Lately social media is getting saturated with news of killing of the Nigerian security men in southeast. Killing of police men, military men, burning down police stations and vehicles and looting of arms. Suspects are always the same… unknown gunmen. Unknown gunmen seems identical with the unknown soldiers. Remember the unknown soldiers?
Throughout southeast no state has not witnessed the slaughter of Igbo youths, during celebrations, any joyous moments, during peaceful marches. Igbo youths were being hounded, hunted, butchered, slaughtered by security men either police or army or both combined. Those security men were unknown because till date no one has been arrested or prosecuted for killing Igbos.
Southeast is the most peaceful region with peace loving people. Igbos respect the sanctity of human lives. Killing a person is an abomination in Igboland. Now they have corrupted that culture and defiled the land with the blood of the innocent.
Only in southeast do you have million of Igbo youths declared terrorists while the fulani herdsmen, world acclaimed forth most dangerous terrorist group are pampered and protected.
The killing of the security men in southeast is condemnable but could have been provoked by the killings by the unknown security men in the region.
I keep hearing the Lamentations of many who condemned the act and their fears of things getting out of hand. I read the complains of many sympathizers whose thoughts and prayers go to the families of the victims. I identify with them all. However I’m still wondering if those Igbo youths carelessly and wilfully massacred by Nigerian security operatives were mourned and their families remembered?
I think the federal government should wake up now and realize that the seed of violence, deaths, sorrows and tears it sowed is bearing bitter fruits. This should serve as a wake-up call for those in power to know that you can’t get cold water from a boiling kettle.
We have two dangerous set of people on the loose in southeast, the unknown security men and the unknown gunmen. Both kill us. Both reduce our humanity. Stop the unknown security men so we can together fight the unknown gunmen.
-Onyema Uche.