By Femi Fani-Kayode

On the night of 12th December 2015 in the city of Zaria, Kaduna state, Sheik El Zakzaky, the leader of the 10 million-strong Shia muslim community in Nigeria, was shot, brutalized and dumped in a wheelbarrow. He barely escaped with his life but sadly, according to Iranian government sources and the New York Times, his wife, two of his sons and no less than one thousand of his shia muslim followers were not so lucky.

They were massacred in the sanctity of their homes that night by members of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Up until the time that I am writing this essay not one word of regret or remorse has been expressed by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Armed Forces or the Federal Government about the whole incident.

That alone speaks volumes but what is more important to note is the fact that this is one of the most brutal and callous events in the history of our country. It was premeditated, well-planned, well-orchestrated and well-executed. Homes were bombed and burnt to the ground and innocent and defenseless men, women and children were slaughtered in an unrelenting frenzy of violence.

After the carnage the bodies of the victims were left in the compound of the houses and in the streets and gutters for carrion birds to feed on and for street urchins and petty thieves to rob. This was indeed a sordid and shameful chapter: it was not only mass murder but it was also a crime against humanity. Those that were murdered were targeted simply because they were Shia Muslims and simply because, earlier in the day, some of them had mounted a road block which obstructed the convoy of the General Burutai, the Chief of Army Staff.

It is very clear that by this act alone the Chief of Army Staff, under whose orders these men were acting, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces, and every single officer and soldier that took part in the massacre are guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and are therefore candidates for the International Criminal Court at the Hague. Our leaders must be accountable and it is my fervent prayer and desire that the whole matter ends up their and that both Buhari and Burutai are called to justice.

What makes the whole matter worse is the fact that there was no mention of the episode on BBC television or CNN and there was no sense of outrage in our country about what these people had been subjected to. One wonders what happened to our sense of decency and our ability to empathize with those that are suffering and that have been subjected to injustice? What happened to our sense of responsibility, our sensitivity and our compassion? Yet it doesn’t stop there.

Two days before the tragic events in Zaria a man was granted bail by two separate courts in two separate criminal matters in Lagos. However the minute he stepped out of the court premises he was confronted and apprehended by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), violently manhandled, dragged off the streets, bundled into a waiting van, given the beating of his life and whisked away to an unknown destination. According to our constitution this man is presumed innocent until proven guilty and up until now he has not been found guilty of any crime. Worse still the operatives did not have an arrest warrant and what they did was manifestly unlawful. Yet despite that, again there is no sense of outrage in our country about the treatment that this man was subjected to. Again it doesn’t stop there.

Approximately one month ago a man was granted bail and given permission to travel out of the country by the Federal High Court for medical treatment. Yet as he proceeded to do so he discovered that the Department of State Security (DSS) had laid siege to his home. They refused to let him step out of the gate, they traumatized his family and they criminalised and demonised him in the national and international media. After a month of confining him to his home they eventually stormed his house, overwhelmed his security men, roughed him up, dragged him out feet first, threw him in a waiting car, abducted him and carried him away to an unknown destination. All this happened in violation of an order of the Federal High Court and despite the fact that he had not been found guilty of any crime by any court in the land yet there is no sense of outrage in our country.

Again it doesn’t stop there. A man obtains a court order that the Department of State Security (DSS) must not under any circumstances enter his home yet they ignore that order, force their way into his house, shoot bullets everywhere, terrorize and manhandle his children, beat up his wife and ”bite” her like a dog, throw their belongings into the streets and finally violently evict him and his family from the premises and into the streets and there is no sense of outrage in our country. Again it doesn’t stop there.

A man is arrested by the EFCC, he is maligned and convicted in the media by what are, more often than not, false allegations and spurious confessions that are skillfully leaked to the press by his tormentors and captors. After days in detention he is eventually charged and arraigned before THREE separate courts for virtually the same offences all in an attempt to break, humiliate and shame him. He is subjected to all this despite the fact that he is deemed innocent until proven guilty yet there is no sense of outrage in the country over the matter. Again it doesn’t stop there.

A man is arrested and detained by the Department of State Security simply because he expresses his desire for the establishment of a new nation called Biafra. He is kept in solitary confinement and denied access to his lawyer and family members for weeks on end. His lawyer goes to court and the court grants him bail and directs that he should be released on reasonable terms and conditions. All those terms and conditions are met but instead of abiding by the court order and releasing him the DSS keeps him in detention for a further three months.

After the three months have expired they take him to a different court and apply to keep him in detention for yet another three months. The new court declines to grant that order and instead directs that he should be released unconditionally and with immediate effect. On hearing about the order of the court the supporters of the young man went to the streets in many cities in eastern Nigeria and started celebrating and jubilating.


See complete article at http://www.exlinklodge.com/2015/12/a-government-of-sadists-by-femi-fani.html



cc lalasticlala mynd44

The time I care don pass.

What a fvck up country

Oh really?! FFK now the Conscience of the society. He talks about decency, empathy, justice, responsibility, etc. Can someone please ask FFK where these qualities were when he and his ilk practically raped our National Treasury.

I repeat...FFK is debased and chronically deficient in character!

Bevista:
Oh really?! FFK now the Conscience of the society. He talks about decency, empathy, justice, responsibility, etc. Can someone please ask FFK where these qualities were when he and his ilk practically raped our National Treasury.

I repeat...FFK is debased and chronically deficient in character!

True!! The guy should examine himself first, make reparation for all his acts of ignominy before coming here to yarn different stories!

Have you returned the aviation loots?...