By Lois Otse Adams
The nation’s capital was designed to set a clear example of how robust security architecture should function, but in the days leading up to the yuletide season of Christmas, the alarming level of insecurity plaguing the city has become a cause for concern.
Tragically, the lives of well-intentioned Nigerians have been abruptly cut short recently, for reasons ranging from kidnapping, ritual killings to incidents involving ‘one-chance’ vehicles and reckless driving in traffic. These occurrences have become deeply troubling and detrimental to both the residents of the federal capital territory, encompassing the heart of the city and its outskirts.
It is disheartening to witness numerous families plunged into mourning due to these heinous acts inflicted upon innocent people. Many young men and women are bedridden, some mentally scarred, and others have lost their self-esteem due to the inhumane attacks carried out by unknown assailants. This situation has led families to lose faith in the government.
Reflecting on the government’s disregard for the populace, I was deeply affected upon receiving devastating news about a young man, Peter Imhontu, 28, from my home state. He was robbed, fatally stabbed on his way back home from a Christmas Eve church performance, and found dead in Abuja’s Light axis on Christmas day. Instead of being able to wish his parents compliments of the season, his death was the tragic Christmas gift that greeted them. Can these parents ever truly recover from such devastation?
Imhontu, like other victims, was laid to rest in his hometown of Essn Otokhihim, Ugboha, Southeast Edo State, on December 27, 2023. May his soul and the souls of other victims rest in peace.
The decline in the city’s condition began a few years ago. The previous ministers turned a blind eye to it, and although Nyeson Wike, upon assuming office, displayed enthusiasm, neither he nor the administration adequately addressed the city’s security issues. The minister should have prioritized concerns crucial to the people – protecting lives, ensuring orderly traffic, and addressing food security. Regrettably, these critical issues were ignored while the administration focused on land disputes and allocations.
Is this truly what the people desire? Abuja residents comprise the poor, a dwindling middle class (if it still exists in Nigeria), and the elites who live lavishly despite the dire situation affecting the nation’s capital and the entire country.
Enough of the inhumane treatment inflicted by political office holders on the people. The people’s destinies are clouded, and hope for tomorrow seems distant. The distressing news of the murders of numerous vibrant and ambitious Nigerians flooding the internet poses a severe threat to the nation’s future. If these vibrant individuals, with aspirations and contributions to their daily lives, are eliminated, who will steer the nation’s affairs tomorrow?
Why should thugs hold sway in the nation’s capital, where military headquarters and personnel are stationed? Why are the people being disregarded and left to their fate? Why does the FCT administration seem intent on confining people to their homes, while those who venture out risk falling prey to assailants? Who are these assailants, and why are they allowed to arbitrarily take lives? Is the Minister insensitive to the distressing recent killings in Abuja? Does he prioritize chasing landowners over protecting the people he represents?
The populace is weary of this inhumane treatment perpetrated by unknown individuals, terrorizing a city that once exuded peace and safety. Immediate action must be taken to rid the city of threats to its security architecture.
Inhumane treatment is among the worst experiences a person can endure. It strips individuals of their freedom, confines their movement, and subjects them to unpleasant situations. Witnessing fellow beings being killed with no hope for a better fate is emotionally devastating.
The administration of the Federal Capital Territory exhibits inhumanity towards Abuja residents. Its actions lack compassion and can be described as inhumane. A government that prioritizes pursuing land disputes while its people perish might rightfully be deemed inhumane.
The administration’s lack of sympathy, warmth, and compassion towards the people they represent is evident. The city’s current state is both cruel and brutal; an inhuman government should not be tolerated in Nigeria.
Wike should be held accountable for the incessant killings. He must channel the same vigor he employs in land disputes towards fortifying the city’s security architecture. Otherwise, the people must ensure he faces the consequences of his indifference and inhumane behavior. Concrete evidence must be gathered against the FCT administration to take decisive action against those wasting lives and safeguard more individuals from untimely deaths.
The administration has allowed deliberate mistreatment causing physical and mental suffering or, worse, fatalities among innocent individuals, leaving families in profound grief.
Urgent measures must be taken to identify and bring to justice those lacking compassion towards their fellow human beings, displaying actions that are outright inhumane.
We are not discussing animals; these are human beings being ruthlessly killed while going about their daily lives. What transgressions have they committed? The administration must address these individuals who show no regard for their fellow humans. Murdering another person is an inhuman act, the pinnacle of evil; being subjected to such brutality is inhumane treatment. This must be condemned. Concerned institutions like the Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Association of Nigerian Authors, and other social activists should unite to halt this heartless and cruel treatment of human beings.
My prayer is for the Lord to console the families of one-chance victims and to strengthen those facing mental or physical afflictions due to the brutalizing acts.
We must wake up to the reality that nobody knows who or where the next victim might be.
