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Violence And Political Thuggery, Who Can Save Our Sokoto Today? By Yusuf Dingyadi
As indigene of Sokoto state, I watched helplessly of how my state is now turning to a battle ground, courtesy of political thuggery. The state that is known for peace and religion tolerance is now turning into arena of violence and political thuggery. This is as result of inadequate security and selfishness of some leaders from the two major political parties of the state PDP and DPP.
Other contributing factor is the lack of cohesion and understanding among the party supporters, inability of the law enforcement agents in the state to operate independently within the armpit of their professionalism in ensuring equal security and protection to all the people in the state.
The police have failed to maintain peace and order in the protection of lives and properties of our citizens in some places across the state. With continue reported cases of brutal murder on some innocent victims by unknown assailants, it has increased fear on the majority of our citizens, more especially oppositions who were branded as enemy of the government and were attack openly by these thugs.
The Police in Sokoto State become handicap in arresting and prosecuting the culprits, because of their alliance with the government of the day or afraid of the consequences from the Chief executive.
Police under the leadership of the present Commissioner of Police have failed to bring peace and understanding among our politicians. They failed to bring a peaceful environment devour of political thuggery and understanding among the two party supporters of the PDP and DPP in Sokoto state, as hardly a day will pass without such reported cases of attack or intimidation by both the two parties.
There is no reason why they have not banned all the political thugs in the first place or order the arrest of the suspected culprits and prosecuted them to serve as deterrent to others. The responsibility of protection has now changed from the police to parties thugs who give protection to their party leaders.
Just last weeks one of the political party in Sokoto state described police as part of the problem of political violence and thuggery. They pass a vote of no confidence on the person of Commissioner of police, whom they accused of aiding violence and thuggery in the state polity.
Till today, there is no any positive response from the Force headquarters over the accusation and police hand on the recent happening in Sokoto state in which some lives and properties were lost.
Sokoto state has never experienced this kind of political violence and death as those reportedly happened during the three months of the present administration. Unconfirmed reports say over eight to ten lives were lost as result of the Shiites and political violence. Prominent among them are Malam Umar Dan Mai shiya an Islamic preacher.
The unwarranted killing and attacked on some political opponents in the state without apprehending the culprits; has shown a clear evidence of police weakness and exposed their inability in creating confidence to the people.
Some police officers in the metropolis are being accused of giving shelter to the suspected thugs, as long time ago, people are calling on the police to apprehend the area boys that were terrorizing the innocent people or ban them completely from attending political rally, but nothing was done. All the two major parties were allowed to move around with their thugs freely brandishing their hard wares. i.e dangerous weapons.
Reported cases confirmed that, some witnesses testified that the Police were aware with the danger of some of these thugs, long time before the election and they ignored all pleas on their activities, even before becoming a nuisance to the society.
Other cases that failed to be addressed are political victimization that Sokoto have never experienced in the history of democracy. Some innocent people were victimized in which some government officials connived with law enforcement agents to arrest them on the pretext of security reason.
Majority of these victims were send to prison directly, without recourse to judicial process or due process as it was call. One of the victims of this jungle justice is Alhaji Galadima Argungu.
It hurts most, whenever something happen as usual Police denied the information. There was need of our responsibility by bringing the Police Commissioner or any public servant that deviated to his responsibility to order. Sokoto state can not be allowed to become like Oyo or Anambra states, where political violence, brutality and victimization are the order of the day.
The important questions to the Commissioner of Police are what is his actual mission to Sokoto state? Because since the time he assumed duty in the state, reported cases of crime rates and political violence cum thuggery are in the increase. Why Sokoto state have no peace?
Even last Thursday, some newspapers reported the brutal attack which resulted in the death of one Almustapha Bello by unknown mobs, just few months after the assassination of one Islamic scholar in Sokoto town.
These were not part of the reported victims who were lynched or brutally killed because they were suspected to be Shiite followers. The Sokoto metropolis has never in the history of the state experienced such kind of attacks and political thuggery.
If today is not Wamakko’s supporters, tomorrow will be on Bafarawas. It seems from the police that nobody knows who is sponsoring these activities of political thuggery in Sokoto state. Thugs have succeeded in turning the state capital into a battle ground for their brutalization and violence on the innocent victims.
It has becomes reality now that the Sokoto state Police command under the present leadership, are incapable or handicap for whatever their reasons in solving the daily attacks and violence on the people.
The Police Commissioner, becomes handicap by omission or commission as he and some officers watched helplessly the continue attack on the innocent victims, just because of political differences, this happen day and night without solution.
The Police protection in Sokoto is reported to be sided, as those close to Government were reported to have more immunity other than those in the opposition party. The CP has totally failed in bringing equal justice among the people of the state. He failed to bring the culprits to justice as he promised the victims of different attacks.
It has now reached to a situation where thugs attack worshippers in the Mosque just because they are looking for their opponents. These happen in front of us at the Sultan Abubakar Mosque, Gusau Road some few minutes after last week Jumu’at prayer. Two of my kids that are inside the car got shocked and cried throughout that day.
Openly those thugs attack innocent by-passers by brandishing cutlass and some dangerous weapons on us. As there is no law and order in Sokoto State? There was no serious warning or arrest on any of the accused operators or sponsored of these acts, both from the DPP or PDP since it started, it continued like this people are losing their lives, and what CP is telling us that Sokoto is peaceful.
Or may be our CP have know knowledge on the political orientation of the people of Sokoto state before his posting, or he is in Sokoto just to give protection to someone interest? Why that he can’t not apprehend both PDP and DPP thugs forever and rid the state from this crisis. Whose script is he acting upon? We quite agree that Sokoto is peaceful, but important question to ask is to whom, as majority of the populace don’t sleep anymore with their eyes closed.
This is as result of branding political opponents of the Government as Shiites, just to give a reason of killing them. Some of those people for the fear of attack and molestation by the agents of Government, have either relocated to Abuja, Kaduna, Kano or any place that they can have guarantee of security and protection of both their life and business.All this attack with the name of cleansing the state from Shiites hold is diversionary, selfishness and political to misled good people of Sokoto state from the truth of happening.
Nobody can tell us why this is not happening in Zaria, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi and Zamfara or there was no Shiites in these places? Why Sokoto and what are the benefit as hundreds of people are being dragged out of their houses with the pretext that they are Shiites. While those giving pagan and hypocrites’ shelters are sleeping happily in their homes.
Is it the same Sokoto that Dan Fodiyo and his lieutenants have fought to see or was it the same Sokoto that have produced Sir Ahmadu Bello, Shehu Shagari, Late Sultan Abubakar and some many illustrious sons and daughters that become legends in assuring unity, peace and cohesion among all into this country?
Must we reach a period that nobody moves in the street without a weapon to protect himself? Have we reached that era of self protection or taking law into our hands? Those it means that anybody who is not in the good book of Wamakkos or his acolytes are branded enemy of the state?
Where are the elders of Sokoto, or are they frighten that the thugs will attack them; if they interfere. The scenario of leaving such kind of barbaric attacks on the innocent and armless citizens must be stopped.
Some people were killed with only mere reported accusation of being Shiites in the state, nothing has being done.. This act is going daily while both the culprits and their sponsored are enjoying the protection of the same government that promise to depend the lives and property of the people.
It has now come to the conclusion that in Sokoto, if you don’t belong to a particular party, you are really about to wake up as a Shiite and before morning you are death. We don’t know who is shedding this blood and who is enjoying it. All we know that Police have failed in their moral obligation of protecting the security of lives and properties of the opposition of Sokoto state Government.
Let me remind the present leaders and the elders of Sokoto state the burden under them as they allow continue shedding innocent bloods and creating terror among our peace loving people of Sokoto, which they will one day wake up with this blood hunting them up to their graves.
Those victims who were killed or maimed are mothers’ fathers, sisters, in-laws, daughters, sons and brothers to the different categories of people. They will never forgive or forget a brutal way use to attack them. They should also be aware that our becoming generation will not forgive their silence and cowardice of being part of the system that destroy the peace of their beloved. Whatever consumed one victim must be account before God.
The Wamakko’s administration should know that every citizen of this country is entitling to his personal liberty according to constitution, and he should not deprive from that liberty. It stated in the constitution that every person has right to life, respect for his dignity and he should not be subjected for fear and degrading. The Government has moral responsibility of protecting its citizenry from the attack, insult or brutality of thugs.
Let those who are sponsoring these poor children into this enmity and discord among our people by giving them drugs to take away their mind and sense to be aware that soon their turn will come, as they will face the same treatment. Members of the National Assembly of Sokoto origin and Sokoto State Assembly are supposed to be responsible on the yearning of their people by bringing end to this crisis once and for all.
We should avoid backfiring of this crisis and the antecedents as Sokoto is too hegemonious to be left on its own. Whatever affect Sokoto will splits to others around especially Kebbi and Zamfara states. It’s right time now to advise Wamakko and other people accused with sponsoring this activities of area boyism from all the parties in the state, to allow peace to reign. Nobody should be above the law and there is no individual that law can’t punish!
Some of the top senior government officials that are close to power are reported to be sponsoring these acts of thuggery, the police are doing nothing in the sense of their closeness to government of the day, and this is very bad precedent.There is no need of scapegoat, the culprits must be brought to book weather in government or not. The innocent victims that have lost their lives and properties as result of Shiites attacked and those that were manhandled by the agents of the government as result of their right of opposing government of the day need compensation and justice.
The Sokoto state Police command shall remember with the challenges ahead of them under this new dispensation of Umaru Yar adua’s regime. Era of political brutality and abuse is now over. They are not police of the government of Sokoto state, their absolute LOYALTY AND OBEDIENCE should be on the president and the rule of law. Let them not turn themselves into agents of selective destruction and intimidation; as this will never augur well to the well-being of the innocent people of the state.
While reminding my colleagues’ gentlemen of the noble profession in Sokoto state of their responsibility, it is paramount to inform them that they have become silence on the plight of other people. The innocents are suffering in Sokoto state. Let the world have clear views of what is happening and let the call of justice be heard without fear or favor.
Some of them have become a tool in the hand of government, because of the little stiffen they got, they need to get out of that bondage. Let them report facts of happening in the state. They should remember that government is an institution, one day it’s not Wamakko as happen to Bafarawa. Someday people of Sokoto will look at them and tell them we are not satisfied with your coverage on our welfare.
The Sultan and other security chiefs in the state should take all the cautionary measures in getting rid of the thuggery in Sokoto state. Sultan as an Islamic spiritual leader should remember that those killed since the assumption of this Government are all Muslims and they have family and relatives in the state. The elders should remember that only austerity will judge them according to their actions and deeds.
If they allow this barbaric act of unwanted killing and attack on the innocent people in the name of religion or political difference continue, not only it will consume innocent victims but at end the impending crisis will reach to an alarming stage, where nobody will be spared in the state.
Enough of this bloodshed in the name of religion or political differences. It’s now the right time to bring a lasting peace and trusts among our people. The world is watching! Only Almighty Allah can save this situation, if allow to consume lives. The Inspector General of Police to as matter of urgent and his love of peace and understanding send an investigation team to get the roots of the activities of his men. This will bring a lasting solution to this problem.
It’s the right time for the presidency to call all the gladiators to order, as they are depriving the good citizen from their constitutional right. It’s time that Sokoto will have peace just like yesterday! The right to liberty and peace is threatened by the same people that have sworn to depend it.
Those that have sworn to protect our security and lives should remember with the advise of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua to the newly-sworn Permanent Secretaries, “The oath you have sworn is before God, and I will advise that you make photocopy of that oath so that occasionally, maybe monthly, you read through to remind yourself about the oath you have taken. That will guide your conduct in the discharge of your duty”
Majority of our people are living in anticipated fear of reprisal attack either from DPP or PDP supporters or taking revenge by both Sunni and Shiites. This is happening in the ‘Kasar Dan Fodiyo’ known as the Seat of the Caliphate! Allah ya kyauta!
Yusuf Dingyadi, Free-lance Journalist
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