Deborah Samuel: A tale of two countries

It is extremely difficult to discuss the Sokoto outrage of last week, which boiled over to the weekend resulting in the imposition of curfew by the governor, without being impassioned.

How could objectivity be possible in a situation such as this where a promising life was so callously snuffed out, and the infamy aggravated by insisting that there should be no consequence and punishment, as the rioters did, by demanding for the release of the only two culprits apprehended by the police, out of the over a hundred involved?

Anyway you look at it, this is a full expression of double jeopardy, and it is made possible because similar incidents have happened several times in the past without accountability. And the government and its security agencies, particularly the Police, must squarely bear the blame for the atrocity in Sokoto.

Having failed annoyingly in the past to bring perpetrators of such violent acts to book in the guise of religion, it seems inconceivable to the killers of Deborah Samuel that they should be made to face the consequences of their action.

We recall agonisingly the case of Gideon Akaluka, an Igbo trader in Kano accused of desecrating the Quoran by using a loose torn page to wrap something. With a murderous mob baying for his blood, the police intervened and took him to their station for protective custody, but the bloodthirsty villains were not appeased.

Outraged by the police intervention, the mob invaded the police station, over powered the police officers on duty, seized citizen Akaluka, and beheaded him, and were dancing with his head on a stake. Nobody was ever charge for such barbarically gruesome action. There were other similar incidents.

Last month, during the Christian commemoration of Easter, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, managing director of Sterling Bank, in an advertorial, likened the resurrection of Jesus, a fundamental belief in Christianity, to Agege bread, an unwholesome, tasteless and provocative allusion incomparable to the alleged crime of Miss Samuel.

Beyond the verbal protestations and threats of boycott by Christians, the matter has since been forgotten without much drama.
So the question is, if previous acts of “mercy killings” were swept under the carpet as unwanted rubbish, why should the Sokoto killers of Miss Samuel pay any penalty? This must be their rationale for taking to the street of Sokoto to demand the freedom of their accomplices. If government had taken action in the past against such impunity, this current situation could have been avoided; well, they did not, so here we are again.

The Christian holy book says that, “When justice is not speedily executed, the heart of men is turned to do evil”. This is fitting to the situation because we have too frequently looked the other way when such barbarisms were committed. Governor Aminu Tambuwwal may have acted quickly to stem further protest by imposing a 24 hour curfew on the city to prevent further loss of lives, which is commendable, but not enough.

As a leader aspiring to lead the country in 2023, this is a litmus test to demonstrate his political will to do what is right by all Nigerians irrespective of tribe and religion. He cannot ask for the vote of Christians if he will not defend them at all times. So he should ensure justice for Miss Samuel.

The issue is not what caused the lynching as some nitwits have tried to posit. Conflicts and disagreements are normal and indeed, expected in society; that is why we have laws and two arms of government are responsible for both law making and conflict resolution.

The Sokoto fiasco is a clear indication that Nigeria has not been a country and may never be unless we confront the brutal truth, which is that we are not one, and therefore, must accept the bitter truth that we are not one to be able to live together as one. We are two countries in one but can live together without being one. This is the logic and rationale behind restructuring.

Two of our founding fathers acknowledged this fact: Chief Obafemi Awolowo described Nigeria as “a mere geographical expression”; Sir Ahmadu Bello said, “We must recognise our differences so they guide our actions”, what is described as “Unity in diversity “.

It is the failure of successive military regimes, who dominated leadership, and the political class, to appreciate this truth that has turned the country into a perpetual patch-work, constantly in a state of flux, and always unstable in all its ways.

Although, we are running a democracy, it is obvious that the Muslim north does not believe in it because democracy is nothing without the rule of law, which is the basis of all social rights in society. We cannot claim to be a democracy when we treat the rule of law so carelessly and nonchalantly.

It is this pretence that has made Nigeria a woeful failure in virtually every development index as we muddle through ordinarily simple and straight forward issues in a perpetual act of balancing and compromise.

Religion has become the dividing rod of the country. Our population is uncertain and escalating because of religion; insecurity is consuming us because of religion; personal freedoms of expression and worship are under severe constraints because of religion, and unity and common interest are circumscribed on account of religion. It is a misnomer to have a state religion in a secular state; yet that is our fate.

This newspaper believes that the evil act in Sokoto must not be allowed to go away like others before it. The police must go after every one identified with the incident and bring them to book. The law does not respect religion or culture; the law must take its course. It is the only way to build democracy and decent society. Miss Samuel must not die in vain.