BY PROF. NATHAN PROTUS UZORMA
God in the biblical book of Genesis, commanded the primordial man to “increase and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.” Many today have given varied interpretations to this Eternal order. Their different understandings and interpretations point to the fact that the Eternal order had some nuances of meanings to the contemporary mankind. These nuances in turn point to common originator questions: “Increase and multiply what?” “Subdue or have dominion over the earth, from which angle?”
Polypediacs and polygynists see in the Eternal order, a command to fill their apartments with children and women, beyond their caring capacities and control. Miracle hawkers see in it, an order to proliferate assemblies onto God’s presence. Religious and political schismatics see in it, an injunction to continually decamp and form their own church-denominations and political parties. Hungry authors and pirates see in it, an order to fill the markets with substandard products. Atomic physicists and anti-humanist technologists see in it, an order to ensure unceasing advancements in technological products that destroy the dignity of human life. War equipments dealers see in it, an order to simulate crisis, instigate and sponsor insurgents in order to profit from it through supplies of war equipments. Media men obey it by feeding the masses with dishes of lies. “Hungry” lawyers see in it an opportunity to advocate bails for the supposed to be condemned and thus fill the society with unrepentant rogues, bloodhounds and deviants.
The twin injunction, “subdue or dominion over it,” is more misunderstood by an obscured contemporary Nigerian who sees nothing wrong in the aberration of traditions, in desecrating taboos, in turning humanity to poultry-existence (through kidnapping, baby factories operations, hired assassinations, human rituals and sacrifices, human parts laundry, etc). They are all species of the genera-clause: “subdue the earth” or “dominion over it.”
No single Imolite will not sincerely assert that Imo is not totally crime-free per say but has an objective maximum reduction of high-class crimes incidents as experienced in the State before the coming of CP Muhammad Katsina in Imo State. The sort of peaceful aura in the State today, is the type that encourages foreign investors, our sons and daughters in Diaspora to return home without panicking, free-movement at any point of the day and due confidence of being safe at any time. So many prominent sons and daughters of Imo state who have not been coming home for fear of been kidnapped, have found peace bereft of fear as they come home some weekly and monthly to enjoy the fruits of their labour in their home state due to the effort of the action CP in fighting crimes. What remains for CP Katsina to do in Imo State today, is to end depravities amidst kinsmen and societal play-gods. Mr. Katsina is a blessing to Nigerian Police Force and to the Nigerian society at large. A man of courage, who likes visiting the scene of crime with his ever-ready ‘Ambush-Squad,’ has done much to be promoted. If this country rewards effort, CP Katsina deserves to be rewarded with double promotion. Courage according to Richter “consists not in blindly overlooking danger, but in seeing and conquering it.” This is exactly what Mr. Katsina has done.
How I hate praise-singing but truth as the artist Lefvre said, is like a naked dame put on an elevation in the night, with floodlights all over her. Her nudity is ever unconcealed. Thus, you can only tell a blind that there is no fish in the soup and never that there is no salt. In fact, I applaud Rochas Okorocha for the first time for having done this, if he actually has hands in the posting and continual retention of CP Katsina in Imo State.
I read with dismay what a Daily Trust reporter and crisis-benefactor and insurgent beneficiary-lawyer wrote on the page 47 of the Daily Trust; Tuesday 20, 2013, accusing CP Muhammad Katsina of extrajudicial killing of confessed murderers of Chief Aseme of Oguta and therein urged IGP MD Abubakar to dismiss CP Muhammad Musa Katsina.
The grand question here is what is the reason of Barr Geoffrey Oputa in making such demand, except that they would reveal the sponsors of the kidnapping? What if the kidnapping incident was not sponsored? Was Oguta Ameshi Town boiling then over the self-revealing truth that the kidnap of Late Chief Aseme, might have been masterminded? If not, then the resultant crisis that followed it in Oguta then, might have been sponsored by still unknown beneficiaries who in perspective planning wished to have clients from whom (justice should be murdered for and) the make rooms for appearances in Courts, which implies constant appearances of Naira notes in their valise?
Certainly there are many ways people eat these days: Hustling, manipulations, bribes, percentages and commissions, busy-ness, etc. Whoever finds frustrations along his oesophagus, cries foul-play. Really it is true that Uzo one na-eri ka o na-asucha (where one feeds from is where he keeps clean and previews). Truly, Anthony de Mello was right in saying that “One can only live when he finds a treasure he can gladly die for.”
It is sad that the priorities of a learned colleague like Barr Geoffrey Oputa has whimsically lost the high reputation built over the ages by mighty and nationwide reputable jurists of Oguta-clan. There was a kidnapping incident, the Police on guard were killed and their guns taken away for more and future assaults; while the kidnapped victim was later murdered. The Imo Command poised to action, raided the den of the kidnappers and made some other arrests later of suspected partners in the crime. During the raid, there was crossfire and the better prepared Police overpowered them and in the process shot the kidnappers and murderers to death. Casualties during crossfire are never intentional acts but acts of gallantry in Military ethics. How would the Police get the kidnappers alive, as there was crossfire at them? Was it possible for the Officers during the raid to risk their lives in order to apprehend the kidnappers whose purported death still irritates those that had planned on them future clients and source of economic build-up? What is the current law in Nigeria about kidnappers? Is it apprehending them so that they will later be sort for as clients? Or is it live-imprisonment or firing to death? How many have been kidnapped since then in Oguta? Most times, the way high-class crimes are treated gives impetus or deters future criminals from committing such crimes.
Certainly, in criminal justice, hasty justice is no justice at all, yet delayed justice not only is justice denied but gives criminals the impetus to continuous onslaughts. Organised crimes perpetrators study the way the society studies them and making of their studies a synthesis, they produce new thesis for further onslaughts and assaults that astonish the society. It is surprising that a lawyer should be singing for fallen-rogues, regretting having missed clients for self-subsistence, which for him is paramount than the life of his kinsman, Chief Aseme that was murdered, than the two policemen who lost their lives while serving the nation and protecting lives and properties, than the families of the men who were killed by the criminals, by the beneficiaries of the philanthropist who have now lost everything, than his terrorised community, than the panicked Imo State and the implied insecurity it portrays on our country, Nigeria. How many of our youths were casualties as aftermath of the saga? These certainly count nothing before the eyes of a man who seeks without conscience and second thought for clients and apertures to appear in courts in order to demonstrate his expertise in rhetoric and juridical rigours.
It is now becoming clear that CP Katsina is not only fighting crimes and criminals in the State but also some unidentified beneficiaries who see in crisis and insurgence, true manifestations of Divine Providence- An unconditional subsistence-love lavished to both criminals and innocents.
BY PROF. NATHAN PROTUS UZORMA Emailprofnathanuzomah@yahoo.com