Misbahu El Hamza
We recently saw how pundits from Northern Nigeria and a few from the South went out of their way to educate Southerners on the Hausa saying “in ka ga gemun ɗanuwanka ya kama da wuta, ka shafa wa naka ruwa,” which translates to “when you see your neighbor’s beard on fire, rub yours with water.”
That is to say, stop laughing about terrorism in the North; it may just as easily end up on your doorstep. Take a look at the Southerners’ reactions and comments every time the Presidency expressed its “shock” over a killing in the North on social media. People laughing and stating “the Mallams [Northerners] should finish themselves abeg (sic),” with a laughing emoji will also surprise you.
IPOB has always struck me as a terrorist organisation. I’m not sure how to classify the daily gruesome killings of innocent people in the South East as anything other than terrorism. You may anticipate “animals” in the “zoo” to chop off the head of their legislator and threaten to chop off even more, but that isn’t the case.
IPOB’s actions in the South East, making “their people” to “sit at home,” forcing children to miss school and the bulk of adults living in poverty to avoid going to the market, is a ticking time bomb for the region. Those who strive to stop it in that region, sadly, pay the price with their lives. There is no need for a judge to pronounce IPOB a terrorist organisation before we acknowledge them as such. Their deeds speak for themselves.
But to be honest, the majority of Nigerians, regardless of their geographical area, require behavioral modification. Southerners weren’t the only ones who applauded terrorism in its early stages, when the attackers were primarily targeting government institutions and personnel. When Boko Haram was simply attacking and destroying police stations and security checkpoints in the north, many Nigerians, unmindfully, praised them.
Well-intentioned Nigerians predicted the outcome and warned us. Some of us began to realize the danger in the Boko Haram campaign when churches, markets, and eventually mosques began to have their share. This is exactly what happened when IPOB went insane a few years ago. In today’s South East, no one is safe, including locals, just as Boko Haram and the “bandits” do not discriminate in their prey.
The good news, however, is that it’s never too late for the good people of the South East to begin praying for an end to terrorism and actively supporting the government’s efforts to combat it. We’ll also pray for God to utilize His great might to put an end to the IPOB terrorists so that we can all live in peace. As peace-loving people from Northern Nigeria, the best we can do is pray for the country, avoid harming others, and convey the truth to all stakeholders in the country.
Misbahu el-Hamza
Kano, Nigeria
May 24, 2022
