerian society being overrun by criminals. And that’s even putting it mildly.