Ile-Ife: No sympathy for victims, only solidarity with culprits!

I closely follow the recent incidence in Ile-Ife, Osun State, which culminated in the massacre of forty six (46) people according to official reports. Some facts reared their beautiful heads for obvious notice by people of conscience: One, the Lagos-Ibadan press which knew (or should know) the facts of the incidence did a lot to […]

I closely follow the recent incidence in Ile-Ife, Osun State, which culminated in the massacre of forty six (46) people according to official reports. Some facts reared their beautiful heads for obvious notice by people of conscience:

One, the Lagos-Ibadan press which knew (or should know) the facts of the incidence did a lot to neutralize the truth by portraying the carnage as a ‘clash’ which it was not (see my ‘Ile-Ife: A tale of a ‘clash’ or an attack?’ in the Daily Trust of 15th March 2017).

Two, no prominent groups (Afenifere, OPC etc) or personalities (layers, columnists etc) deemed it fit to strongly condemn the perpetrators of the carnage, condole or sympathize with the obvious victims of the attack which they tactically neutralized by using just one single English word: ‘clash’. In fact, all the vociferous voices which usually trail crisis like this suddenly went on the mute mode.

Reason? The culprits belong to their tribal group! And the victims are a bunch of good-for-nothing abokis! So they were deaf, dumb and blind to the massacre in Sabo!

But, lo and behold! What happened when the police moved in and arrested the criminals alleged to have committed the massacre in Sabo? Mute mode got de-activated! Afenifere and OPC summoned the Oduduwa esprit de corps! Columnists (e.g Daily Trust’s Wole Olaoye et al) and lawyers (e.g Femi Falana et al) suddenly remembered that something happened in Sabo; and blood must be thicker than water; hence, the need to show solidarity with their own. What a moral irony? You chose not to stand with the murdered victims of a ‘clash’ but side with the living murderers held as suspects? And their conscience allows them to sleep soundly?! Chai! The blood ‘shared’ in Sabo, Ile-Ife, ‘must answer’! And let the police do their work dutifully and succumb to no blackmail from the morally bankrupt and selfish tribal bigots!

Hamisu Hadejia, Lokoja, Kogi State