«A voice is heard in Ramah, lamenting and weeping bitterly:
it is Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her
children, because they are no more» (Jer 31:15).
This passage from the Prophet Jeremiah captures the present
mood in Nsukka and, especially, in the hitherto quiet and peaceful farming
community of Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area. When the news broke
about the massacre of innocent, unarmed and defenceless citizens of Nimbo in
the early hours of Monday 25 April by invading armed militants, suspected to be
Fulani herdsmen, the first question that popped into my mind was: “Again?” This
was because similar stories had been heard from many parts of the country in
recent times, including Abbi, another community in our Diocese, also in
Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area. The news of the attack was soon followed by a
flood of human beings fleeing their homes and emptying into the urban centre of
Nsukka, many of them scantily clad women clutching only their babies. Wailing
filled the air as vans brought in lifeless bodies of persons who were
slaughtered like animals for the crime of having been found in their homes or
on the way to their farms. Such scenes sent the minds of the older ones back to
similar scenes in 1966, when our people had to flee the places they had
considered their homes in other parts of the country, as a result of the first
ethnic cleansing in modern African history. The big difference now, 50 years
after, is that we are being chased out of our homes in our own land, from our
own farms, from our Churches, from our schools and from our village markets. As
our people say, if a man is pursued from outside, he runs into his house; but
when he is pursued from his house, he has no place to run to.
The most painful aspect of the Nimbo massacre is that it was
announced, expected and executed without inhibition – in broad daylight! The
State Government is reported to have made attempts to provide security in the
area prior to the incident. But what those who lost their dear ones (especially
those little babies now blankly staring into an uncertain future, because their
fathers have been senselessly murdered) and all of us want to know is why, as
the reports go, the security forces “tactically” withdrew shortly before the
attack and why, when they later returned to the scene, there was no attempt to
immediately pursue and arrest the perpetrators. At present, nobody can say with
certainty the number of those killed, given that more of those who were badly
wounded are still dying and some bodies are still being recovered from the bush
where the people had been killed while taking refuge. Today, Nimbo is like a
ghost town.
It is equally disturbing that whereas the invading militants
killed and maimed anybody they could find, the only houses they attacked were
Christian religious houses. They burnt the house of one Pastor and from there
headed straight to the residence of the Caholic Priest, where they attempted to
burn the house but could not, since they did not find any petrol in the car and
a motorcycle parked there, in the generator, and in the containers. When their
attempt to break into the house also failed, they fired gunshots into the
rooms, in an attempt to kill all those whom they suspected were hiding inside.
And we are forced to ask: If these men were only herdsmen, why did they
particularly single out Churches for their attack?
Nsukka people are peace-loving people. Why would anybody
single them out for this type of massacre? In the name of God, I appeal to my
peace-loving people to please remain law abiding and not to take the law into
their hands. But even as I do this, I hear them asking aloud: Are there really
any laws in this country guaranteeing the safety of our life and property even
in our homes? If there are, is there anybody out there ready to enforce them?
Or has this become a lawless country where violent persons can kidnap and kill,
rob and rape innocent citizens in their homes, on the road, in their farms, at
any time of the day or night, unhindered? How are we supposed to react to these
threats to our very survival as a people when the Federal Government, who
controls the security agencies, seems unwilling to protect us and the State
Government appears incapable of defending us, since it has no control over
these agencies? Our young people are asking us why the Police and the Armed
Forces of the Federal Government are so swift and sometimes so high-handed in
their reaction when unarmed persons march the streets in protest in the South
East and so heavy-footed when it comes to stopping the massacre of the South
Easterners anywhere in the country, even in their own homes. They are asking
whether Boko Haram has actually been weakened or has only been redeployed from
the North East to the South East. And we are scratching our heads in vain for
the correct answers.
While we wait for these answers, we shout a loud and an
absolute “NO!” to any form of violence even in the face of this persistent
provocation. Reprisal attacks are not the answer. They are wrong; they are
unlawful; they are un-Christian. Besides, we should not give the Police and the
Army any excuses for adding to our woes, as they are sure to respond rapidly to
any perceived form of aggression on our part.
We appreciate the position taken by President Muhammadu
Buhari on this latest war-like attack on a peaceful community and hope that his
directives will be carried out promptly. Protection of life and property of
citizens is the primary responsibility of government and every other act of
governance would lose its meaning if this was not guaranteed. We are consoled
by what the President said. But only concrete actions can lead to the return of
normalcy in the community. Nimbo and its neighbouring communities are among the
few remaining farming communities in our area and the herdsmen had earlier
chased the people out of their larger farms. The rains have just started and
they had begun work in the smaller farms nearer to their homes. And even from
there too they have now been chased out. It is sad that in these hard times,
when many have been crushed by the harsh economic conditions in the country, in
addition to the loss of loved ones, many of our people are now homeless and all
of us will also face the problem of acute food shortage in the near future.
We call on the Federal Government not only to arrest and
prosecute the perpetrators of the massacre as well as their sponsors and
collaborators, as the President has directed, but also to disarm all those who
carry assault rifles publicly when they have no permission to bear arms. Some
people predicted that Nigeria would be a failed State by the year 2015. All of
us heaved a sigh of relief after the general elections and the smooth handover
last year. But any further delay in dealing with this and similar cases all
over the country may lead those who made that prediction to affirm that its
realization has only been delayed not avoided. If these incessant attacks and
raids going on in many parts of the country are not stopped immediately, it may
happen that by the time our President has won the war against corruption, there
will no longer be any Nigeria left for him to govern.
We thank Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for the efforts he made
to prevent the tragedy and for his timely interventions after, without which
more lives would certainly have been lost. We expect, however, that he will use
the tools at his disposal to prevent its reoccurrence in any part of the State
and to find out why, despite his efforts and prior information, the security
agents failed to protect the lives of innocent citizens. To our Senator Chuka
Utazi, we say “Gbagaa!”, in all the meanings of that word, for what he has been
and done for his people during this time of crisis. We also thank the Inspector
General of Police Solomon Arase, for promptly visiting Nimbo and for promising
to bring those responsible for the massacre to book. But we are forced to
wonder whether it does not bother him that some herdsmen in this country are
better armed than some of our Policemen. Does it mean that the lives of cattle
in some parts of the country are worth more than the lives of human beings in
some other parts?
The Catholic Diocese of Nsukka is in mourning for her dead
children and in pains for the displaced ones. We are also living in fear
because we do not know where and when the armed militants will strike next. In
the meantime, we shall do what we can to offer some help to the displaced
persons, relying on the usual generosity of our people. But we have absolute
faith in the abiding presence of God among us. In these difficult and trying
times, all of us, especially those who have lost dear ones, should know that
God is even nearer to us than we thought. Let us turn to him in prayer, asking
him to receive our dead ones in his kingdom and heal our bleeding hearts. We
direct that Masses and prayers be offered in all the Churches in the Diocese
next Sunday, while awaiting the detailed programme for our prayer in this
period which will be announced later. As good Christians, we should, like our
Lord Jesus Christ, pray for those who persecute and kill us: «Father, forgive
them; they do not know what they are doing» (Lk 23:34). We also pray for those
whose responsibility it is to protect and defend us. We are sure that in no
distant time we shall also hear the voice of the Lord saying to us: «Stop your
weeping dry your eyes… There is hope for your future after all… your children
will return to their homeland» (Jer 31:16-17).
Nigeria is a country richly blessed by God with abundant
human and natural resources. For decades we have continued to senselessly
slaughter ourselves, squander our resources and destroy our environment. We
call on all to please stop this madness, so that, as a people, we may realize
our full potentials for the benefit of all and to the glory of God.
Godfrey Igwebuike ONAH
(Catholic Bishop of Nsukka)
Friday 29 April 2016
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