The killing of 42-year-old mother of seven, Mrs. Eunice Elisha by unknown assailants while evangelising around the Gbazango-West area of Kubwa, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory, continues to elicit sympathy, condemnation and anger of Nigerians. Similar unpleasant and callous cases have been recorded in the country.
There is the need to recall some of them so that we can appraise the severity of what has come to be a social problem and the need to put a stop to these senseless and extra-judicial killings. Not long ago, there was the gruesome killing of Mrs. Bridget Agbaheme by suspected extremists in the Kofar Wambai market of Kano State, over allegations that she blasphemed Holy Prophet Muhammad. The deceased, who was an indigene of Imo State, was said to be in the company of her husband when she was gruesomely murdered following an argument bordering on religion. Agbaheme, the 74-year-old-Christian was said to have had an altercation with a Muslim gentleman who came to the front of her shop to perform ablution while she allegedly objected to the Islamic washing rite in front of her shop.
Also, a clergyman in the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Reverend Joseph Zakariya, was reportedly killed by attackers suspected to be Fulani Herdsmen in Obi Local Council of Nasarawa State. During the attack – just like Elisha and Agbaheme – bodily parts of the victims such as arms, legs and head were chopped-off. Still fresh in our memory is the 1995 decapitation of one Mr. Gideon Akaluka in Kano State, also by alleged religious fanatics. Akaluka, a young Igbo trader was accused of desecrating the Koran and was then arrested. Following this, Akaluka was imprisoned by the police until a group of Muslims reportedly took the laws into their hands by breaking into the jail, killed him and confidently walked around the city by parading his severed head! Till date, nothing has really been heard in terms of arresting those responsible for Akaluka’s brutal murder.
We cannot also forget so easily too, the 1987 episode of the Dawodu brothers in Lagos, the Apo six in Abuja, the alleged complicity of the police in the death of the Aluu four undergraduates of the University of Port Harcourt and countless others that the state has failed to resolve.
Many other extra-judicial killings either remain unreported or covered-up. It can be argued that at the moment, the nation’s criminal justice system appears weak and ineffective in curbing crimes and criminality that are increasing by the day. Extra-judicial killing, otherwise known as ‘jungle justice,’ a common feature of a lawless society, such as ours, requires severe and drastic approach by the appropriate authorities toward its eradication, if we are to be seen as a progressive nation. Barbaric killing of persons remains a crude, barbaric, criminal, illegal and totally unacceptable option to resolve perceived differences under any civilised society.
It is unfortunate to note that in most cases, when there is indiscriminate killing, whenever such heinous offences are committed, perpetrators of the killings are never brought to book, if ever apprehended by the law enforcement agents. This poor punitive approach to a grievous act such as this makes it almost impossible to curb the wicked act. The most troubling and alarming aspect of such extra-judicial killing is that they are carried out by ‘mobs’ with a high tendency that innocent citizens can become victims.
Back to Elisha, we should be reminded that the constitution of Nigeria allows for freedom of expression as well as that of religion. It is a secular state that does not promote adherence to any religion. In other words, religion is meant to be a personal thing not an official matter. Then, why prevent someone from proclaiming his/her faith publicly, if that is what one desires? Why kill someone who decides to preach the gospel, if he/she has the calling to do so? Why this brutality against an innocent soul expressing his/her fundamental rights? If the offenders or attackers feel uncomfortable with the message she was delivering before being hacked to death, why not leave her alone and just walk away? Or, are we in an Islamic state or atheist country that officially prohibits as much as possible, individualistic or personal religious practice? Maybe for her, she had a sacred duty to perform in the course of evangelism/evangelisation? Why not leave her alone?
These questions continue to trouble my mind without any hope of getting answers. Hence, this case of senseless murder should not be allowed to die a natural death just like the previous ones before now. We pretend as if we cannot fish-out the wicked souls that kill others with impunity. Many other people could just be killed without any justification. Why kill in the name of religion? All efforts should be made to identify the killers. The continued killing gives Islam a bad name and this should not be. When this is done, it would send the right signal that anyone that engages in such barbarism would be dealt with irrespective of status, religion, tribe or ethnicity. Another issue that should be addressed is the insensitive act by passers-by that often resort to video recording or taking of photographs of victims of jungle justice. Rather than assisting others, they feast on the crime, having fun and posting such crimes on the social media. This insensitivity should no longer be tolerated in our country.
The government should not be silent over sensitive matter that could give an erroneous impression that it is supporting one religion over others. As a matter of duty, the new Acting Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, should prove to Nigerians that he is in the saddle to make a big difference. He should ensure that thorough investigations are conducted into the matter while those found culpable are made to face the full wrath of the law. By that, it would send out the right signal that any crime would be punished. This irrationality and lawlessness must stop!
• Kupoluyi wrote from Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB),
[email protected],@AdewaleKupoluyi
