By Ismaila Y. Kana
It’s now a historical engraving that many Northerners pitched their sympathy with Boko Haram at the beginning, albeit misguided. Well, many of our Igbo brothers are now showing that same kind of sympathy to the ESN. No apologies!
The recent killing of ESN top commander has unearth in many Igbo speakers that deep feeling of protection that virtually every Nigerian (maybe including me), reserves for their criminals or thieves. It doesn’t matter that this same guy is the mastermind of several attacks on police formations and prisons where Igbo sons may have lost their lives.
It doesn’t matter if this guy is the mastermind of the attack on a sitting governor’s country home. But, as long as he was done in by security agents, all his sins have been washed down the drain of tribal cum political jingoism. Our brothers in the East are even rationalising it…
Ehn, Ikonso Commander was murdered! This is because security agents went to his house. Why didn’t they wait for him to attack another security outfit to engage and kill him in the act etc. Some will tell you he was murdered in cold blood. Why was he not arrested etc. Hehehe, maybe we have forgotten the part where this bros and his establishment has been proscribed for acts of insurgency! Or the part where his men opened fire on the approaching security men! I believe that’s known as “resisting arrest”! If anything, there’s nothing extrajudicial or cold-blooded about his killing. Oga Ikonso dressed up in his Okija shrine issued bulletproof vest and still caught the bullet!
We have them everywhere ooo. Igboho is running amok in Oduduwa land, unknown bandits everywhere in the North and who knows, maybe the Niger Delta militants or avengers may decide to rear up again under a new nomenclature. It’s a matter of time before Igboho and his Online Oduduwa republic for instance decide they truly want to make a statement and proceed to start attacking security establishments! This should have been the points where we cast them out of her hearts! But NO!
Frankly, there’s no better time than now to make oneself into a security threat. If not for the cowardice of my Eloyi people, shebi me sef for don declare Eloyi nation? Well, that na matter for another day!
Now, I’m sure nobody needs to tell anyone that the same Borno people who shielded BH at the onset are the greatest casualties of the ragtag militia. The carnage in Baga and Bama alone are enough to drive one mad! Many Borno villagers have abandone their villages, never to return again. Anyone who knows how very proud the Borno people are of their villages will understand the value of what they have lost!
Now, here are two brutal scenarios!
One! The Igbo cannot hate Hope Uzodimma to the point of preferring gutless killers over a governor na. This thing should be very clear. Hope may be out of Douglas House in 2023, but if anyone of you believe that the ESN will vanish just because Hope is no longer Governor should have their heads checked.
Two! If ESN is a response to Herdsmen killings then it may appear noble. However, if it was that simple, my village people would have beaten Killer Herdsmen back a long time ago. So, here’s the kicker! ESN will try, but they can never be able to protect Igbo land from Killer Herdsmen if those gutless criminals truly meant to declare war. This is a historic fact. Every time you fight a Herder intent on blood, you lose because they don’t have any address so the fight is always brought to you and your loved ones.
Finally and on a very serious note! I know our security architecture in Nigeria is facing its lowest period, but we can’t surrender our lives to drug abusing vigilante because of spite! Needless to say, you don’t create a monster to fight off your enemies because it will turn on you when the enemies have been annihilated
You can come at me if you want! But know this, whatever you tell me, you will be right!
