Recently news that some
thugs and criminals whose major grievance against those who they have hurt,
killed and kidnapped during their reign of terror and evil is best known to
them, came forth by the invitation of the governor to surrender arms and
embrace peace .This move was highly praised by as a major
achievement of the
present APC government.
In Benue state there are
a lot of educated and enlightened people, who I expect ought to ask vital
question that concern this pardon of senseless criminality that is being tagged
amnesty who have failed to do so so I have taken it upon my self eve as a pro
APC citizen to ask them. But before we start here are some of the major reasons
why amnesty is and has in the past been given to people:
1. Number: when the
criminals are too many to be actually prosecuted by law. for example after a
war or major conflict.
2. When those who are to be pardoned where actually fighting for a
reasonable political cause or idea which led to them committing crimes.
3. When those involved may have
been brainwashed or deceived into such criminality.
When a group of people fight, for reasons like
marginalization, liberation, freedom, exploitation and oppression and take up
militancy and violence as a last resort., Sensitive leaders after examining the
situations that have resulted to such violence and finding the concerns of the
people to be reasonable call for a dialogue and initiate a process of amnesty
and at the same time draw out plans to prevent a re occurrence of the
situation.
In Benue state however
there is no identifiable cause or ideology or reason for the criminality of
these people. Politicians recruit thugs and hit men and set them to work or war
with heavy salaries and weapons and charms in a bid to fight their way to lofty
political positions. These criminals soon catch up to the obvious fact that
they poses the power to do anything they like because they walk under the
umbrella of influential people and politicians, they thus begin the mindless
oppression and exploitation of public officials, business men and women and any
member of the general public who is unlucky enough to be at the wrong place at
the wrong time. They even oppress and sometimes kill security operatives. Some
of these criminals have even become public office holders.
Examples of these
criminals abound in Benue state on all sides of the political coin. Many
elections have been decided by violence and many people have died in the
process. When the present government says it is giving amnesty to these people
I begin to wonder, what cause where these criminals committing these random
crimes to pursue? What was the message they where trying to send by killing,
oppressing and kidnapping their own people? What was the name they were
fighting under? What other peaceful
means did they exploit to address their issues before picking up arms? The
answers to these questions are clear as day.
What then justifies giving amnesty to criminals
who choose for no other reason but criminality, greed and evil to cause harm to
their fellow citizen in a state run by a constitution and a country governed by
law. Are these few criminals akin to an army that is too large to be arrested
and prosecuted by our security and justice system? These and many more are
questions i would ordinarily expect to be raised by the educated and
enlightened people of Benue state in the wake of this so called amnesty
program, but no, the silence is deafening.
When we give amnesty to
people who for no just cause took up arms to kill, rob, kidnap and oppress
their brothers and sisters and other law abiding citizens, what message exactly
do we send, what then do we give to those who were and are still been
negatively affected by these acts of evil. I have searched and failed to see
what justifies such amnesty. Are we
ready to give money and jobs and power and freedom to people who for no just
reason choose to break the law?
How does this move ensure
that negative images and activities are not celebrated and encouraged amongst
our youths? How dose it ensure that these kind of people will not rise again,
keeping in mind that there will most likely be amnesty to wipe their sins away
after the season of criminality. How
does this move address the sponsors (the big men) of these foot soldiers who
hold political positions and influence gotten from violence and crime?
Benue state if full of
educated and enlightened people but so far the quality of leadership, policies,
politics and criticism proves otherwise. It is an insult to the law abiding
citizen of Benue state that a criminal whose criminality is influenced by pure
irresponsibility and no reason what so ever, is given amnesty instead of being
arrested and prosecuted. If the senseless criminal is given amnesty, and his
godfather, lives in a mansion undisturbed. What then do we give to the law
abiding citizen?
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