Act of violence in Enugu state
On 21th of August 26, 2019 in Emene Enugu state around
10:00am in the morning, there were a tumult and people were running for their
lives. The police were releasing tear gas in the air to scare people away from
the market because some Igbo youths were angry that a Fulani herdsmen killed a
woman after raping her, stab her to death in her farmland. So some angry youth
took laws into their hands and went after the herdsmen immediately the news got
to them. Nobody was thinking straight, everybody was annoyed due to incident
because the act is inhumane. IN the mist of this grievance they unable to find
those particular herdsmen who did this and they turned their frustration to any
Hausa found along the vicinity.
There was an Hausa man who specializes in amendment
of torn cloth, and on this fateful day he was going about his normal activity when
the incident broke out. He didn’t know that day is going to be his last day on
earth. Unknowing to him he was walking along annunciation hospital when some
angry youth came upon him with knife, axe, broken bottle, petrol and tyre and
started hitting him hard without mercy. He cried so hard and pleaded that he didn’t
do anything but his assailant wasn’t with their normal sense. Several wounds was
inflicted on him and blood was gushing out from him (an eye witness said). He
was crying uyamiri what did I do. Uyamiri is the name Hausa use in referring to
Igbo community after the war in Nigeria. This word originated during the war
when some Igbo captives were crying to the Hausa community i.e. their captors to
give them water (uyamiri means give me water).
This incident led to
the killing of other 6 Hausa men before the police arrive and tried to put the
situation under control by using tear gas. The angry mob were shouting for the
governor to come and address the situation and within some few minutes convoy
from the government house entered the arena and this changed the atmosphere of
things in the market. One door of the car opened and the deputy Governor DR MRS
CECILIA EZEILO step out of it and waves to the crowd in greetings and started
addressing them. The interaction between the deputy governor and the crowd is
that of mother and her children because she understood the people and the
people in return respect and love her so much. After addressing us then she
entered back into the car and the car drove leaving some armed military and
police men around the vicinity.
Activities of that
day was cancelled, the market traders has to go back to their various homes for
safety as policemen took over the whole market.
Few days later I went to the saloon to cut down my hair and
the saloon guy told me that Aminu whose is an Hausa guy is dead. That he was a victims
of the riot. I was weak and couldn’t control the tears. Everybody was sad not
because of the violence but because Aminu was among the collateral damage of
the tumult. Aminu was loved by all around the vicinity, he is tailor who specializes
in stitching torn cloth. His death wasn’t
his fault but as a result of an evil act of some individuals whose is from his tribe
and this affected him and he has to pay with his life. Then I ask myself when all
these will stop. Since (1967- 1970) during the time of the Nigerian civil war
till date how many people have lost their lives as a result of this tension
between the Hausa tribe and Igbo tribe. Are we not tired of war or are still
getting ready for another. Can’t peace ever be possible in this country called Nigeria?
Without peace there is no development. The war from 1967 – 1970 is still in our
heart that is why an Igbo man can’t look at an Hausa man and smile because he
reminds him of the pain of they went through during the war.
At this point we must learn to forgive one another. The war
has come and gone but the scare is still with us. The both tribe should accept
the fact that each has wronged the other and one can’t survive without the other.
Because for Nigeria to move forward all hands must be on deck.
Written by Joaness C.E.
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