The students and others involved over alleged blasphemy must be prosecuted
The news that eight persons were killed in Zamfara State by a zealous mob, over allegations of blasphemy, once again exposes the inefficiency of our law enforcement agencies, and that is scary. To add to our worry, those reportedly involved in that barbaric act of mass murder and arson, are students of a higher institution, the Abdu Gusau Polytechnic, Talata Mafara. According to media reports, the eight persons were locked in and burnt to death, because the owner of the house they lived in took to the hospital a boy beaten to pulp by the mob, which had accused him of blaspheming against Islam and Prophet Mohammed.
Of course, we condemn the defamation of any religion. But we are shocked at the asinine impudence of persons who claim to be students, resorting to barbaric savagery, in the name of defending their faith. Such recourse to self-help should be unacceptable to any modern state, and we urge the law enforcement agencies to round up the criminals and bring them to speedy justice. Considering the narrative that the mob first beat up the alleged blasphemer, went in search of him when he was taken away, and then came back to burn the house of the Good Samaritan who took him to hospital, with its occupants, leaves us wondering where the law enforcement agencies were, while it all happened.
We commend the reassuring reaction of President Muhammadu Buhari on his twitter account, where he wrote: “I received news of the mob killings in Zamfara with great dismay. It is barbaric and unacceptable. I assure that the law will take its course.” The next step is for Mr President to wear the garb of a moderniser, by giving express instructions to the Inspector-General of Police and other security heads that such barbarity must be punished. As the President may have noticed, there is an increasing recourse to self-help over allegations of blasphemy in recent times, and he must send the right signals to stop it.
So, the President’s statement in the twitter account that: “under my watch, we will work to ensure that there is no violence in the name of religion, ethnicity, or in any guise whatsoever,” is welcome. We urge him to put to concrete action that resolve, by ensuring that those who perpetrated the killings in Zamfara are brought to book. We recall his similar condemnation of the murder of Bridget Agbahime in Kano, barely two months ago, and encourage him to make it a priority that these criminals are brought to justice by the relevant authorities. As he knows news of these extremist acts spread fast across the world, and it does a great harm to his efforts to attract direct foreign investment into our national economy.
In urging the President to read the riot act to the security agencies, we are mindful that the crimes committed are majorly under the state penal code. While the Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, had shown concern by joining hundreds of sympathisers to bury the dead, a lot more is expected of him. He must work with the security agencies and the school authorities to fish out those involved in the killings, and ensure their diligent prosecution by his attorney-general.
Part of the responsibility of the state governor is to engage those who preach extremism, to moderate their teachings. It is very unfortunate that despite the widely known fact that Islam preaches peace and co-habitation with persons of other faiths, some misguided persons still engage in such barbarity as reported in Zamfara, in the name of Islam. It is the responsibility of the relevant authorities to stop those who give Islam a bad name, in the interest of the pious majority.
The religious leaders must do their own part, particularly the majority who teach the correct precepts. They should join hands with the government to stem this descent into anarchy. They could do this by countering the devious propagations of hate and where appropriate report those involved to relevant authorities. The state must also put in place appropriate organs to stop such dubious propagation of any faith, and like in this case, bring those involved to account, publicly. Under no guise should Zamfara State or any state for that matter condone this criminality.
In the meantime, the state must take account of those murdered for no just cause, and as much as possible bring succour to their dependants and immediate relations. This should include physical and emotional rehabilitation. For example, the state should restore the burnt house of the Good Samaritan. His act of goodness should be celebrated and publicly promoted, as the right attitude for peaceful coexistence in a multi-cultural society like ours. The Talata Mafara community in Zamfara should see a public disavowal of any form of extremism by leading Islamic personalities across the country.
